2026 A bit more planning for Ireland.

Not having anything better to do, I thought I would spend a little more time planning for the first few days of my planned trip to the west coast of Ireland. The initial planning was back in September, the thread starting here.

The spring tide of the 21st, a likely start date if the weather if favourable as I don't want to travel down by train on a weak end, is a couple of days after the new moon that rises at 06:20 so the nights are going to be very dark, by the neap tide of the 27th  it will be waxing gibbous (just more than half) setting at 04:22 at Dunmore East / Waterford, much better - IF it is a clear night. So, for day one or two, there must be a good chance of arriving in daylight or at a sensible location for arrival in the dark.

Sunset along the eastern coast of Ireland on the 21st will be around 18:45Z improving to 19:00Z by the 27th, 20:06Z on 4th April and 20:20Z on the 11th April. Summer times starts on the 29th of March which would help at the expense of a darker morning, not an issue at least at the Milford end. Add 30 minutes to these times for civil twilight.

Anchorages I have used in red, marinas in blue. Anchorages
I have reviewed as usable (at least in daylight) in green. The
marina I have used at Kinsale is hidden by other marks including
the marina at the yacht club.

Of the anchorages I know along the coast there are several that I would be happy to enter and anchor in the dark: St Margret's Bay (East of Carnsore Point), Dunmore East and Waterford and Kinsale to anchor below the bridge. After that Yougal would be OK for the well lit entrance but the anchorage is between shifting banks and the "safer" area has moorings that might not be visible at night. After that the next is Baltimore a long way away.

Of the places I haven't been to Cork / Crosshaven should be fine as should the east bank of Waterford harbour. The Dungarven Helvick Head anchorage would probably be OK in a southerly wind but is exposed to the east and north.

The first thing to do is check my default destination which is Waterford. On March 21st with an 04:00Z start from Dale routing north of The Smalls at 4.5 knots, SeaPro shows an arrival time of 19:30Z but, especially on a Spring tide with 4 knots of tide or more helping past Skolholm, this is pessimistic due to the lack of tidal diamonds from Milford until past The Smalls, see my notes on passage making from Milford. Kilmore would be a little quicker so certainly an option if I am running to time.

St Margret's Bay or Rosslare would be options if a changing wind made Waterford difficult but the passage from there to Waterford is 6 to 9 hours, a whole day, so is to be avoided if possible.

Cork would be an overnight sail arriving at 07:30Z (an hour earlier if leaving on the 27th a neap tide) and if the weather is particularly good or in a stiff northerly wind that could make Waterford uncomfortable (Kilmore would be OK if there is no lingering sea), I might well opt for that or Kinsale a little further on but I have been there before and would like to see Cork harbour.

Baltimore would be another 6 hours or more, a possibility if the weather was good and about to change, but a long haul to start with and I would be missing out on Cork.

So if the wind is westerly I don't leave, if its favourable I head for Waterford.

Alternatively if it is likely to be warm for the time of year with a favourable wind or with adverse weather coming in a couple of days, Cork looks favourite, the decision would ideally be made the night before departure so as to start later at around 07:30Z from Dale @ HW Milford or between 05:30Z and 07:15Z from the Marina during free flow. 

On the 22nd or 23rd the tides are not helpful from Waterford to Cork and it would be 13 or 14 hours and a night time arrival, or more likely a couple of days.

From Cork it would be a 12 hour run to Baltimore or more likely a couple of days. 

With fair winds Baltimore could be one of: 

• A fairly long day to Waterford then anything from 2 to 4 days to Baltimore which is what I allowed for in my first draft plan.
• An overnight trip to Cork, a day of rest then one or two more days.
• A very long overnight trip direct with a day or two at anchor to recover.

In the event of storm force winds shelter could be found at Waterford, Cork, Kinsale and Baltimore with quite a few others for "merely" strong or gale force winds.