Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

14°C

Swell today

Direction WSW, height 0.0 metres, period 9.9 seconds, significant wave height of 0.2 metres.

Haven position?

51° 33.500' N, 009° 45.500' W

Where is that position?

In the anchoring area within the cove. Final positioning will require careful eye-ball navigation.

What is the initial fix?

This waypoint is a third of a nautical mile east by southeast of Foilavaun Point that is located 2.75 miles east by northeast of Sheep\'s Head Light. A course of 31° for a distance of 1,200 metres will lead into the cove.

What is the story here?

Trawrooim Landing is located on Ireland’s southwest coast within Dunmanus Bay and close to Sheep's Head. Situated in a small cove it offers a temporary anchorage in very settled conditions plus an ideal location to land a shore party on the outer peninsula.

Completely open to the southwest and with a large reef in the central of the cove this is a fair weather stay-aboard anchorage. The cove does provide protection from offshore winds; west-northwest through north to east. Attentive navigation is required for access. Although there are no off lying dangers excellent visibility and settled conditions are required to see the sandy patch in which to anchor and the adjacent reef.

Please note there is very little swinging room and a vessel should not be left unattended in case conditions suddenly change.

Why visit here?

Situated within five miles of the remote Sheep’s Head Trawrooim landing provides an ideal location to land a shore party to explore this remote and rewarding location. Separating Bantry Bay and Dunmanus Bay, with Sheep’s Head at its extremity the peninsula has much to offer the walker, cyclist and climber.

The name Sheep’s Head is a rough translation of the Irish name and is also known in Irish as Muntervary, from the Gaelic Rinn Mhuintir Bháire. The name dates back to 1846 - 49 when the Ordnance Survey came to west Cork under the command of the exceptional English military surveyor, astronomer and engineer, William Yolland. The Irish names were sometimes difficult to pronounce for non-Irish speakers and the Ordnance Survey approach was to create rough translations that were more easily expressed such as the anglicised Sheep’s Head.

This approach became the basis for the famous play 'Translations' by Brian Friel set around a young man called George Yolland in nineteenth century County Donegal. In Friel’s play George Yolland was missing, possibly dead, at the play's end which was very different to the real Yolland who went on to a resounding career in overseeing the UK rail infrastructure. Furthermore the true William Yolland was above the naming simplification and always questioned the process. When told that they ''were clarifying place names that were riddled with confusion'', Yolland stated ''Who is confused? are the people confused? something is being eroded here''. Interestingly Rinn Mhuintir Bháire still appears on Ordnance Survey maps in conjunction with the anglicised name ‘Sheep’s Head’.

Today the peninsula has three small and isolated villages, Durrus (six miles from Bantry), Ahakista (twelve miles from Bantry), and Kilcrohane (sixteen miles from Bantry). Although not widely known to the outside world this remote finger of land has landscapes of great beauty, and particularly so Sheep’s Head’s impressive cliffs.

Within the peninsula the ‘Sheep's Head Way’ is an 88 km long-distance trail that follows old tracks and roads around the headland. The roads tend to lead towards Bantry and are divided into eight stages; each of which represents a half-day's walk. All of the stages are well signposted plus highly accessible, combing low rugged hills with coastline and cliffs. As to the climbing, the rock here is clean and sound, often unclimbed and set in an inspiring situation. For those who decide to embrace the peninsula Ordnance Survey Discovery Series Sheet 88 should be a faithful companion.

Those keen to land should not overlook the attributes of this beautiful little cove that in settled conditions offers more than a pleasant lunch stop or place to land. Snorkeler’s will find the cove a paradise on a settled sunny day. The combination of enclosed rock, sand and nutrient rich Atlantic waves have created a rich and vibrant array of seaweeds and sea life immediately beneath the surface.

How to get in?

The ‘Routes: Mizen Head to Sybil Point coastal description’ provides approach information to the suggested Initial Fix. Vessels approaching from the north should select the southbound sequenced description; vessels approaching from the south should select the northbound sequence; other approaches may use either description.

The cove resides about midway between Foilavaun Point and Dooneen Point, less than a mile from either.

From the Trawrooim Landing Initial Fix steer a course of 31°(T) for 1000 metres to the foot of the cove. Closer in the beach and slipway will be seen at the head of the cove. Enter the foot cove and look for a sandy patch to the south-eastern side of the visible rock in the centre. Anchor in a depth to your preference paying specific attention to the swing room should the wind shift. There is a boat slips and landing at the head of the bay.

What are the tides here?

Today's local tide estimates are based on High Water Cobh -0045
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)
MHWS 3.4m MHWN 2.7m MLWN 1.1m MLWS 0.5m; ML 1.8; Duration 0610
More accurately HW Cobh +0045sp, +0025np, or alternatively +0600 on Dover (tide as Bantry).

What facilities are available?

This is a remote and sequestered location with nothing but a slip in the cove.

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?

The vessel should not be left unattended should natural conditions change and put the vessel at risk. This being said, it is highly unlikely that another soul will be seen in this location.

What navigational resources are available for this area?

The large scale Admiralty Charts 2424 ‘Kenmare River to Cork Harbour’ scale of 1:150,000 covers this area. Small scale charts for this area of the coast include 1838 ‘Bantry Bay - Shot Head to Bantry’ scale of 1:30,000, 2552 ‘Dunmanus Bay’ scale 1:30000, 1840 ‘Bantry Bay: Black Ball Head to Shot Head’ Scale 1:30000.

Imray C56 ‘Cork Harbour to Dingle Bay’ scale of 1:170,000. Ordinance Survey of Ireland, Discovery Series Map ref No. 85 ‘Cork’ plus ‘Cork, Kerry’ 88 scale 1:50,000.

With thanks to:

Gareth Thomas, Yacht Jalfrezi.

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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.

What other useful information is available?

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’.



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