Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

5°C

Swell today

Direction SE, height 0.0 metres, period 0.0 seconds, significant wave height of 0.3 metres.

Haven position?

54° 5.280' N, 006° 12.090' W

Where is that position?

Half a nautical mile southwest of Rostrevor Quay upon the 2 metre contour.

What is the initial fix?

500 metres due south of Hellyhunter a south cardinal buoy Q(6) +FL1.15s. From here the line of the entrance’s leading light beacons may be picked up.

What is the story here?

Rostrevor Bay is an anchorage located at the northeast side of the picturesque Carlingford Lough inlet on the east coast of Ireland. The anchorage is at the foot of the forested Slieve Martin where the Mountains of Mourne terminate and sweep down to the sea.

The anchorage offers good protection in sheltered Carlingford Lough. However if the wind comes on strong from northwest round south you would be more comfortable in the marina on the southern shore. Tucked in under the mountain, Rostrevor does offer more protection from a northeasterly than nearby Killowen.

Pilotage up to the anchorage is facilitated by a deep water shipping channel that runs the entire length of the Lough up to Warrenpoint making anchorage accessible at all states of the tide. Although the channel is well marked, access and pilotage requires careful navigation, a good chart and lots of light owing to exceptional currents in the Lough and at the entrance. Tides reach up to four and a half knots alongside Haulbowline Lighthouse at the entrance and buoys take on the appearance of boats here with heavy bow waves. Consequently a first entrance should be timed to be around slack water and you need a reliable engine should the tide take control.

Please note that an approach to Carlingford Lough is best avoided in any strong onshore winds as it causes a dangerous seaway at the entrance. With a flood tide it makes the entrance highly challenging, but with the southeast ebb tide running out into a strong southeasterly, the entrance is completely impassable.

Why visit here?

Rostrevor Bay (Irish: Ros Treabhair) is a picturesque anchorage at the foot of wooded Slieve Martin and a Carlingford anchorage that has long enjoyed visitor popularity.

The area was formerly known as Caisleán Ruairí meaning "Ruarí's Castle". The name Rostrevor first appeared circa 1618 as a combination of the names Rose Ussher (the daughter of Henry Ussher, the Anglican Archbishop of Armagh) and Edward Trevor (who came from Brynkynallt in Wales). It was applied to the village after their marriage.

The village today, nestled beneath the forested mountains with the Kilbroney River flowing through it, services holiday-makers who seek leisure in sailing, hillside forest walks and folk music. Notably, in the case of the latter, is the annual Fiddler's Green Festival that is a week-long festival of traditional Irish folk music.

The 4,000-acre Rostrevor Forest is filled mainly with coniferous trees where you may visit on foot or hire car and be rewarded with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside from the Cloughmore Stone.

This is an enormous 30-ton granite boulder perched on the slopes of Slieve Meen, standing almost 1,000 feet above the village. It was deposited there by retreating glaciers during the Last Glacial Maximum, though local folklore says that the stone was thrown by a giant from the Cooley Mountains, on the other side of Carlingford Lough. In addition to Rostrevor Forest there is the ninety one acre ‘Kilbroney Forest Park’ and the smaller but much older woodland ‘Oakwood National Nature Reserve’.

From a historical perspective the Kilfeaghan dolmen situated on the main Kilkeel to Newry road about three and three quarter miles from Rostrevor. It is a prehistoric dolmen and the site is dated between 2000 and 1000 BC. The capstone is said to be one of the biggest in Ireland and is estimated to weigh between 35 and 40 tons. Excavations at the site earlier this century unearthed various bones and pottery.

In Kilbroney Cemetery, history lives on in the ruins of an ancient and now listed church named after St. Bronagh and a 5th Century cross thought to mark her grave.

How to get in?

Small vessels cannot enter or leave Carlingford Lough against the tide and for a first time visit it is advisable to approach at slack water. As slack water only happens twice a day, and most likely once in daylight, here are some cruising distances in nautical miles that may assist in planning your arrival:

Ardglass: 23 nm
Portaferry: 28 nm
Malahide: 38 nm
Dublin: 44 nm
Peel: 50 nm
Holyhead: 64 nm

Carlingford Lough is highly conspicuous as you approach the initial fix to set up for entry. The inlet is eight miles long, with its northeast reach residing between the lower slopes of the Mountains of Mourne and the Cooley Mountains. In addition there is a 34 metre high grey granite tower, Haulbowline Lighthouse, standing in the entrance.

The Carlingford Lough Initial Fix is approximately 1 mile from the mouth of the Lough and marks the entrance to deep water shipping channel.

From the initial fix you may come straight in on the leading lights, in line 310° following the outer channel markers until the Haulbowline Lighthouse is past abeam.

Haulbowline Lighthouse - Fl (3) W10s 17M position: 54° 01.196’N, 006° 04.740’W

Please be aware the entrance channel is only eighty metres wide in this area and yachts should take care not to impede commercial traffic.

When the lighthouse is abreast the course alters slightly to port towards Greenore Point on the south shore - conspicuous for a pine plantation with some buildings.

Then it is a matter of following the well marked mooring buoys up to the Warrenpoint entry channel - odd numbered buoys to starboard and even numbered red buoys to port. Once inside you will find the waters completely absent of swell making marker identification easy.

After passing Killowen Point you will approach the No. 25 Light buoy that marks the entrance to buoyed Warrenpoint approach channel.

No. 25 Green Light buoy – Fl. G 3s position: 54° 04.200’N, 006° 12.100’W

The No. 25 Light buoy is approximately one mile due south of the anchorage location with plenty of deep water between. It is an ideal marker to come up to or round before turning north to the anchorage as it takes a vessel well clear of the shallow area that extends west of the Killowen bank at low water. As you approach Rostrevor you will see a huddle of local boat moorings, find a location to your preference to anchor where you will find very good mud holding.

You can land a dinghy at Rostrevor Quay at any time during neaps or at the top two thirds of the tide at any other time. If landing upon the tidal margins be prepared to lift your motor out and use oars for the last length. Do not try land at Rostrevor at low water where you will find it encircled by impenetrable mud. If you need to set someone down at this time there is a stony beach, which is stepped up to the road, about 300 metres south of the quay. However this is only a set-down as it covers at high water. Hence you cannot leave your dinghy here and it would be challenging to haul it up to the road at this location.

Vessels that can take to the ground can practically anchor anywhere in Rostrevor Bay and can even come alongside side the pier itself. Southeast of the pier a new slip and jetty has been constructed where boats come in to dry and often attend to maintenance work.

If you wish to anchor closer into the shoreline and in under the lee of the mountain a good location is off the ‘Wood House’ just under a mile southwest of the Rostrevor anchorage. The Wood House is a historical building approximately 1,200 metres north of Killowen Point and is easily identified by its gables and chimney. Here you will find better depths closer into the shore with 2 LWS metres available approximately 400 metres from the building on a bearing of 45°.

Please note the upper Lough area is subject to sudden gusts off the mountains when there are strong west-northwest winds.

What are the tides here?

Today's Dover tides — High waters: 10:33, 22:54, Low waters: 05:34, 17:58 ^{From Tide Times}

Tidal Streams
Flood starts Dover -0500, Ebb +0020 Dover.
Mean spring range about 3.9 m; mean neap range about 2.5 m

Max tidal rates:
One mile outside the entrance streams are imperceptible.
Buoyed approach channel 3.5 kn,
East of the lighthouse 4.5 kn
Between Greenore and the entrance 1.5 kn
Off Carlingford 1.5 kn
Tides ease off after Killowen Point and are imperceptible in Rostrevor Bay.

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 facilities are available?

Rostrevor village has a population of 2500 and is popular among holiday-makers so you can expect to find most all provisioning necessities here. Carlingford Lough Yacht Club has a bar and shower facilities that are available when it is open. Nearby Warrenpoint has excellent road links and bus services available to Carlingford/Cooley as well as the major population centres of Ireland. International air services are available from Belfast airport 96 km. Minor repairs can be undertaken.

Useful transport contacts in this area:
Dundalk Train Station + 353 42 933 5521
Dundalk Bus Station + 353 42 9334075
Newry Bus Station + 44 28 30623531
Newry Train Station + 44 28 30269271

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

Other useful contacts in this area:
VHF: Chanel 12
Tel: 028 417 73381
Email: info@warrenpointharbour.co.uk

Any security concerns?

Never an issue know to have occurred at Rostrevor.

What navigational resources are available for this area?

British Admiralty 1411 ‘Irish Sea - Western Part’, Scale of 200,000:1, SC 44 ‘Nose of Howth to Ballyquintin Point’ scale of 1:100,000. The key detail chart is British Admiralty 2800 ‘Carlingford Lough’ Scale of 20,000, including the ‘Entrance of Carlingford Lough’ scale of 12,500; and ‘Warrenpoint’ scale of 10,000, plus Kilkeel Harbour scale of 5,000.

Imray chart C62 – ‘Irish Sea’. ’Sailing Directions - Irish Cruising Club - East & North Coasts of Ireland’ provides an excellent pilot for this area.

With thanks to:

Charlie Kavanagh - ISA/RYA Yachtmaster Instructor/Examiner - navigation and sail training available - details here: http://www.sailsoutheast.com/ and Henry McLaughlin Carlingford Lough Yacht Club secretary.

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