Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

11°C

Swell today

Direction W, height 0.1 metres, period 9.9 seconds, significant wave height of 0.2 metres.

Haven position?

51° 26.000' N, 009° 30.077' W

Where is that position?

In the north end of the inlet on the 5 metre contour, off the quay.

What is the initial fix?

This waypoint is half a nautical mile to the south of the anchorage.

What is the story here?

Cape Clear, Ireland's southernmost inhabited island, 3 miles long by 1 mile broad, lies 8 miles off the coast of West Cork. South Harbour is an inlet situated on the south coast of the island - just to the east of Blananarragaun the Island’s southwester point.

The inlet provides a tolerable anchorage that is exposed to everything with a southerly component. It is also subject to a heavy rolling swell that makes it unsafe. However with very good holding ground it does offer some protection from north-westerly round to north-easterly gales with normal navigation to access the anchorage.

This therefore has to be considered a settled fair-weather day anchorage, preferably with a northerly component in the weather.

Why visit here?

Cape Clear Island (official name: Cléire and sometimes also referred to in Irish as 'Oileán Chléire') is Ireland's most southerly populated (120 persons) island. Thereby, South Harbour is the most southern anchorage in Ireland. It is such a picturesque inlet, particularly so when viewed from the shore, that it has become a popular berth for yachts.

The island itself is small, three miles long and one and a half miles wide and is divided into east and west halves by an isthmus. Yet it can only be described as a natural paradise with feral scenery, sparkling harbours, cliffs and bogs and a lake to discover by foot. Heather, gorse, sea pinks, honeysuckle and a variety of other wild flowers cover the rugged hills carved up by a patchwork of stonewalls. The surrounding seas abound with seals, basking sharks, dolphins, leatherback turtles, sun fish and even whales. The air above is full of Black and Common Guillemots, Cormorants and storm petrels making it a noted centre for bird watching - the best months residing unfortunately just outside the sailing season being April and October. All of these contribute to Cape Clear’s unspoiled charm that makes a very important visit for the cruising yachtsman.
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The island is also known as the birthplace of Saint Ciarán but its history reaches back to megalithic standing stones and a 5000 year-old passage grave, a twelfth century church ruin, a fourteenth century O'Driscoll castle, cannonaded in the early 1600s are there to be explored. Along with the disused ruins of the original Cape Clear lighthouse, standing 33 metres high near the centre of the south eastern side of the island. Operated from 1810 until 1854 it was replaced by the Fastnet Rock lighthouse.

Cape Clear also forms part of the Gaeltacht, meaning that the first language is Irish and that it is one of the few places in Ireland where it is still in daily use. In the summer many students come in order to perfect their Irish.

For late sailors every first weekend of September, Cape hosts the Cape Clear Island International Storytelling Festival, which has been running annually since 1994. The festival features professional international storytellers from all over the world.

Removed from the hustle and bustle of mainland life, Cape Clear offers relaxation, nature and peace.

How to get in?

Come up from the listed waypoint mid channel. The entrance is wide, but the harbour narrows inside. The recommended anchorage is in depths of 4 to 6 metres at the centre near the head of the harbour. There is a small quay on the east side of the harbour at Illaunfaha.

What are the tides here?

Today's local tide estimates are based on High Water Cobh -0015
Today's Cobh tides — High waters: 07:36, 19:53, Low waters: 01:41, 13:56
Today's Dover tides — High waters: 01:04, 13:22, Low waters: 08:17, 20:33 (From Tide Times)
Nearby Baltimore’s tides are:
Cobh -0025sp, -0005np
MHWS 3.5m MHWN 2.9m MLWN 1.4m MLWS 0.6m

Between Cape Clear and Fastnet Rock the tides are estimated to be:
Dover +0215 East (Cobh-0420)
Dover -0400 West (Cobh+0150)
Spring rate approximately 2 to 2.5 kn maximum. Watch ot for confused tides and eddies off Blananarragaun.

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?

Apart from the quay at Illaunfaha there are no facilities here. You can walk to a restaurant half a mile distance across the saddle which is 20 minutes from the Illaunfaha quay.

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 security issue known to have occurred on Clear Island.

What navigational resources are available for this area?

Admiralty Charts 2184 ‘Mizen Head to Gascanane Sound’ & 2129 ‘Long Island Bay to Castlehaven’ Scale of 1:30,000 cover this area. Also Imray C56. ’Sailing Directions - Irish Cruising Club - South and West Coasts of Ireland’’ cover this area.

With thanks to:

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

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