Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

10°C

Swell today

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

Haven position?

52° 15.630' N, 006° 58.940' W

Where is that position?

In the anchorage area with approximately 3 metres depth.

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?

Buttermilk Point is a secluded anchorage that lies upon Waterford Harbour’s eastern shore, approximately nine miles north of Hook Head lighthouse and one mile northwest of Ballyhack.

The bank offers complete protection from all winds and excellent mud holding. You may at worst get a slight chop on a northwesterly but nothing that would cause any undue hardship. Access is straightforward as the bank is adjacent to the Waterford Commercial Harbour channel that is marked by fully lit buoys and transits all the way.

Please note 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. Also please factor currents, in the order of 3 knots on springs at the estuary and 4 knots in the narrows, into the approach.

Why visit here?

This is a perfect place to securely anchor a boat if you are expecting very rough conditions. You could endure most any conditions here or in the Seedes Bank immediately south of here as it offers complete protection from all winds, excellent mud holding and is just off the run of the river should it flood and collect storm debris. This is a traditional storm bolt hole and has been throughout the ages as mentioned above.

A particular treat in this location is a dingy run up the Campile River for a small adventure and picnic or a meal in Harts Pub. This is truly a wonderful outing on a sunny summer’s day snaking upriver in a dinghy. The river adventure takes you right up under Dunbrody Abbey the Cistercian monastery and it is spectacular seen just as it would have been encountered by the monks when it originally was built.

The Abbey was dissolved under Henry VIII. The last Abbot of Dunbrody was Alexander Devereux. With a length of 59m the church is one of the longest in Ireland. The visitor centre is run by the current Marquees of Donegall and has one of only two full sized hedge mazes in Ireland.

The river entrance is very much as seen on Admiralty Charts 2046 that only goes to the railway bridge. You can see the river pattern if you drag the Google map below up and across - note the best water is on the outside of the bends as you would expect. After Dunbrody Abbey you go under the railway bridge and then a road bridge before arriving near Harts pub.

What Admiralty 2046 records very well is the initial shape and narrow aspect of the river. You can only go up on the top two hours of the tide and feel your way all the way. Plan to start from ‘Kilmokey Point’ (just under a mile north of the anchorage) an hour before high water and this will provide two hours for your trip.

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 there it is simply a matter of following the channel up to the Buttermilk point. Be careful not to cut the octahedral lighthouse, locally know as the spider – see picture. As can be seen this area is shallow and dries out so it is important that you keep to the east of this marker. You will find the anchorage 400 metre east of the ‘Carters Patch South’ starboard hand channel marker Fl (2)G 4s with plenty of depth to take you directly across. Find a nice location to drop the hook in mud.

A good marker of the drying area in this vicinity is the wreck of the French trawler the ‘Petit Sarah’ to the northeast.

What are the tides here?

Today's local tide estimates are based on High Water Cobh +0023
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)
Dover -0535, mean level 2.4 metres.
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

What facilities are available?

This is a secluded anchorage with no facilities.

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?

There are no reported security issues in the area.

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.

With thanks to:

John Carroll, Ballyhack, County Wexford, Ireland.

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How can I get this offshore?

If a mobile signal is available you can access all of our information via a mobile phone's internet browser. We provide a 'Lite' site, Lite In Your Foot Steps using the shorter initials www.liyfs.com, that presents our data in a simplified, speed optimised format. Similarly, if an internet connection is limited or expensive, switching to the 'Lite' site enables faster and more efficient access.

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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