Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

12°C

Swell today

Direction SW, height 1.1 metres, period 9.9 seconds, significant wave height of 1.2 metres.

Haven position?

52° 10.230' N, 006° 35.190' W

Where is that position?

This is the position of the west breakwater’s southernmost pier head. It is immediately south of the harbour entrance where the Kilmore Quay Light QRG 7m, 5M, stands.

What is the initial fix?

This waypoint is Kilmore Quay’s safe water marker, a red and white buoy with a long white flash (Iso 10s). The buoy is positioned between Kilmore Quay and Little Saltee Island and the anchorage is three quarters of a mile south of the marker.

What is the story here?

Kilmore Quay is a small fishing port on the south coast of County Wexford situated thirteen miles east of Hook Head and eight miles west of Carnsore Point. Immediately north of the Saltee Islands, with a harbour and well run marina, it is the best location from which to explore the islands.

Kilmore quay provides complete protection. In strong to extreme southeast conditions there can be a lot of motion in the harbour, particularly so in wintertime, and it is advisable to contact the harbour office for advice.

Access however requires attentive navigation owing to the surrounding areas’ numerous outlying rocks and strong currents. Final harbour access is reasonably good in most conditions plus the quay is clearly marked with navigational buoys and illuminated transits that facilitate safe and easy access day or night, at any stage of the tide.

Please note the entrance can be exposed to southeast winds and in strong south-easterly winds, particularly near high water, first time visitors should not attempt an entry.

Why visit here?

Kilmore Quay derives its name from the Irish ‘Cé na Cille Móire’ that translates to "Quay of the big church". It is a small quiet fishing village with a population of 417 renowned for its lobster and deep-sea fishing plus the picturesque thatched houses that run through the village.

Kilmore Quay is also an access point to the Saltee Islands that are Ireland's largest bird sanctuaries. Birds such as the gulls, gannets and puffin are present, with Great Saltee being particularly famous for its colonies of cormorants. Several million seabirds nest on the islands in springtime making it a must for bird lovers. Even if you are not interested in birdlife the Saltee Islands are well worth making the short passage as they are particularly beautiful. You can go yourself (see Saltee Island listings) or take a tour boat out. Typically one boat departs for the islands around 10 a.m. every day and returns at around 4 p.m. weather dependant.

Each July there is a seafood festival that includes live music, dancing as well as some very fine sea foods.

How to get in?

The ‘Routes: Cork to Rosslare coastal description’ provides approach information to the suggested Initial Fix. Vessels approaching from the southwest should select the eastbound sequenced description; vessels approaching from the north and east should select the westbound sequence; southern approaches may use either description.

From the Initial Fix, located at Kilmore Quay’s safe water marker, turn to the north and then head directly for the leading marks that are situated approximately one mile away immediately east of the harbour. These consist of two white pylons with red stripes (see photograph) 007.8° in-line both Oc White 4s at night.

Rear Kilmore alignment beacon - position: 52° 10.440’N, 006° 35.055’W

The beacons mark a dredged, 1.9 metres chart datum, channel that leads to the east of the harbour’s west breakwater. This is past the harbour’s southeast corner where the 25 metre wide east facing entrance is located. In addition to the beacons the Kilmore Quay Light, QRG 7m, 5M, standing at the southern end of the breakwater, has a Green sector from 354° to 003° that also leads safely to the harbour.

Please be careful not to get pushed off the transits if a strong side current is running. On either side of the path in there are rocks called the ‘Lings’ that remain covered at all times but have little depth of water over them.

On final approach to the entrance keep 25 metres off the pierhead of the western breakwater then turn hard to port for the entrance to leave the southern end of the east quay to starboard. Inside the inner harbour the west pier has 2.4 metres and the east pier has 4.4 metres alongside. The finger pontoon marina is situated in the northeast corner of the harbour and supports up to 2.4 metres.

Please note the harbour is in active fishing harbour and yachts should take care not to impede fishing boat movements.

What are the tides here?

Today's local tide estimates are based on High Water Cobh +0014
Today's Cobh tides — High waters: 07:36, 19:53, Low waters: 01:41, 13:56
Today's Dover tides — High waters: 01:04, 13:22, Low waters: 08:17, 20:33 (From Tide Times)
MHWS 3.8m MHWN 2.8m MLWN 1.5m MLWS 0.6m
For more accuracy Kilmore is Cobh +0019sp, +0009np

Direction of stream outside the harbour:
Dover HW to +0500 west-southwest
Dover HW +0600 to -0100 east-northeast

Particularly strong tides are to be found in Saltee Sound where spring rate tides can reach 3.5kn and do not set fairly through the sound with many eddies. Expect a slack water of approximately 1 hour between the tides.

What facilities are available?

Kilmore Quay has a 60 berth finger pontoon marina with water, electricity and diesel available on the quay. There are 15 visitor berths and although this seems a low number, the marina manages to accommodate its guests even in peak seasons. Advance bookings are not taken but you can contact the Harbour Master a couple of days before entry details below.

Kilmore also offers an excellent chandlery marine engineering and lift out capabilities plus two mini supermarkets and a post office. A wide selection of good pubs and restaurants plus a hotel are all within a short walk from the Marina.

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. There is an all-weather Mersey Class Lifeboat at Kilmore Quay.

Other useful contacts in this area:
Kilmore Harbour Master: monitors channel 9, phone +353 53 912 9955 hmkilmorequay@eircom.net
RNLI, Kilmore Quay +353 53 91 29690
Police: +353 53 91 29642 or 91 22333; Doctor: +353 53 91 35296
Chemist: +353 53 91 35655; Customs: +353 53 91 33741

Any security concerns?

Kilmore is a quiet provincial fishing port with little or no risk of criminality. The Marina, where most visiting pleasure vessels will stay, is well protected with key fob security plus 24 hour camera surveillance that is maintained by the harbour office.

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 this area is the large scale British Admiralty 2740 that coves the Saltee Islands & Kilmore Quay at a scale of 1:25,000. This is the best chart if you plan to explore these waters. Imray charts C57 and C61 overlap in this area plus Discovery Ordinance Survey map 77 covers the land area.

With thanks to:

Phil Murphy, Kilmore Quay Harbour Master.

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How can I get this offshore?

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Alternatively print this page's text, illustrations and photos, but without the internet menu, layout, backdrops and Google maps, or economise upon printer consumables and print this page with text only, to get a hardcopy of this location.

What other useful information is available?

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’.



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