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Today's local tide estimates
High water: 03:13,
Low water: 09:11
High water: 15:26,
Low water: 21:29
Local weather
S Force 3, Clear/Sunny, 13°C
Swell today
Direction N, height 0.0 metres, period 0.0 seconds, significant wave height of 0.4 metres.
Summary
An exposed location with attentive navigation required for access.
LWS draught
2.5 metres (8.2 feet).
Shelter See it »
Sheltered: E, SE, S
Unprotected: N, NE, SW, W, NW
Nature (summary)
Anchorage, landing by tender, strong tides.
Facilities (summary)
(None)
Haven position? See it »
54° 24.650' N, 005° 37.130' W
Where is that position? See it »
Close northwest of the larger south-western Don O’Neill Island in approximately two and a half metres.
What are the initial fixes? See it »
The following waypoints will set up a final approach:
(i) Holm Bay Initial Fix
54° 24.110' N, 005° 37.400' W
In the middle of the 600 metre gap between Barrel and Long Rocks that leads into Holm Bay. It is located in a 12 metres contour and less than 2 miles away from the entrance to the inner Lough.
Please note: Initial fixes only set up their listed targets. Do not plan to sail directly between initial fixes as a routing sequence.(ii) Don O’Neill Initial Fix
54° 24.800' N, 005° 36.666' W
Approximately 400 metres northeast of the smaller and more northeasterly Don O’Neill Island. A course of due west from here will take a vessel between the extended drying patch, that surrounds the northeasterly smaller Don O’Neill Island, and Limestone Pladdy to the north.
Please note: Initial fixes only set up their listed targets. Do not plan to sail directly between initial fixes as a routing sequence.
Why visit here?
Don O’Neill Island, locally known as ‘The Dunner Neil’ or ‘Dunny Neil’ is a lovely little island to come ashore and let the kids off to roam. The stones and the shells around the Island are remarkable plus the island has an interesting history, being at times a prison and a leper colony in the past.
Please note that the smaller Don O’Neill Island to the northeast is an important nesting site for Sandwich, Arctic and Common terns that arrive from the edge of the Antarctic or Africa to nest in April-June. During this period there should be no landing on the smaller island. Likewise, on the larger island, one should not go above the high water mark to minimise any distress to birds during the nesting season.
How to get in?
Use the entries for Strangford Harbour, Audley’s Roads or Portaferry for guidance on how to approach from the Irish Sea and pass through the five nautical mile long fast-running tidal ‘Narrows’. Any of these lists of directions will guide a boat up through the ‘Narrows’ to the inner Lough.
Having entered Strangford Lough there are two approaches to Don O’Neill Island. The first is to approach from the south along the Lough’s western shore using the Holm Bay Initial Fix that is to the north of Barrel Rock. The other, a more direct approach, is to come north around the island from the centre of the Lough using the Don O’Neill Initial Fix. This lays up an easterly approach between Limestone Pladdy and the smaller Don O’Neill Island to round into the anchorage.
The southern or western shore approach is a distance of under two miles to the Holm Bay Initial Fix from the Lough’s entrance. This route then requires less than a mile of pilotage to the anchorage from the centre of Holm Bay. Barrel Rock, uncovers at low water and is marked by a perch plus normally has racing Mark 4 close by. Likewise you can expect Long Rock to uncover at low water. This route is most likely to take a vessel directly over McLaughlin Rock that has a chart Datum of 2.7 metres and is unlikely to be an issue to most cruising vessels – nevertheless please take note of this upon the chart and make special note of an outcropping to the southwest of Long Rocks.
Once centred in Holm Bay proceed in a northeasterly direction keeping Long Rocks well clear to starboard. Maintain a midway course between Island Taggart and Don O’Neill Island passing clear to the north of the island. Do not approach the anchorage directly as there is a shallow patch residing close west of the larger Don O’Neill Island that does not dry. Although this patch is marked as drying on the chart this is not the case, so expect it to be covered, or at best to see kelp on the surface at low water. Once the smaller Don O’Neill Island is due east it is safe to turn east until the larger island is to the south where a final approach to anchor can be made.
The more direct central Lough approach uses the Don O’Neill Initial Fix to the northeast of the smaller Don O’Neill Island. This initial fix lays up an easterly approach to pass midway between Limestone Pladdy and the smaller Don O’Neill island. Proceed through the gap until the larger island is immediately south and then turn to port to approach the anchorage.
The anchorage is ideally approached on a rising tide and as it is exposed come in as close as possible to maximise the protection.
What are the tides here?
Today's local tide estimates are based on High Water Belfast +0202
Today's Belfast tides — High water: 01:11, 13:24, Low water: 07:09, 19:27
Today's Dover tides — High water: 01:04, 13:22, Low water: 08:17, 20:33 (From Tide Times)
High Water Strangford Quay Dover +0147 springs,+0157 neaps
MHWS 3.6m MHWN 3.1m MLWN 0.9m MLWS 0.4m
Local high water Dover +0145 or 2 hours 15 minutes after high water at Belfast
Inside the Lough tides decrease significantly
6 Kn between Strangford & Portaferry
4 Kn at Ballyhenry Island
1.5 Kn at Don O’Neill Island
What facilities are available?
None, this is a secluded island with no man-made resources.
What emergency contacts are there?
Belfast Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC). Operational Area: Northern Ireland/ Irish Republic Border, Lough Foyle to Northern/Irish Republic Border Carlingford Lough. Belfast Coastguard (MRSC) VHF Ch 16, liaises closely with IRCG. Emergencies are worked on 16, 67 and working channel.
Alternatively, or if ashore, phone 999 and 112 and ask for ‘Marine Rescue’. Police, Fire and Rescue are also available on this number. Belfast (MRSC) may be contacted directly on +44 2891 463 933. An inshore lifeboat is maintained at Portaferry.
Other useful contacts in this area:
East Down Yacht Club Tel:+44 28 44 828375
Killyleagh Yacht Club Tel:+44 28 44 828250
Police: +44 4461 5011, Medical Clinic +44 4461 3016
Any security concerns?
Never a problem known to have occurred at Don O’Neill Island.
What navigational resources are available for this area?
The key detail charts are British Admiralty 2156 ‘Strangford Lough’, scale of 37,500:1. and for the ‘Narrows’ 2159 ‘Strangford Narrows’, scale of 12,500:1, including ‘Strangford’, scale of 5,000:1. Imray chart C62 – ‘Irish Sea’. Northern Ireland Ordinance Survey No. 21 at a scale of 1:50,000.
With thanks to:
Brian Crawford, local Strangford Lough boatman of many decades.
Please note inyourfootsteps.com makes no guarantee of the validity of this information, we have not visited this haven and do not have first-hand experience to qualify the data. Although the contributors are vetted by peer review as practised authorities, they are in no way, whatsoever, responsible for the accuracy of their contributions. It is essential that you thoroughly check the accuracy and suitability for your vessel of any waypoints offered in any context plus the precision of your GPS. Any data provided on this page is entirely used at your own risk and you must read our legal page if you view data on this site.