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7°C

Swell today

Direction S, height 1.8 metres, period 9.9 seconds, significant wave height of 2.2 metres.

Haven position?

51° 57.114' N, 007° 50.548' W

Where is that position?

Off the town basin beside the Town Hall.

What is the initial fix?

This waypoint is 1.7 nautical miles out from the sectored light in the middle of the white sector, of the East channel. It is .2 of a nautical mile (or 400 metres) north of Blackball ledge cardinal marker in 7 metres.

What is the story here?

Youghal a busy town is located on the on the county Waterford and Cork border where the River Blackwater enters the sea at the head of Youghal Bay. There is a town quay with a basin that dries and a selection of alternate anchorages.

Youghal has two entrances both over the bars that lie in the middle of the bay. One approached from the west the other from the east. Of the two the preferred entrance is from the east that offers deeper water - at its shallowest point it has more than 2.8 metres LWS - and very easy access. The western entrance, although shorter if you approach is from the west (1.5 M), has an extend depth of 1.8m in the channel. Accessing Youghal through these channels requires normal navigation.

Once in however the harbour offers complete protection. A roll can develop in the anchorage off the town quay in strong southerly conditions from which shelter may be obtained in the anchorage off Ferry Point. This is a great place to spend a night.

Please note neither channel should be approached in southeasterly or southerly conditions above force five.

Why visit here?

Youghal is regarded as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ireland. The historic walled seaport town of Youghal adjoins a fine 5km blue flag beach and, because of the many historic buildings and monuments within its ancient town walls, has been designated as an Irish Heritage Port by the Irish Tourist Board. As of the 2002 census, the population was 6,597, but the population of its catchment area is about 10,000.

The name of the town derives from the yew woods (Eochaill) which were once plentiful in the area and is steeped in military and economic importance. Being built on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a distinctive long and narrow layout.
Clock Gate Youghal received its charter of incorporation in 1209, but the history of settlement on the site is much longer, with a Norse settlement being present in the 9th century, the Church of Coran in the town's western suburbs dating from the 5th century, and evidence of Neolithic habitation at nearby Newport.

Notable buildings in the town include Myrtle Grove and St Mary's Collegiate Church, thought to have been founded by St Declan around 450. The church was rebuilt in Irish Romanesque style c. 750, and a great Norman nave was erected in c. 1220. It is one of the few remaining medieval churches in Ireland to have remained in continuous use as a place of worship. The Vikings used Youghal as a base for their raids on monastic sites along the south coast of Ireland, and a stone in St Mary's Collegiate Church still bears the etched outline of a longboat. Since the 16th Century it has been the place of worship of the Church of Ireland congregation of Youghal and its surrounding areas. The town was badly damaged on November 13 1579, during the Second Desmond Rebellion, when it was sacked by the forces of Gerald Fitzgerald, 15th Earl of Desmond. Desmond had the town's garrison massacred, the English officials were hanged and his soldiers looted the townspeople.

The down town area of Youghal is among the best preserved in Ireland. The first record of the walls is a charter of 1275, granted by King Edward I, for their repair and extension. In 1777, the town's Clock Gate was built on the site of Trinity Castle, part of the town's fortifications. The Clock Gate served the town as gaol and public gallows until 1837; prisoners were executed by being hanged from the windows. Tynte's Castle is a late 15th-century urban tower house. There are also 17th-century almshouses, constructed by Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork. The Collegiate church (Church of Ireland) St. Mary's Collegiate Church in the town still contains many monuments, including the tomb of Richard Boyle himself. The Mall House and its promenade were built in 1779, and are now used as Youghal's Town Hall. The town's Water Gate was built in the 13th century to provide access through the town walls to the docks. Also known as Cromwell's Arch, it was from here that Oliver Cromwell left Ireland in 1650, having over-wintered in the town after his campaign in Ireland.

Walter Raleigh, Mayor of Youghal, by Nicholas Hilliard, c.1585’’Sir Walter Raleigh was Mayor of Youghal in 1588 and 1599 and lived at Myrtle Grove, the Warden's Residence of the Collegiate Church. The first potatoes in Europe were planted in the gardens of Myrtle Grove in 1585. Myrtle Grove's South Gable is where Edmund Spencer is reputed to have written part of his poem The Faerie Queen. The house is not open to the public, except during the summer months when tours are organised for the public.’’


Youghal has a number of the finest and safest beaches in Ireland, with two Blue Flags for water quality. Cork Airport is the nearest airport in the region and is located about 40 minutes drive away from Youghal.

(Extracts with thanks to wikipedia the free encyclopaedia).

How to get in?

The following waypoint provides an initial fix to get set up for a final approach:
Youghal initial fix waypoint: 51° 55.500’N 007° 48.250’W
This waypoint is 1.7 nautical miles out from the sectored light in the middle of the white sector, of the East channel. It is .2 of a nautical mile (or 400 metres) north of Blackball ledge cardinal marker in 7 metres.

Come up on the sectored light directly towards the lighthouse when it comes open of Blackball Head (circa 300 degrees). Round up into the channel when the estuary opens and come up the channel to the town. Stay close to the town side of the channel or West side approximately 50 – 100 metres off. Although the channel appears wide, it is narrow and all the depth is on the town side and the east side of the channel dries.

The harbour consists of a number of quays fronting the town on the west bank of the river. There are a couple of places to anchor and the first I use is off the town basin beside the Town Hall and you can come in and land the dinghy. The bottom is foul in this area so you would be advised to put a tripping line on your anchor.

It can get rough when you get a southerly with wind on tide – especially so on a Spring ebb. If this happens you should move across to the east side by the yacht club which is an alternate and ideal anchorage.

You need to feel your way around for it but there is a hole of water no bigger than a hundred metres wide with about 8 metres of water available at the back of the point where the yacht club resides. It is something you have to feel out with the depth sounder but once located it is an ideal location to settle down.

Plan to come in on the tide and exit on the ebb. You may find it gets a bit rough at the mouth of the harbour when the ebb strikes a southerly.

There are two visitor moorings available in the harbour, one off the jetty and one off the big apartment block. These are provided by Aquatrek Sea Skills the local ISA/RYA training centre. For details (daytime) contact John Griffin Mobile +353 868 050726 or John Innes Mobile +353 868593482

What are the tides here?

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

HW Cobh +0000sp, +0010np, Dover -0556 get Dover tides
MHWS 3.9m MHWN 3.1m MLWN 1.2m MLWS 0.3m

On the entrance to the harbour: the flood tide runs from Dover + 0130 to -0430 (Cobh -0505 to +0130). The maximum spring rate is approximately 3kn on ebb 2.5kn on flood.

What facilities are available?

Once alongside the main town you will be right in the centre of it for shopping. It is an excellent location to provision.

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

Other useful contacts in this area:
HM Mobile: +353(0)872511143
Gardai / Police: +353(0)24 92200;
Doctor: +353(0)02492702
Moorings Aquatrek Sea Skills
Contact John Griffin Mobile +353 868 050726 or John Innes Mobile +353 868593482 (daytime)

Any security concerns?

It would be unlikely that you would experience any issues on anchor or moorings.

What navigational resources are available for this area?

Admiralty Charts 2049 ‘Old Head of Kinsale to Tuskar Rock’ Scale of 150,000 covers this sailing area. Admiralty Charts 2071 issued 11 October 1991 ‘Youghal’ Scale of 12,500 is also available. Imray C57 and Ordinance Survey 81, 82.

With thanks to:

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

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