Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

10°C

Swell today

Direction WSW, height 3.5 metres, period 9.9 seconds, significant wave height of 3.7 metres.

Haven position?

52° 11.354' N, 010° 22.607' W

Where is that position?

Ballynagall pierhead Fl.R.3s 4m 3M

What is the initial fix?

The middle of the entrance to Smerwick Harbour.

What is the story here?

Smerwick Harbour is open picturesque bay that resides upon Dingle peninsula’s northwestern corner, to the immediate east of the renowned ‘The Three Sisters’ coastal peaks. The entrance to the bay faces northwest and it offers an anchorage with secure moorings.

Smerwick Harbour is a tolerable anchorage in the summer but is wide open to conditions from north-northwest round to north-northeast and subject to swell. However if a vessel moves around the harbour protection may be found close in from northwest through south to the northeast. In winter a heavy ground swell rolls in uninterruptedly and it should be avoided.

The one mile wide open bay has few offlying dangers making access very straightforward.

Why visit here?

Smerwick was originally a Viking settlement and its name originates from the Norse words ‘smoer’ and ‘wick’ meaning ‘butter harbour’. Although denoted as Smerwick on charts the area is officially now known as ‘Ard na Caithne’, meaning height of the arbutus or strawberry tree, as the name Smerwick lost all legal standing under the 2004 Place Names Order (Gaeltacht Regions).

From a boating perspective Smerwick Harbour is an ideal staging point to get set up for an early tide through Blasket Sound. Also going north having made a late passage through the sound it provides a setup point for a departure to the Arran Islands at first light without having to worry too much about the strong tide in the sound.

Historically Ard na Caithne owns a significant place in both the history. The early Christian Gallarus Oratory and ‘An Riasc’ monastic site, at Carrigveen, are central archaeological and tourist attractions.

Dún an Óir, the "Fort of the Gold" is an Iron Age Promontory fort located near the harbour. It was the site of the Siege of Smerwick in 1580. An expeditionary force of 600 Spanish and Italian troops landed at Smerwick to aid a local rebellion. They were garrisoned at Dún an Óir, an Iron Age promontory fort that they reconstructed in an Italian style. Within days their ships had been seized by a strong English naval force that was later joined by Lord Grey and 800 soldiers who prosecuted the siege with a bombardment of heavy naval cannon upon the fort.

After two days the Italian lead coalition surrendered without condition. The prisoners were beheaded over the following days in a nearby field and it appears that many of their heads were thrown in the sea. In the early years of the 21st Century many skeletons have been revealed with the effect of coastal erosion.

From an aviator perspective it should be mentioned when you pass Sybil Point and see ‘The Three Sisters’, before you arrive to the bay, you are viewing a major milestone in aviation history. Charles Lindbergh saw this geologic feature on his first solo trans-Atlantic flight in 1927 and used it as a key landmark.

How to get in?

A northern approach Smerwick Harbour is clear but there are no lights in the area. Enter the harbour between the mile wide area of the east-most ‘Sister’ and the 29 metre high Dunacapple Island.

It is best not to approach between Dunacapple Islets and the shore to their immediate east as there are shoals and breakers in this region. It is also worth noting that there is a rock immediately west of Dunacapple Island so you should not pass too close to the island.

The best protection from the prevailing south-westerlies may be found anchored close to the west side of the bay called Smerwick Roads abreast of Smerwick village. As the bay is large and wide open the swell tends to wrap around ‘The Three Sisters’ headland and end up at right angles to the wind in the south-round-to-eastern portions of the bay, thus making for a roller of a night in these locations. Hence Smerwick Roads is the preferred anchorage in prevailing conditions.

I tend to anchor off the first little beach on the west side before I come to the old boat harbour. You will find sand here with good holding. You can land at the slip but there are no facilities ashore save for a guest house near the slip. Dún an Óir, the "Fort of the Gold" is a short walk from here.

At the opposite, east side of the bay, there is a pier, with a depth of 0.5 metres low water springs at its head, at the village of Ballynagall (known locally as Ballydavid). The pierhead is lit Fl.R.3s 4m 3M. Due to the ground swell you are ideally looking for settled conditions to come alongside here and berth temporarily at high water. The area surrounding the pier has a rock bottom so you would not want to be caught with a ground swell alongside.

There are four visitor moorings available in Smerwick Harbour just south of Ballynagall Point.
Smerwick Harbour – position: 52° 11.00’N, 010° 21.40’ W

The moorings are rated to 15 tons and are large, coloured bright yellow and labelled VISITOR.

In southerly winds you can find an anchorage to the south of the bay to the west of Carrigveen in about 2.5m with good holding in sand.

Likewise shelter may be found in moderate to strong northerly conditions in the small bay at the northeast corner of the harbour off the mouth of the Feohanagh River (more like a stream). Anchor in the middle of the bay in approximately six metres as further inshore there are isolated boulders. Please note that there are lobster pots between the anchorage and Dunacapple Island.

What are the tides here?

Today's Dover tides — High waters: 10:33, 22:54, Low waters: 05:34, 17:58 ^{From Tide Times}

High water Cobh -0107sp -0027np
MHWS 3.8m, MHWN 2.8m

Tidal streams run in line with the direction of the coast and across the entrance to Smerwick Harbour
Dover – 0100, Cobh + 0450, Northeast going, spring rate of 1 to 1.5 kn
Dover + 0500, Cobh - 0135, Southwest going, spring rate of 1 to 1.5 kn

The latest monthly Dover Tides and Cobh Tides courtesy of the National Environmental Research Council. Printable monthly tides for Dublin, Dunmore, Cobh, Galway, Belfast are available from the ISA.

The national weather forecast, Met Éireann and BBC shipping forecasts, plus a very simplified Munster tourist outlook. From an Atlantic perspective a 24 hour North Atlantic synoptic chart that you may ‘right click’ and save to your hard disk. Met Éireann’s Eastern Atlantic chart and the BBC’s surface area forecast plus visible satellite images for Ireland and Northeast Atlantic from Met Éireann. Wind observations, XC UK & Ireland, Windguru wind & wave reports, and Windfinder where you can determine a forecast time. Coastal radio stations (VHF Channel) Weather forecast at 0103 and thence every 3 hours updated every sixth. Cork 26, Bantry 23, Valentia 24. Radio broadcasts on RTE 1 (89.1FM) 0603, 1253, 1655 and 2355.

A free tidal range prediction application for windows, a simple tide monitor plus the rule of twelfths are available in inyourfootsteps.com shared ‘experience’.

What facilities are available?

There are no facilities on the west side. Ballynagall has a shop with some fresh provisions, a pub, telephone and bus service all a short walk from the pier. At Carrigveen there is petrol beyond the sand hills.

What emergency contacts are there?

Valentia Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC) VHF Ch 24 & MF 1752 kHz covers this costal 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

Any security concerns?

Never a problem known to have occurred in this remote region.

What navigational resources are available for this area?

The large scale Admiralty 2789 ‘Dingle Bay and Smerwick Harbour’ Scale of 1:60,000, including ‘Continuation of Castlemaine Harbour’ Scale of 1:60,000 and ‘Smerwick Harbour’ Scale of 1:40,000 covers this area. 2790 Ventry and Dingle Harbours Scale of 1:15,000 covers the ‘Blasket Islands’ Scale of 1:37,500 in more detail.

Imray C56 & C55 scale of 1:170,000 overlap here. Ordinance Survey of Ireland, Discovery Series Map ref No. 70 Kerry, scale 1:50,000. The Pilot ’Sailing Directions - Irish Cruising Club - South and West Coasts of Ireland’’ covers this in great detail.

With thanks to:

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

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