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Portavogie Harbour, County Down, Ireland

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Harbour position?

54° 27.410' N, 005° 26.115' W

Where is that position?

Upon the position of the South Pier Head navigation lights Fl GWR 5 sec 9m 8-10M situated at the pier’s northern end.

What is the initial fix?

The following waypoint will set up a final approach:

Ardglass Harbour Initial Fix
54° 27.482' N, 005° 24.867' W
Three quarters of a mile out from the head of the breakwater, northeast of Plough Light buoy. It is in the middle of the Portavogie Light white sector (258°- 275°) and the harbour will be on a bearing of 267º T from the initial fix.

What LWS draught is available?

3.7 metres (12.14 feet).

What are the tides and weather here?

High Water: as Dover, Belfast +15 minutes
Tidal range: Springs 4.7-0.6; Neaps 3.9 -1.4 metres.

The latest monthly Dover and Dublin (North Wall) 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 Ulster 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. Dublin 83, Wicklow Head 87, Rosslare 23 and Mine Head 83. 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 considerations are there?

Portavogie harbour is located on the northeastern coast of Ireland, nine miles northeast of the entrance to Strangford Lough and immediately north of Plough Point. It is an important but small and crowded fishing port that is not set up for pleasure craft. Therefore it is not recommended that leisure craft come into Portavogie and should do so only in an emergency.

The harbour offers complete protection with straightforward access.

Please note the harbour has a narrow entrance along the shoreline. It should not be approached in any significant onshore winds.

How to get in?

Due to the level of fishing activity and space constrictions it is preferred that leisure craft do not visiting Portavogie. However it is possible to come in if a vessel is encountering difficulties but you must consult the Harbour Master for advice and seek consent.

Portavogie Harbour Master
Telephone: +44 28 4277 1470
Mobile: +44 77 1207 4609
Normal Working Hours: Mon - Thur 8am to 4.30pm, Fri 8am to 3.30pm, Sat 8am to 12 noon (Excludes Sundays and Statutory Holidays)
Radio Watch VHF Channel 14. This must also be used on entry to or exit from harbour entrance to avoid collision.

Once consent is provided come in from the Portavogie Harbour initial fix on a bearing of 267º T that tracks in along the middle of the Portavogie Light’s white sector (258°- 275°). You will see the steel tower standing at the head of the outer breakwater throughout the approach.

This route passes to the immediate north of Plough Light buoy - moored on the southern limit of the white sector.

Plough Light buoy - Fl R 3s position: 54° 27.389’N, 005° 25.104’W

Taking a wide berth of the coast and then the central approach path brings you through rocky areas that lay offshore to the northeast and southwest Portavogie. These are Selk Rock and McCammon Rocks to the northeast, covered by the green sector (shore to 258°), and Plough Rock that dries to 3 metres, covered by the red sector (275° - 348°) of Portavogie Light.

The final stretch before the entrance is through a short 24 metre wide channel running out east of the harbour. The entrance faces due north with the outer South Pier Head, where the Fl GWR 5 sec steel tower you tracked in upon stands, and an Inner pier 2FG Vert off the shoreline.

The harbour is protected by breakwaters and divided into Middle and Inner Basins. Berthing directions should have been provided by the harbour master.

What facilities are available?

With a population of approximately 2000 people all basic provisions can be found at Portavogie. The area is geared to meet the needs of the fishing fleet. A boatyard where repairs to large fishing vessels may be undertaken is available and there is a ships' chandler. Supplies of diesel and fresh water are available at the wharfs and a bus to Newtownards.

What emergency contacts are there?

Belfast Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC). Operational Area: Northern Ireland/ Irish Republic Border, Lough Foyle to Northern/Irish Republic Border Carlingford Lough. Belfast Coastguard (MRSC) VHF Ch 16, liaises closely with IRCG. Emergencies are worked on 16, 67 and working channel.

Alternatively, or if ashore, phone 999 and 112 and ask for ‘Marine Rescue’. Police, Fire and Rescue are also available on this number. Belfast (MRSC) may be contacted directly on +44 2891 463 933

Other useful contacts in this area:
Portavogie Harbour Master
Radio Watch VHF Channel 14
Telephone: +44 28 4277 1470
Mobile: +44 77 1207 4609

Why visit here?

The Portavogie name is derived from Irish: Port an Bhogaigh meaning "harbour of the bog". The name stems back to the time when the surrounding inland area of the Ards peninsula was an extensive bog. This was drained in the eighteenth century to provide the fertile arable land that exists today.

Portavogie is a modern harbour that is home to a large fleet of traditional fishing boats and several seafood processing plants. Most evenings there are fish auctions on the quays for the catch of prawns and herrings. Three murals on the exterior of the local school celebrate the history of the fishing industry in the town. Yachtsmen are not the only impromptu visitors. Several resident seals can often be seen in the harbour, waiting patiently on returning boats in the hope of catching some treats.

Any security concerns?

Portavogie is an open quay where normal security procedures should be adopted.

What navigational resources are available for this area?

British Admiralty 2156 ‘Strangford Lough’, scale of 37,500:1 that includes ‘Portavogie’, at a scale of 5000:1 Imray chart C62 – ‘Irish Sea’. ’Sailing Directions - Irish Cruising Club - East & North Coasts of Ireland’ provides an excellent pilot for this area.

How can I get this offshore?

If you are receiving a mobile signal you can access all of our information via a standard mobile phone internet browser. We provide a streamlined version of the site at www.liyfs.com, which is a shortcut to our 'Lite' site called Lite.InYourFootSteps.com, that is simplified and optimised for speed. Here are the phonetics to pass the address on via VHF: WWW.LIYFS.COM, I SPELL... LIMA... INDIA... YANKEE... FOXTROT... SIERRA... DOT.COM. Similarly, if you have limited or expensive internet capabilities, you may switch to the 'Lite' site www.liyfs.com for faster more efficient access.

Alternatively you may print a hard copy to have aboard. Either print this page with 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.

With thanks to:

Michael Young - Harbour Master Kilkeel

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