Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

Between Jackdaw & Chapel Island, Strangford Lough, County Down, Ireland

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Harbour position?

54° 23.097' N, 005° 36.047' W

Where is that position?

In between Jackdaw & Chapel Island.

What is the initial fix?

The following waypoint will set up a final approach:

Chapel Island & Jackdaw Islands Initial Fix
54° 23.368' N, 005° 35.970' W
On the small 8.8 metre contour patch approximately 300 metres the north of Chapel Island.

What LWS draught is available?

3 metres (9.84 feet).

What are the tides and weather here?

High Water Strangford Quay Dover +0147 springs, 0157 neaps
MHWS 3.6m MHWN 3.1m MLWN 0.9m MLWS 0.4m
Local high water Dover +0145 or 2 hours 15 minutes after high water at Belfast

Inside the Lough tides decrease significantly
6 Kn between Strangford & Portaferry
4 Kn at Ballyhenry Island
1.5 Kn at Don O’Neill Island

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?

Chapel and Jackdaw Islands are located on the northeast coast of Ireland within Strangford Lough. These are the first islands to be reached coming west out of Strangford Lough’s Narrows. This anchorage is between the uninhabited islands.

This is a good anchorage offering all round protection except for northerly quadrant winds but particularly good protection against southerlies.

Normal navigation is required when traversing any of Lough’s eighty square nautical miles of shallow basin. The Lough is a completely enclosed waterway but there are a number of drying patches and shoals known as pladdies, some of which uncover whilst others never appear, throughout the Lough. When these are near a principal boating channel or route they are typically marked by poles or beacons. Currents are another complicating factor of the inner Lough. Although not as strong as in the ‘Narrows’ they do not run true in the Lough and tend to take a vessel off course. All of which necessitate some attention to navigation and detailed chart work in daylight.

However this is more than manageable as once a boat is out of the fast-running tidal channel to the south, the more gentle waters around the islands that gave this Lough its old Irish name Lough Cuan, meaning sheltered haven, is a pleasure to sail.

How to get in?

Use the entries for Strangford Harbour, Audley’s Roads or Portaferry for guidance on how to approach from the Irish Sea and pass through the five nautical mile long fast-running tidal ‘Narrows’. Any of these lists of directions will guide a boat up through the ‘Narrows’ to the inner Lough.

Having entered Strangford Lough make for the Chapel Island & Jackdaw Islands Initial Fix. This places you 300 metres north of Chapel Island where you can clearly see both islands and pass down equidistant between to anchor in shale with good holding.

What facilities are available?

There are no facilities upon Chapel and Jackdaw Islands or in the surrounding area.

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. An inshore lifeboat is maintained at Portaferry.

Other useful contacts in this area:
Strangford Harbour Master (at ferry terminal)
VHF Channel Ch 12, 14, 16, M
Tel:+44 28 4488 1637

Portaferry Marina
VHF Channel Ch. M2, 80
Tel: +44 28 4272 9598

Killyleagh Yacht Club
Tel:+44 28 44 828250

Police: +44 4461 5011, Medical Clinic +44 4461 3016

Why visit here?

This is a snug anchorage between two pleasant islands where you can let the kids off to roam or indeed strike out one self. Please note, Jackdaw is an important nesting site for terns in the spring and so should be avoided at this time.

Chapel Island is owned by the National Trust and is one of the larger uninhabited islands in Strangford Lough. The island provides for excellent walks and the National Trust organises a low water guided walk across the mud flats from the shore to Chapel Island.

The drying window is long enough to get to the island plus enjoy a good island walk before the tide returns. However such mudflat walks require an experienced guide as there are treacherous muddy patches under the sand, and without experience, one may stumble into one and get stuck. Should one find themselves knee-deep in immovable Strangford mud the best advice is to fall down backwards and move your arms in a backstroke fashion – successful extrication may require the sacrifice of a pair of boots.

Landing on the island is recommended where walkers will find a bank that rises at the islands northern tip and runs like a spine up to a small plateau at the southern end. Perched on the highest part of the island, with commanding views in all directions, a visitor will find the scattered remains of a pre-Norman period chapel that most likely has given the island its name.

The chapel would be best described as a hermitage that monks would go for meditation and seclusion. Chapel Island is the ideal location for such a hermitage offering ample food via fish traps and shellfish plus a fresh water source that enabled self sufficiency along with island isolation. Two similar sites are to be found on Dunsy Island and near Audleystown. Today the hermitage is difficult to identify on Chapel Island. What remains is covered by grass and an impenetrable mound of briars surrounded by a scarcely discernable enclosure. What is impressive, however, is the views to the south over the Mournes from this elevated part of the island.

Any security concerns?

Never a problem known to have occurred around the isolate Chapel and Jackdaw Islands.

What navigational resources are available for this area?

The key detail charts are British Admiralty 2156 ‘Strangford Lough’, scale of 37,500:1. and for the ‘Narrows’ 2159 ‘Strangford Narrows’, scale of 12,500:1, including ‘Strangford’, scale of 5,000:1. Imray chart C62 – ‘Irish Sea’. Northern Ireland Ordinance Survey No. 21 at a scale of 1:50,000.

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:

Brian Crawford, local Strangford Lough boatman of many decades.

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