Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

5°C

Swell today

Direction SSE, height 1.9 metres, period 9.9 seconds, significant wave height of 2.3 metres.

Haven position?

52° 13.327' N, 006° 56.283' W

Where is that position?

At the end of the pier.

What is the initial fix?

This waypoint is 600 metres south by southwest of the Waterford Channel Number 1. starboard-hand marker (Fl.G.2s on a bearing of 009°T). It is directly east of Creadan Head, upon the eastern side of the Waterford Channel where at night you will see the Dunmore East leading lights alternate white/green.

What is the story here?

Duncannon Harbour resides upon Waterford Harbour’s eastern shore six miles north of Hook Head lighthouse. It is primarily a small fishing port where you may come alongside the commercial wall or dry out in sand in an inner small boat harbour. Anchoring is to be avoided outside the harbour owing to a tidal loop and poor holding.

Duncannon is good harbour but exposed to everything from northeast round to northwest and in these conditions you would need to leave the harbour and head for Dunmore East.

The harbour is less than 100 metres from the Waterford commercial harbour channel making access very straightforward.

Please note Duncannon needs to be avoided on the full run of the ebb tide as it runs very strong here. A potential race can develop at the harbour entrance where the estuary tide meets the sea in rough conditions. Prepare for a turbulent time on the entry if there is a strong south easterly blowing into an ebb tide. In extreme conditions, such as a south easterly force eight on an ebb tide, it can be particularly bad and it would be best avoided until the tide turns.

Why visit here?

Duncannon is a pretty fishing village that bustles with life during the summer and is a great tourist favourite. It has all the amenities you would expect as a prime tourist destination. However Duncannon stands out most for its military background and the fort that the village owes its existence to.

The name Duncannon is derived from ‘dun’ meaning fort and ‘Ionan’ who was a warrior with the Fianna. According to legend, Duncannon dates back to the time of Fionn Mac Cool and the Fianna in the 3rd century. Due to its strategic importance, overlooking and defending the entrance into Waterford Harbour – see photographs – the town retained its military imperative for almost 17 centuries. It became the site of a Celtic and then a Norman Fortress. The current imposing fort, built by the British in 1588, was a defensive initiative against an attack by the Spanish Armada.

Under British rule it was described as “The Second Fort of the Realm” and bore the title “The Royal Fort of Duncannon’’. The Fort remained in the control of the British Government until the War of Independence in 1919. It was set alight by the old IRA in 1922 and lay in ruins until the outbreak of World War II. It was then rebuilt and occupied by the Army to be used as an observation base during World War II. Though its military significance has greatly diminished it was used as a modest Irish army post, mainly for summer training until 1986. In 1993 the Department of Defence handed the fort over to Wexford County Council and refurbishment is continuing.

The star shaped fortress is now open to visitors from June to September daily. Noted for its dry moat, exterior wall and the jail cell of the Croppy Boy it has a café, craft shop, maritime museum, craft centre and artist studio. Guided tours are also available. The Cockleshell Arts Centre is also located at the Fort. If you like your cinema you may recall the 2002 remake of the 'Count of Monte Cristo' with Guy Pearce and James Caviezel. Duncannon Village and Fort featured as the location for the movie.

The strand below the fort has Blue flag status and an International Sand Sculpting Festival takes place there every year.

How to get in?

Once Hook Head Light House has been identified check the chart for the location of the race.

Hook Head Lighthouse - Fl 3s 46m 24M position: 52° 07.300’N, 006° 55.700’W

The race is at the harbour entrance where the estuary tide meets the sea in rough conditions. At deck level the strong race will be clearly visible, a very short chop with the water dark green to seaward and light green / pale blue inside and this colouration is particularly visible in sheltered waters. When the tide is on the ebb the chop is much shorter, in the flood the wave length is longer and much easier. In extreme conditions, such as a south easterly force eight on an ebb tide, it can be particularly bad and it would be best avoided. Once past the race, and inside the harbour, the seaway quickly calms and Waterford Harbour offers good depths for the pleasure sailor.

From the initial fix follow the Waterford channel markers up until you see the highly distinctive fort on the headland. There is a white tower with a red stripe that is the channel’s sectored light on Duncannon fort itself. Turn in to starboard once the fort has been rounded to enter the harbour.

Duncannon needs to be avoided on the full run of the ebb tide as it runs very strong here. Time your entry at high or low water.

Water depth is limited at low water springs to half a metre on the commercial pier but you can get up to a minimum 1.5 metres at low water neaps at the end of the pier. With a tidal range of springs 4.7 and neaps 2.4 you can get reasonable pier access for most of the time depending upon your draft.

Please note that fishing vessels however have priority access to the commercial quay and you need to fit yourself around their schedules. One other problematic point about the quay is the limited amount of stepping that is set into the pier wall. This makes it difficult to scale the wall at low water.

The small harbour however has a sand bottom that is excellent for a vessel that can dry out on.

Working the tides is key to sailing in Waterford Harbour as on springs it can reach up to 3 kn off Creadan Head but this decreased out to midchannel.

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 -0535, mean level 2.4 metres, mean level 2.4.
MHWS 4.1m MHWN 3.2m MLWN 1.3m MLWS 0.4m

Outside the entrance of Waterford Harbour
West going stream begins -0100 Dover or (+0450 Cobh)
East going stream begins at +0515 Dover (-0120 Cobh).
The external spring rate not exceeding 1 kn

Inside the Waterford Harbour estuary:
The flood begins at +0210 Dover (-0425 Cobh).
The ebb tide at -0505 Dover (+0045 Cobh).
Strong tides of up to 3 knots inside the estuary following the channels

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?

Duncannon has all the pubs restaurants and shops that you would expect a prime tourist destination to have all within a short stroll.

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:
Dunmore East Harbour Master's Office: VHF Ch 16 when manned
Tel +353 51 383166
Port of Waterford Harbour Master: VHF ch.16 and 14
Phone: +353 51 74499, Mobile +353 87 7931705

Any security concerns?

Never an incident known to have happened to a visiting yacht in Duncannon. However if leaving the vessel unattended please secure the vessel.

What navigational resources are available for this area?

Admiralty Chart 2049 ‘Old Head of Kinsale to Tuskar Rock’ scale of 1:150,000 covers this sailing area. The key chart for Waterford Harbour area is Admiralty Charts 2046. This covers Waterford Harbour at a scale of 1:25,000, with details of Waterford Port - scale of 1:7,500, continuation of the River Barrow to New Ross - scale of 1:25,000, New Ross - scale of 1:10,000 and Dunmore East Harbour - scale of 1:5,000.

Imray charts C57 and C61 overlap in this area plus Discovery Ordinance Survey map 76 covers the land area. The Pilot ’Sailing Directions - Irish Cruising Club - South and West Coasts of Ireland’’ describes this sailing area in great detail.

With thanks to:

John Carroll, Ballyhack, Co.Wexford, Ireland.

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