Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

5°C

Swell today

Direction SSE, height 1.0 metres, period 0.0 seconds, significant wave height of 1.6 metres.

Haven position?

53° 29.630' N, 006° 2.040' W

Where is that position?

Upon the two metre contour 100 metres west by northwest of the pier head.

What is the initial fix?

This waypoint is 1,200 metres west of the pier.

What is the story here?

Lambay Island is a small island, about 2.5 square kilometres in size, situated two miles off the coast of north county Dublin and approximately six miles north of Howth. This anchorage is off the drying boat harbour on the west side of the island.

This is an exposed anchorage best suited for settled conditions or a lunchtime stop and is not good for an overnight anchorage if you want any rest. Although it is sheltered to the east there is a swell that wraps around the island making it uncomfortable in all but very settled conditions. Also the tide runs very fast between the island and the coast causing unsettled lumpy water. The pier and Island are privately owned and landing is not permitted so you must stay aboard and cannot come alongside without prior permission.

Daylight navigation is required as there are no markings but access is unimpeded and straightforward. Do note the dangers rounding the western side of the island – Taylor Rock on the NW corner and the Burren patch on the SW corner plus there is an unmarked rock, with 1.2 metres of water cover, just inshore approximately 200 metres directly north of the harbour entrance.

Please note in most southerly conditions select Saltpan Bay close to the northwestern corner of Lambay Island. In heavy northerly conditions you should select Howth harbour.

Why visit here?

Lambay ancient name was ‘Reachra’ in Irish meaning place of many shipwrecks – a feature tragically demonstrated in more modern times by the events surrounding the RMS ‘Tayleur’ described below. The early Irish name was eventually replaced by the Viking word Lambay, meaning Lamb Island. This most likely originated from a practice of sending ewes to the island for the summer grazing and returning them to the mainland in autumn at the time.

People have occupied Lambay from perhaps as early 7,000 B.C. to the present day. Lambay was important in the Neolithic period in Ireland as a ground stone axe quarrying and production site. Two outcrops of porphyritic andesite or Lambay porphyry as it is more commonly known were utilised. The quarry site is unusual in the British Isles for being the only Neolithic stone axe quarry with evidence for all stages of production, from quarrying to final polishing. A number of Iron Age burials were discovered in 1927 on Lambay during repair works on the islands harbour.

There is no evidence to say the Romans made it to the Irish mainland, but they did get to Lambay, traded with it, and called it Limnios. A number of Romano-British items have been found on the island and interpreted as evidence for the arrival of a small group of British refugees from Brigantia, fleeing the Roman conquest in A.D. 71-74.

St. Colmcille is said to have established a monastic settlement on Lambay ca. 530 A.D., and Ireland's Viking period began with a raid on this place in 795. After the Battle of the Boyne in 1691, a 15th Century castle was used as a concentration camp for the defeated Jacobite troops. More than one thousand were imprisoned there, some died of wounds and starvation. The castle was subsequently turned into a mansion around 1900, is now an occupied family home.

The saddest episode in Lambay’ history occurred on Saturday, 21st January 1854, just south west of ‘The Nose’ on the east side. On that fateful night, in thick weather the aforementioned RMS ‘Tayleur’ struck Lambay.

The ‘Tayleur’ was an ironclad clipper with a weight of 1979 tons. The vessel was the largest sailing merchantman built at that time in England and with masts 45m high the vessel was built for speed more than manoeuvrability. Two days earlier ‘Tayleur’ had departed ‘Mersey’ on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Melbourne. Aboard it had 579 emigrants, 80% of whom were Irish, bound for the Gold fields of Australia.

There were many contributing reasons for the ‘Tayleur’ tragedy. The vessel had not been turned fully cargo laden before it left the Mersey. The compass had been reacting to the vessels iron cladding and no one had yet worked out how to correct it. The ship was undermanned and the inexperienced crew, mostly Chinese, didn't understand the Captain's orders.

In shallow water, of what has come to be known as Tayleur Bay, the ship died slowly against the rocks. Some passengers scrambled ashore, others slid down a rope. Escape from the ship at this critical point favoured those with greater physical capability, so women and children featured disproportionately among the dead. The loss was a staggering total of 380 lives. Of the 579 emigrants aboard, there were 250 women and children, yet only 3 of these survived.

Today Lambay is home to the aforementioned privately owned medieval castle that receives summer guests. These are accommodated in the renovated coastguard houses and the White House. It supports one of the largest and most important seabird colonies in Ireland, with over 50,000 Common Guillemots, 5,000 Kittiwakes, 3,500 Razorbills, 2,500 pairs of Herring Gulls, as well as smaller numbers of Puffins, Manx Shearwaters, Fulmars and other species.

In addition to this Lambay has the largest concentration of grey seals on the East coast of Ireland and there are several caves in the cliffs much frequented for giving birth to their pups. A herd of about 200 fallow deer were introduced and oddly, wallabies (in the 1980s Dublin Zoo became overcrowded and some of their number were placed on the island). Seventeen wallabies at the last count, and increasing, exist today.

How to get in?

Access from the north round to east is unhindered you can come straight in from the west.
If approaching from the south and rounding the island you should plan to navigate outside of the Burren Rocks. These are marked by a starboard hand beacon 400 metres west of the westernmost point of the island. A reef, visible at low water, extends from the island and a ledge extends a further 30 metres out from the beacon.

Burren Rock Starboard Beacon - position: 53° 29.353’N, 006° 02.460’W

If approaching from the north and rounding the island you should plan to navigate outside of the ‘Taylor Rock’ north cardinal buoy off Scotch Point, at the Islands northwestern tip. The buoy marks Taylor Rocks a patch that extends 300 metres north-northwest of Scotch Point.

Taylor Rock North Cardinal Buoy – Q position: 53° 30.222’N, 006° 01.871’W

Keep at least 300 metres offshore as you progress down the west side of the island. An unmarked rock with 1.2 metres of water cover resides 200 metres out from the shoreline 200 metres north of the Pier.

Anchored 100 metres north by northwest off the harbour in shale with good holding.

What are the tides here?

Today's Dover tides — High waters: 11:11, 23:32, Low waters: 06:21, 18:43 ^{From Tide Times}

Dover + 0030, Dublin (North Wall) +0002, mean level 2.4 metres.
MHWS 4.2m MHWN 3.2m MLWN 1.1m MLWS 0.5m

The stream floods North from HW Dublin +0430 to -0130, and ebbs in reverse.
2.5 knots can be achieved In Lambay Sound (between Lambay and the mainland) in springs.

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 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?

None. The island is privately owned by the Revelstoke family and the owners value their privacy. No landing should take place. The island is accessible only by prior permission from Rogerstown Harbour, 27 km north of Dublin in Rush.

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

Other useful contacts in this area:
Malahide Marina - VHF Chanel M; Phone: +353 1 668 9985
Malahide Yacht Club - VHF call sign Yacht Base Ch M (occasionally); Phone: +353 1 8453372
Gardai / Police: +353 1 6664600; Doctor: +353 1845 5994; Hospital: +353 18377755

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have occurred anchored off Lambay Island. You are most likely to be alone.

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 and 1468 ‘Arklow to the Skerries Islands’ Scale of 100,000:1, Imray C61 St Georges Channel, C62 Irish Sea (overlap at Dublin Bay) and Discovery Ordinance Survey map 50 covers this area. ’Sailing Directions - Irish Cruising Club - East & North Coasts of Ireland’ provides an excellent pilot for this area.

With thanks to:

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

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