Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

8°C

Swell today

Direction W, height 0.0 metres, period 7.4 seconds, significant wave height of 0.2 metres.

Haven position?

51° 49.700' N, 008° 0.040' W

Where is that position?

Ballycotton harbour's eastern pierhead by the entrance.

What is the initial fix?

This waypoint is 400 metres northeast of the moorings outside the harbour.

What is the story here?

Ballycotton Bay resides ten miles east-northeast of Roche’s Point on the southeaster Cork coastline. Ballycotton Harbour is a small artificial harbour situated at the end of the point that encloses the southern section of the bay. Berthing possibilities here include anchoring outside the harbour, picking up visitor moorings or coming alongside the harbour wall.

Ballycotton Bay provides a good anchorage with good holding in south westerly and westerly conditions. The area is somewhat affected by winds with a northerly component but strong southeasterly and southerly conditions send in heavy rollers making it highly uncomfortable. Accessing the harbour is straightforward.

Please note the harbour is space constrained, very busy with fishing boats and it has a high rough wall. Hence picking up moorings or anchoring (in sand over mud and clay) outside the harbour may be the better option for visiting boats.

Why visit here?

Ballycotton is a famous and picturesque fishing village set on a rocky-ledge overlooking Ballycotton Bay with its sandy beach that stretches for about 25 km east to Knockadoon Head. It is well known as the home of many fine public houses with excellent tradition music.

The village plays host to an annual arts festival organised by the local community. Named the 8 Degrees West Arts Festival, after the line of longitude which runs between the island and the main land. The festival is held on the first weekend of June and is now entering it’s forth year. In its 25th year, the Ballycotton Road Race attracts runners from around Ireland and abroad to its 10 Mile circuit of country back roads, each year the race is over subscribed many times over.

The current village is actually a re-settlement of an older village which is now entirely underwater. Ballycotton experiences severe coastal erosion with metres of land crumbling into the sea every few years. Ballycotton’s conspicuous Lighthouse situated on the steep sloped Ballycotton Island, approximately 2 km from the village was commissioned in 1851 when the keeper and his family lived on the island and their children rowed to school weather permitting. By 1899 the four keepers were housed in the town with keepers rotating duty at the lighthouse. In 1975 the light was converted to electricity and it was automated on 28 March 1992 when the lighthouse keepers were withdrawn.

The local area is home to many artists and craftspeople including woodworkers, painters, potters, writers and musicians who regularly exhibit at the Stephen Pearce Gallery in Shanagarry. Many big names in entertainment have chosen the relative seclusion and natural beauty of the area as a getaway.

(adapted from wikipedia the free encyclopaedia).

How to get in?

Approaching from the east is straight forward. If approaching from the West it is best to pass to the South of ‘The Smiths’, as Wheat Rocks, which dry, lie between them and the mainland. They are marked by a Red Can Lt Fl R (3) and are made up of three distinct pinnacles, one of which dries.

The Smiths - position: 51° 49.000’N 007° 52.000’W

Small craft can pass through Ballycotton Sound and Ballycotton Island an islet west of the point called Small Island. The best water is closer to the island Ballycotton Island with the lighthouse.

Ballycotton Lighthouse - Fl WR 10s position: 51° 49.522N 007° 59.169W
A black tower and lantern, enclosed in white walls.

You can experience tidal currents of up to 2 knots here and it should not be attempted in south westerly conditions. If you are new to the area and / or visibility is poor it is best to avoid Ballycotton Sound and round the island.

Come up on the waypoint from the East and you will pass north of Ballycotton Island. You should see six big yellow mooring buoys outside the harbour provided by the board of works to promote cruising.

Ballycotton moorings – position: 51° 50.000’N 008° 00.000’W.
The moorings are rated to 15 tons and are large, coloured bright yellow and labelled VISITOR.

Alternatively you can go into the harbour. As already mentioned space is highly constrained and because the harbour’s pier walls are made up of rough shuttering you will need a plank to protect the topsides when you come alongside. There are no rings in the walls to take your lines so you will need to get a man ashore to take your lines. As the walls are high you need to drop them off at the steps provided.

What are the tides here?

Today's Dover tides — High waters: 09:09, 21:36, Low waters: 03:55, 16:22 ^{From Tide Times}

HW Cobh HW Dover -0555
MHWS 4.1m MHWN 3.2m MLWN 1.3m MLWS 0.4m

Outside the harbour the tide runs,
Dover + 0100 East
Dover -0430 West.

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?

Fresh water is available from a tap on the pier and the small village has shops where you can acquire some provisions a short stroll up from the pier. Ballycotton is situated about 25 miles east of Cork city.

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?

It would be unlikely that you would experience any issues on anchor or moorings.

What navigational resources are available for this area?

Admiralty Charts 2049 ‘Old Head of Kinsale to Tuskar Rock’ Scale of 150,000 covers this sailing area. 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.

---

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

How can I get this offshore?

If a mobile signal is available you can access all of our information via a mobile phone's internet browser. We provide a 'Lite' site, Lite In Your Foot Steps using the shorter initials www.liyfs.com, that presents our data in a simplified, speed optimised format. Similarly, if an internet connection is limited or expensive, switching to the 'Lite' site enables faster and more efficient access.

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.



Print this haven

Add a review or comment:

Please log in to leave a review of this haven.

Please note inyourfootsteps.com makes no guarantee of the validity of this information, we have not visited this haven and do not have first-hand experience to qualify the data. Although the contributors are vetted by peer review as practised authorities, they are in no way, whatsoever, responsible for the accuracy of their contributions. It is essential that you thoroughly check the accuracy and suitability for your vessel of any waypoints offered in any context plus the precision of your GPS. Any data provided on this page is entirely used at your own risk and you must read our legal page if you view data on this site.