Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

12°C

Swell today

Direction SW, height 0.0 metres, period 9.9 seconds, significant wave height of 0.2 metres.

Haven position?

51° 31.440' N, 009° 22.050' W

Where is that position?

In the middle of the river approximately 200 meters east of a private slipway located on the north bank of the river.

What is the initial fix?

This waypoint is quarter of a mile due south of the entrance, midway between Beacon & Barrack Point in the white sector of the lighthouse.

What is the story here?

Situated inland from Ireland’s southwest corner, Reena Dhuna is within the Ilen River that resides to the north of Baltimore Harbour. The river leads to Skibbereen and Reena Dhuna is a river anchorage two and a half miles from the river mouth.

This anchorage is sheltered from all wind directions and completely protected. It can be approached from Baltimore Harbour or directly from the west but both, and particularly the latter, require careful navigation with excellent visibility for eyeball navigation.

Why visit here?

The River Ilen provides a quiet river repose in a serene and tranquil setting with plenty of natural wildlife around.

The river rises in the Mullaghmesha Mountains and is made up of five main tributaries; the Saivnose, Coarliss, Achrinduff, Glounaphuca and Clodagh. It has ‘Quality A’ rated water, that means its pollution levels are far below the national average. Fish found in the river include brown trout, sea trout and salmon. The Ilen’s main settlement is Skibbereen that is just an hour’s walk from the anchorage and, as discussed in the Oldcourt entry, is well worth a visit.

From a sailing perspective Reena Dhuna is a safe location to sit out a bit of bad weather in a nice quiet setting. It is a location that Irish sailors reportedly leave a boat unattended for extended periods with complete confidence that it would come to no harm.

How to get in?

The ‘Route: Cork Harbour to Mizen Head coastal description’ provides approach information to the suggested initial fix. Vessels approaching from the east should select the westbound sequenced description; vessels approaching from the southwest round to northwest should select the eastbound sequence; southern approaches may use either description.

River Ilen directions to the anchorage are covered in the Oldcourt description situated upriver from Reena Dhuna.

Upon final approaches Reena Dhuna will be found on a bend at the top end of a northern length of the river, before it turns east and to the northwest of the island of Inishbeg. Depths of two metres or more will be found all the way up to the anchorage. A big holiday home will be seen on the north side of the river with a private slip just above it.

Please note the holding is in mud, that although is reportedly poor, this is far from the actual experience. The bottom is also foul in places and where a release line could not be availed of an anchor or two have been left behind here. As a result a tripping line is recommended.

What are the tides here?

Today's local tide estimates are based on High Water Cobh -0015
Today's Cobh tides — High waters: 06:31, 18:48, Low waters: 00:38, 12:54
Today's Dover tides — High waters: 00:05, 12:22, Low waters: 07:13, 19:27 (From Tide Times)
Baltimore’s tides are Cobh -0025sp, -0005np
MHWS 3.5m MHWN 2.9m MLWN 1.4m MLWS 0.6m

Tidal streams river Ilen plus Baltimore’s north and south entrances.
Dover -0005 (Cobh +0545) In-going
Dover +0610 (Cobh –0025) Out-going

What facilities are available?

Reena Dhuna in the Ilen River has no facilities. Further upriver, the large provincial town of Skibbereen is a one hour walk and is well serviced by buses. The town is the hub of west Cork and has all stores available plus one of the best Chandleries in the southwest that has nearly everything a boatman could require. A mile and a half further up river, at Oldcourt, there is a quay with a boatyard frequented by trawlers that also caters for yachts.

What emergency contacts are there?

Valentia Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC) VHF Ch 24 & MF 1752 kHz covers this coastal area. Cork (26), Mizen (04), Bantry Bay (23), Shannon (28) and Galway (04) provide relay stations. Coastguard Radio is always called on a working channel. Emergencies are worked on 16, 67 and working channel.

Alternatively, or if ashore, phone 999 or 121 (free) and ask for ‘Marine Rescue’. Gardai (police), Fire and Rescue are also available on this number. Valentia (MRSC) may be called on +353 669 476 109

Other useful contacts in this area:
Baltimore Harbour Master – Telephone +353 87 235 1485 VHF Ch.16 & 09
Cork Radio 16/26/67
RNLI Lifeboat - Telephone +353 28 20 143 or +353 208 20174
Gardaí / Police +353 28 20102
Ambulance +353 28 21677
Skibbereen Medical Centre +353 28 23456
Skibbereen Hospital +353 28 21677

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have occurred in Reena Dhuna. The owner of the big house is a sailor and has kept an eye on unattended boats in the past. This has often been reciprocation with a bottle of duty free that many have thought fitting. Of course he may be off sailing also so it cannot be depended upon.

What navigational resources are available for this area?

The large scale Admiralty Charts 2424 ‘Kenmare River to Cork Harbour’ Scale of 1:150,000 covers this area. 2129 ‘’Long Island Bay to Castlehaven’’ and 2184 ‘’Mizen Head to Gascanane Sound’’ Scale of 1:30,000 provide detail. Finally Admiralty Leisure Folio SC5623 Ireland - South West Coast, Bantry Bay to Kinsale. Imray C56 ‘Cork Harbour to Dingle Bay’ scale of 1:170,000. The Discovery Series Sheet Number 88, scale of 1:50,000, covers the shore.

With thanks to:

Burke Corbett, Gusserane, New Ross, Co. Wexford.

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Please zoom out to see the 'initial fix' for this location.

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Alternatively print this page's text, illustrations and photos, but without the internet menu, layout, backdrops and Google maps, or economise upon printer consumables and print this page with text only, to get a hardcopy of this location.

What other useful information is available?

RTE provides a highly simplified national and provincial outlook. More detail can be found from Met Éireann’s (the Irish National Meteorological Service) eastern Atlantic 24 hour synoptic, the current Irish sea area forecast and Irish observations.

The UK Met Office also provides a shipping forecast plus visible satellite and infrared satellite imagery to enable close observation of approaching frontal systems. This movement information makes it easy to predict when a weather event will affect a location thus providing an accurate estimate as to when the typical Irish sharp veer, off the back of a cold front, will arrive. Another useful resource is the 21st Operational Weather Squadron that provides Atlantic and European synoptics.

XC Weather provides a local view of wind conditions direct from and array of reporting station manned along the British Isles. Three hour historical info plus expected wind direction and strength for the next couple of days are available on this site and it is possible to interpolate between stations.

Wind guru is an international surfing site that provides a view on eighty five beaches around the coast of Ireland. It offers wind and wave information plus meteorological data such as temperature, wind speed and direction. The sites wind, wave height and direction information enables a good picture of a seaway, wave against wind or tide etc., to be understood.

Whilst off-line national weather information is broadcast as follows:

Coastal radio stations (VHF Channel)
Weather forecast at 0103 and thence every 3 hours updated every sixth.
Cork 26, Bantry 23, Valentia 24, Shannon 28, Clifden 26, Malin Head 23, Dublin 83, Wicklow Head 87, Rosslare 23, and Mine Head 83.

RTE Radio 1 Sea area forecast: 24 / 48 hour outlook and gale warnings rounding the country in a clockwise direction from headlands to headland.
FM 88.90 MHZ or MW 567khz/529m and 729khz/412m.
Weekdays 0602, 1253, 1823, 2355; Sundays 0633, 0755, 0855, 1253, 1823, 235

BBC Radio 4 Sea area forecast:
LW 198khz/1525M. VHF92.4/94.6MhZ
Daily 0048, 0535 (0542 on Sundays, 0556 Saturdays), 1201,1754.

Precise monthly Dover, Dublin, Cobh, Limerick, Rosslare, Sligo, Bangor, Donaghadee, Derry, Portrush tides are posted by the National Environmental Research Council.



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