Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

16°C

Swell today

Direction SE, height 0.1 metres, period 0.0 seconds, significant wave height of 0.2 metres.

Haven position?

53° 42.965' N, 006° 20.465' W

Where is that position?

At the town quays situated on the north side of the river approximately 600 metres West of Boyne Viaduct.

What is the initial fix?

One mile out from the entrance in the ports narrow white sector lights (269.5°- 270.5°). The river entrance is approached from east and a bearing of due west, 270°, will take a vessel into the Boyne River entrance from here.

What is the story here?

Drogheda is situated four and a half miles up the River Boyne, which enters the Irish Sea approximately thirty miles north of Dublin. The sizable provincial town and busy port, although welcoming, is not specifically set up for leisure craft. Nevertheless it offers town quay berths and anchoring opportunities, in the downriver stretches of the River Boyne, to visiting boats.

Once inside the river entrance the River Boyne and Drogheda provide a vessel with complete protection. Copious commercial channel markings and lights make access straightforward in moderate and all offshore winds.

With onshore winds the River Boyne entrance is more challenging. Boats visiting in conditions from southeast round to east should not attempt the entrance in anything above a force five. Slightly worse is anything to the north of east, round to north. This causes a big confused swell at the entrance that tends to push leisure craft towards the beach on the entrances southern side. In conditions from these quarters it would not be advisable to attempt the entrance in conditions over a force four. Once inside the Aleria training wall (breakwater on the north side) it immediately all flattens out and the commercial channel is protected.

Please note that Drogheda is a busy commercial port with 1,400 annual vessel movements. There is plenty of room to meet passing vessels but leisure craft should take care not to impede commercial traffic in the narrow entrance or channel as these are highly restricted waterway for large ships. If experiencing strong north-easterly conditions try Gyles’ Quay, or alternatively, nearby Port Oriel in south-easterly conditions.

Why visit here?

Drogheda (Droichead Átha in Irish, meaning "Fordbridge") is a completely protected berth in the centre of a major provincial town. It enables a visiting boatman to weather any condition in a highly convenient location of great historical interest.

The town is located in an area that is steeped in archaeological monuments dating from the Neolithic period onwards; most notable amongst them being the large Passage Tombs of Newgrange that is a burial mound constructed around 3200 BC.

The town’s original settlement dates back to 911 AD when it was found by the Danes as a coastal stronghold. The 12th century Millmount, which overlooks the town from a bluff on the south bank of the Boyne, was most likely erected by the Norman Lord of Meath, Hugh de Lacy.

The town went on to have highs and lows. In 1394 the Irish princes of Leinster and Ulster submitted to Richard II in Drogheda. The town went on to be an important walled town in the English Pale in the medieval period. It frequently hosted meetings of the Irish Parliament at that time. Poynings's Law was enacted in Drogheda in 1494 and the Irish Parliament moved to the town a year later. It was besieged twice during the Irish Confederate Wars. The first siege occurred during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, when Phelim O'Neill and the insurgents failed to take the town. The second siege, when it was taken by Oliver Cromwell in September 1649, was infamous.

Under the command of Sir Arthur Aston Drogheda was the first garrison to be attacked by Cromwell during his invasion. Aston refused to surrender and Cromwell's intention was to make such an example of Drogheda that it would bring Irish catholic resistance to an end. A man who preferred assault, over siege, Cromwell blasted two holes in the wall and sent his men into the breach with orders that ‘any that were in arms’ [be] put to the sword’. Of the 3100 (roughly half and half English and Irish) English Royalist regiment and Irish Confederate, only an estimated 200 troops survived to be deported to Barbados. It is estimated that 700 civilians also died in the fall of Drogheda and its chaotic aftermath. By the standards of the day, Cromwell’s orders were not exceptionally barbarous. A fortified town that refused surrender and was then taken by assault was not entitled to any quarter. Yet this massacre became infamous in Ireland and, alongside Cromwell's subsequent Sack of Wexford, remains so today.

Soon another pivotal battle was to be fought nearby. This was ‘the Battle of the Boyne’ that occurred just 6 kilometres west of the town, on the banks of the River Boyne, at Oldbridge in 1690. The battle was fought between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thrones - the Catholic King James and the Protestant King William, who had deposed James in 1688. William won the battle and it transpired that this was to be the key turning point that ensured the continuation of Protestant supremacy in Ireland.

Today Drogheda is a busy port town and one of the main secondary locations for people to commute to work in Dublin. Dramas are the preserve of history and it is an rewarding location for the cruising boatman to visit.

How to get in?

From the Boyne River Entrance initial fix you may come straight in bearing 270° due West in the ports narrow white sector lights (269.5°- 270.5° total beam width, including red and green sectors, is only 7°). From one mile out the river entrance channel will be highly visible in normal conditions.

It resides between North and South Bull training walls that are spaced 50 metres apart and protruding seaward from drying sandbanks backed by sandhills. Upon the North Bull seaward end stands a black stone beacon with the Aleria Light QG 18m 3M. Upon the South Bull there stands the Lyons Light Fl (3) R5s beacon.

There is an unlit shipping alignment tower called Maiden Tower situated 1,000 metres inside the entrance on the southwest side.

Maiden Tower - position: 53° 43.352'N 006° 15.087'W

Maiden Tower is a tall square stone castellated tower with a stone building close north and the Lady’s Finger, a small obelisk, close west. Two further inshore factory chimneys that are on the north side of the river close to Drogheda will also be visible.

Before approaching it is advised you make the harbour office aware of your planned entry and seek clearance. Keep Channel 11 open throughout.

Approach from the Initial Fix along the leading-light alignment or a daylight bearing of 269.5°- 270.5° that takes a vessel over the sand bar. The channel commences 700 metres east of the seaward end of the breakwaters and is dredged to a minimum depth of 2.2 metres since 1998. Continue on track into the channel between the Aleria and Lyons beacons where you turn onto alignment with the Maiden Tower.

From there in the River Boyne channel is marked all the way up to Drogheda frequent light-beacons that stand outside the dredged channel on each side of the river. Inside the entrance there are no rocks it is all sand and mud flats that dry at low water.

The first opportunity to quickly come alongside and tie up is at the old Fishmeal at Crooke Point – colonially named after a fish meal processing factory that resided there in past times.

Fishmeal Quay - East corner 2 F R(vert) position: 53° 43.837'N, 006° 15.619'W

This is a small pier on the port side of the river three quarters of a mile upriver from the entrance. You should find at least three metres here either alongside the quay or rafted up to a fishing boat. However apart from the pier there is nothing in the immediate vicinity. Additionally the quay is a secured area that requires an authorised fisherman to open the gates.

Likewise you are free to drop anchor anywhere out of the channel and downriver ‘Tom Roe's Terminal’. The channel is maintained to a depth of 2.2 metres up to commercial shipping terminal and you will find good holing just off the channel, and out of the way, with the assistance of detailed chart such as Admiralty Chart 1431. Likewise the harbour office is nearby and you could request permission to lie outside the tug where you will find 2.5 – 3 metres at LWS.

From Tom Roe's Point up to town quays the depths are 1.5 metres or less in places at LWS so a vessel carrying any draft will need to work the tides. Two hours flood from there should be more than sufficient for most vessels to take them the last mile up to the town quay.

The town quay is situated on the north side of the river and to the west of the Boyne Viaduct that carries the railway over the river. Hence before entering the town a vessel must pass under the Boyne Viaduct that has an air draft of 27 metres HWS.

Once under the bridge come alongside a commercial quay wall on the north side. The long 518 metre town quay to the north has depths alongside of at least 1.5 metres LWS and vessels take to the ground on soft level mud. Please note the commercial quay has large vertical wooden framing where large fenders or a fender board is recommended to protect topsides.

There are further town quays upriver of the commercial quay but these are not suitable for berthing – as is evident in the Boyne Viaduct photograph below.

Please note: For those approaching from the south, although tempting, it is not advisable to cut into the River Boyne entrance as there is a large rock 200 metres east of Lyons Light that is only visible on low spring tides. There is a submarine pipeline, natural gas crosses the channel west of Tom Roe’s Point, and you should not anchor here. It is marked by a sign on poles on the north and south river banks.

What are the tides here?

Today's local tide estimates are based on High Water Dover -0020
Today's Dover tides — High waters: 01:04, 13:22, Low waters: 08:17, 20:33 (From Tide Times)
Boyne entrance high water Dover +0015, Rise 5.4 – 4.1 Metres
Dover -0450, Dublin -0520 the in-going stream begins.
Dover +0020, Dublin -0100 the out-going stream begins.

The River Boyne tidal streams are strong for leisure craft and ebb tides may be reinforced by heavy rains. The river is tidal 2.5 miles beyond Drogheda Port as far as Oldbridge.

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 Leinster 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. Carlingford 04, Dublin 83, Wicklow Head 02, 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 facilities are available?

Drogheda has a population of 31,000 and is the third largest town in Ireland. Although there may be no services specifically targeted at yachting, it has all the amenities, pubs and restaurants that you would expect to service a population of that size. The town quay is in the middle of it all. Moreover the newly opened riverside plaza shopping centre, that includes a supermarket, hotel, cinema, and a wide range of shops is a short stroll across bridge from the quay. Water is available at the quay and diesel can be arranged by road tanker.

Drogheda also offers very good connections to Dublin city 56 km to the south, on the Belfast–Dublin main line of the Irish rail network. It is also 3 km from the M1, or E1 Euro Route 1, main Dublin to Belfast motorway. Dublin international airport is 32 km to the south.

What emergency contacts are there?

Dublin Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) VHF Ch 83 covers the area from Carlingford Lough to Youghal. Carlingford (04), Wicklow Head (02), Rosslare (23) and Mine Head (83) 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. Dublin (MRSC) may be contacted directly on +353 1 662 0922/3

Drogheda Harbour Master
Phone: +353 41 9838 378
Mobile: +353 86 254 7827
VHF: Ch. 11
Web: www.droghedaport.ie

Any security concerns?

All usable quays in the Drogheda area are secured areas.

What navigational resources are available for this area?

British Admiralty 1411 ‘Irish Sea - Western Part’, Scale of 200,000:1. For detail work Admiralty Chart 1431 ‘Drogheda and Dundalk’ Scale 20,000:1. Imray chart C62 – ‘Irish Sea’ plus Discovery Ordinance Survey map 43 & 50 cover this area. ’Sailing Directions - Irish Cruising Club - East & North Coasts of Ireland’ provides an excellent pilot for this area.

With thanks to:

Charles Floody, Drogheda Harbour Pilot for more than three decades.

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