Approaches to Clew Bay, County Mayo Ireland for OCC, SSCA, and Trans-Ocean
Clew Bay, on the West Coast of Ireland
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| SSCA Cruising Station |
For planning only. Not for navigation.
Coordinates for
approaches to Westport Bay
Entrance
Inishgort Light: 53° 49'
30.72"N 9° 40' 20.64"W
Mayo Sailing Club: 53°49’29”N 9°37’10”W
MSC Pontoon:
53°49’34”N 9°37’12”W
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| The inner bay with 365 islands. |
Sailing Directions
South & West Coast of Ireland - by Irish Cruising Club, edited by Norman Kean. 13th Edition 2013. Comprehensive cruising guide, full details of passages, harbours, marinas, ports and anchorages. Available from: http://irishcruisingclub.com
South & West Coast of Ireland - by Irish Cruising Club, edited by Norman Kean. 13th Edition 2013. Comprehensive cruising guide, full details of passages, harbours, marinas, ports and anchorages. Available from: http://irishcruisingclub.com
Charts
Admiralty Standard Chart 2667 Clew Bay and Approaches 1:50,000
Admiralty Standard Chart 2667 Clew Bay and Approaches 1:50,000
Admiralty
Standard Chart 2057 Westport Bay and Approaches 1:15,000
Apps
Navionics UK
and Holland (covers Ireland) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.navionics.singleAppUKHolland&hl=en
Gps Nautical
Charts Clew Bay and Approaches (Marine Chart : 2667_0) http://www.gpsnauticalcharts.com/main/2667_0-clew-bay-and-approaches-nautical-chart.html
Clew Bay is a rectangular bay about 6 miles wide and 12
miles deep. At its mouth lies Clare Island. The inner 2-3 miles is a maze of 365
small islands. Clare Island has an anchorage with visitor moorings where it is
convenient to wait out the tide.
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| Not for navigation |
Approaching from the
South
Enter Clew Bay either side of the small islet south of Clare
Island. Be aware of the shoal of rocks extending west from Roonah, at the
western end of the southern shore of Clew Bay. Roonah Quay is used by the Clare
Island ferries but is unsuitable for yachts. The coast from Roonah Head to Old
Head is foul for 6 cables out. There are also rocks in the south-eastern corner
of the bay which should be avoided. East of Clare Island are two fish farm
sites, neither of which are well marked and may not be easily seen if the
visibility is poor.
The south side of the Bay is dominated by Croagh Patrick
(756m). For a panorama view of Clew Bay from the top of Croagh Patrick, watch
this http://goo.gl/NgRCqt.
Approaching from the
North
Take care to avoid the Bills Rocks on approach to Achill
Head and Achill Beg, which has a beacon on the NE point showing FL R 2s. Achill
Sound, between Achill and the mainland, is shoal for most of its length. The northern shore is dominated by the high
cliffs of Achill and the Nephin Wilderness Range, often resulting in gusty
offshore breezes. Pass between Achill Beg and Clare Island, the light house on
which is now a private inn.
Approaching the Inner
Bay and Mayo Sailing Club
Take care to avoid Clough Cormac, a cardinal mark in the
middle of the Bay denoting the split between Westport and Newport Bays. There
are rocks to the East of this mark. Take care to avoid lobster pot buoys on approach
to the inner Bay. There are several suitable anchorages among the islands of
the inner bay.
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| Inishgort Lighthouse at the entrance to Westport Bay |
Head towards the lighthouse on Inishgort steering clear of
the bar that extends north from Dorinish More. This is marked by a green
cylindrical buoy. Follow the deep water
channel to the North of Inishlyre and pass between Collanmore and
Inishlyre. Follow the channel eastward
and then north-eastwards passing between Collanmore and Rosmoney. There is a 15-foot tidal range so keep to the
middle of the channel at low tide. See
here for tide tables: pocketsizetides.com.
Inishlyre and Collanmore offer protected anchorages. Visitor moorings are to starboard as you
enter the harbour at Rosmoney. There is
a pontoon for brief tie-up (10 minutes for crew/gear exchange). There is
electricity and water laid onto the pontoon. Dinghy access to the clubhouse is via a
slipway directly in front of the building.
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| Recommended approach to Mayo Sailing Club as seen on Google Earth |
For more about Westport and surrounding area, visit coastalboating.net.
For current weather and wind information, go to mayosailingclub.com and click on
Anemometer.
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| Croagh Patrick as seen from the anchorage at Clare Island. |
Getting to Westport
Westport is approximately 9 kilometres from Rosmoney. Westport Quay dries out at low water and is
not realistically reached by dinghy. Westport
town can be reached by a short cab ride from Rosmoney. It is also reasonable to bicycle into Westport
from Rosmoney along country roads and the Great Western Greenway.
Westport can be accessed by bus, by train, and by air via
Ireland West Knock Airport. The Bus Eireann 440 runs a routine schedule between
Westport and Knock Airport. http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1299257552-440.pdf.
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| The Mall on the River in Westport |
In Westport…
Supermarkets: Supervalu (in centre of town), Tesco (near train
station), Lidl (near Protestant Church),
Centra (James Street near the Mall).
Chandlery and boat repair: There is a chandlery, McHale Marine, but it far inland. https://www.mchalemarine.ie/
Diving Services: Clew
Bay Marine http://www.clewbaymarineservices.com/
Peter MacDonagh 087 248 9098
Restaurants & Pubs:
Too many to mention all. http://destinationwestport.com/food-pubs-craic/westport-restaurants/
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| The Octagon in Westport. St. Patrick at the top. |
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