Youghal and Ardmore
At a Glance
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Contacts:
Youghal Harbour Master tel no +353 (0)86 7800878 (mob)
Ardmore Bay is a convenient anchorage in settled
conditions for an overnight stop or to await suitable tides for
onward passage (though the tidal streams along this bit of coast
seldom exceed 1knt even at Springs). It is totally unsuitable when
there is wind of any significance from the East.
There is a very small drying harbour which is of little use to a
coastal cruiser but is a good place to land and secure a dinghy.
The Cliff House Hotel is a very obvious hotel on the South shore of
the bay just SE of the pier which has laid two moorings for the use
of its patrons. They require that an indemnity form be signed and
returned to them in advance of use . This is a quiet little
erstwhile fishing village with a beautiful beach backed by a small
caravan site but otherwise not much in the way of major
facilities.
Youghal, (pronounced "Yaul") on the other hand, is
a much busier seaside town on the West bank of the sheltered
Blackwater Estuary. It has a development of drying quays and a
small drying harbour basin; on the Eastern side of the estuary a
spit has formed which thrusts out halfway across the estuary and
which can give good shelter from a southerly swell which is not the
case on the west side.
There are various anchorages off the town which will be
mentioned in our berthing section below but a primary consideration
there is the tidal stream through the anchorages which can reach
nearly 3kts at the Spring Equinoxes. The estuary forms the NE
boundary of a 5km long, high quality beach and the whole town has
been designated as an Irish Heritage Port as it boasts many
buildings of historical significance.
Up the estuary beyond the town on the West bank and the spit on the
East the population thins out markedly and the scene becomes
quietly agricultural until the road bridge at the northern end
where there is still enough water to anchor afloat at LWS. The
bridge has an air draft of 6.4 m and if you can get under that
there is another ten miles of pleasant, navigable river as far as
Villierstown Quay if you keep to the outside of the bends. All in
all this is an interesting inlet with opportunities to tie up or
anchor in the middle of the town or away from it in the quiet
estuary.
Youghal and Ardmore
Approach
Tidal Streams
The streams in Youghal Bay are peculiar. At LW Cobh they flow
SSW but slowly alter direction through west and north until by
around HW Cobh it flows NNE; never more than half a knot. It then
rotates through SSE and South back to SSW but can reach
1.5kts.
In the entrance to the estuary it is more straightforward flooding
from about five hours before HW Cobh to and hour and a half after
HW Cobh reaching up to 2.5kts. The ebb is stronger making as much
as 3kts and forming a back eddy to the immediate South of the spit
on the east side.
The approach, if you allow for the sandbanks in the offing,
is fairly simple...
At HW an approach over the West bar is feasible but you'd need to be certain of your bearings before attempting that; the wiser approach, especially if you have a fin keel is to make for the initial fix we have given above and if approaching from Capel Island (with its Martello tower) off Knockadoon Head leave the Blackball Ledge WCM to port. From the IF make for the white lighthouse with its red band and keep on that course until you are a couple of cables off before turning North into the estuary. The shallower water is on the east side of the estuary.
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Waypoint
Charts
Rules & Regs
Hazards
Tides
Berthing
There are several places you can drop your anchor off the town itself;
If there is no commercial traffic expected the people at Youghal Shipping may be happy for you to tie up at the commercial quay (where you might expect to stay afloat). In view of Captain Guy's comment in the "Have your Say" section below it may not be a good idea to tie up at the commercial quay on a rising tide. Other than that on the town side Aquatrek Sea Skills have a couple of visitor's buoys which you can pay to moor to. Recently the Council has installed a 25 metre pontoon at Nealon's Quay (that's the first quay you come to coming in from the sea). This is used for set down and pick-up by the pleasure boats during the day (9 'til 5) but it is available for visiting yachts to tie up overnight. I have included a new image of the pontoon in the iamages gallery courtesy of the Yuoghale tourist people. We are told that the depth there is about 2metres at LWS.
You need to arrange this in advance with the harbour office on
the number above. An overnight stop will cost 10 Euros irrespective
of yacht size. The HM reckons to get half a dozen there rafted (but
don't forget the current - each boat independently tethered
to the shore please) There's water on the pontoon but no
power as yet. They also have eight visitors buoys off the quay
(which will have been serviced over the winter of 21/22) and you
can land your tenders inside the new pontoon.
If there is a sea running into the estuary from the south you may
well find the anchorages off the town uncomfortable and add to that
an ebb tide running at 2kts and you would find them very
uncomfortable. The alternative is to slip over to the other side
into the lee of the spit where there are a few spots with a decent
amount of water for anchoring...
The anchorage marked on AC 2071 is well out into the tideway and still a bit exposed but if you tiptoe further in there's a small pool (about a hundred yards across) with 8m just to the west of the wreck which has proved popular in the past.
Finally if you edge your cautious way up to the head of the estuary there's a lovely big pool on the Waterford side which is well sheltered, if a long way away from any shops etc; obviously you would avoid the submarine cable. There is a bus runs past here in to Youghal just after quarter to ten and back again at twenty past three but you would be wise to check this locally at the time of your stay. You may also have to pay dues to the Crown to anchor there.
Be aware that wherever you anchor you will be in some sort of tideway and off the town it would be a very wise idea to lay a tripping line with your anchor.
Other Contacts:
Youghal Shipping tel no +353 (0) 24 92577
Aquatrek Sea Skills tel no +353 (0) 868050726 or 868593482
(mob)
Cliff House Hotel Ardmore tel no +353 (0) 24 87800 (form needed
for using their moorings)
Facilities
Youghal has a variety of shops of the country town type and there is a filling station for fuel in cans but it may be quite a walk.
What to Do
As with most towns of this size in the South of Ireland you will find an ample supply of nice restaurants and pubs with plenty of Irish music and craic. The sandy beach to the Southwest of the town is a magnet for the day tripper and weekender with the usual amusements on hand.
History
Tide Information for youghal-ardmore
Tidal Information