Passage plan to Ireland.

Allan

Allan

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I am planning to head over to Ireland for a week at the beginning of May. I was wondering if there is standard passage plan for a trip from Milford Haven to Kilmore quay or Ilfracombe to Crosshaven. I am planning to leave from Ilfracombe, Appledore or Clovelly on the morning of Saturday 1st May and decide where to head depending on the weather.
Allan
 
Don't know about a passage plan as such, but I'm familiar with the Waterford Estuary and would much prefer that to Kilmore Quay if the weather is at all bad. Shelter is good, if you're going up to Waterford do it with the flood tide, and you should find space on the pontoons in Waterford City. Kilmore Quay is pretty small.
 
Allan said:
I am planning to head over to Ireland for a week at the beginning of May. I was wondering if there is standard passage plan for a trip from Milford Haven to Kilmore quay or Ilfracombe to Crosshaven. I am planning to leave from Ilfracombe, Appledore or Clovelly on the morning of Saturday 1st May and decide where to head depending on the weather.
Allan
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Just a few thoughts, we went to Kilmore Quay a couple of years ago, it does get crowded but the HM always gets you in, we were rafted 5 deep at one point! Bootiful place! We then went to Waterford, it is a strange place, you have to go up with the flood, we nearly missed it and would have struggled to stem the ebb in our Bene 351! There are pontoons right in the centre of town with electric and water.
The tide around Tuskar really flies, we left Kilmore Quay to go north at high tide, we took the inshore passage, we noticed the tide was giving us a good lift! Then we went out side Tuskar, it was scary, the north flood pushed u toward the rock we motored hard to go around the outside and then when pointing north, in between the rock and the south going TSS, we were doing 13kts over the ground!! This continued until the tide turned! Just north of Tuskar we met 2 blocks of flats, one going to Fishguard, one to France from Rosslare, scary again, we couldnt slow down! trying to luff up so that we could go around their sterns AND they wouldnt answer the radio!
The point of the post, tides run v strong around here! Make sure you get it right!
 
Many thanks for that, it sounds like the Bristol channel! There must be some push from the tide offshore to take advantage of. When I get to the boat this weekend I will have to look carefully at my tidal atlas. I don't plan to go any further north than Kilmore quay, are there any similar good tides to the south?
Allan
 
My mate is crewing on a yacht which left Milford Haven at 20.00hr yesterday making for Howth. I am following his trip thro www.essery.net might be of interest to you. They left Southampton Sat 17th April & their aim is to cruise West Scotland.
 
Allan said:
MI don't plan to go any further north than Kilmore quay, are there any similar good tides to the south?
Allan
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Having gone that far, it would be a shame not to head a few more miles on.

We had a lovely time, in the beautiful fishing port at Dunmore East, (albeit in 1996, but I cant imagine it's changed much.

Cheers, Richard
 
Allan said:
Many thanks for that, it sounds like the Bristol channel! There must be some push from the tide offshore to take advantage of. When I get to the boat this weekend I will have to look carefully at my tidal atlas. I don't plan to go any further north than Kilmore quay, are there any similar good tides to the south?
Allan
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I might have got the hi tide time wrong BUT the effect is the same, when the tide turns you get the same going south, we had eta at pwllheli at an unbelieveable time when we were being pushed but once the tide turned!! Hmmm,
Reeds mentions the effect of the tide being squeezed between St Davids head and Tuskar, once level with Arklow then it is noticeable but not crazy.
So tides around the the bottom right hand corner of Ireland are pretty fierce, also between the banks and the mainland up to Dublin as well.
Stu
 
Allan said:
I am planning to head over to Ireland for a week at the beginning of May. I was wondering if there is standard passage plan for a trip from Milford Haven to Kilmore quay or Ilfracombe to Crosshaven. I am planning to leave from Ilfracombe, Appledore or Clovelly on the morning of Saturday 1st May and decide where to head depending on the weather.
Allan
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Also make sure you are up to date with the "Gate" system at Kilmore Quay. There are some nasty rocks around and you need to aim for a red and a green buoy set to go thru then turn right and aim at some leading marks on the beach just to the right of the entrance which is to the right (hidden) of the break water/wall. V confusing, we followed an Irish yacht in and were aware of some one yelling on 16, it was the HM watching us in, we were on the wrong line! Turn around NOW!!!
As you get closer to the beach the entrance becomes clearer, aim for the leading mark and then as the entrance opens up, turn left.
Stu
 
Many thanks for the help given above. We went direct from Milford to Waterford. It took us 12 hours to get off Hook point and were in the pub in Waterford 3 hours later. What a great couple of places Waterford and Dunmore East are. We will be heading over as often as we can in the future and plan to head further down the coast.
Allan
 
Caution

skipper_stu said:
Also make sure you are up to date with the "Gate" system at Kilmore Quay. There are some nasty rocks around and you need to aim for a red and a green buoy set to go thru then turn right and aim at some leading marks on the beach just to the right of the entrance which is to the right (hidden) of the break water/wall. V confusing, we followed an Irish yacht in and were aware of some one yelling on 16, it was the HM watching us in, we were on the wrong line! Turn around NOW!!!
As you get closer to the beach the entrance becomes clearer, aim for the leading mark and then as the entrance opens up, turn left.
Stu
Click to expand...

Last time I went through the gate a following yacht turned right immediately after the bouys - and ran aground. The bouys (to my knowledge) are on the east side, so don't turn immediately - watch your echo sounder.
 
A safe water mark was established to the west of the gate buoys a few years back. If you start towards the harbour from the SWM you will be on the safe leading line into the harbour.
 
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