
Set inside the neck of Cork Harbour and on its eastern shoreline, the bay offers good protection from any condition with an easterly component. Safe access is assured in all reasonable conditions by Cork Harbour, one of the most easily approached and well-marked harbours in the world.
Keyfacts for White Bay
Facilities
Nature
Considerations
Protected sectors
Approaches
Shelter
Last modified
October 15th 2020 Summary
A good location with safe access.Facilities
Nature
Considerations
Position and approaches
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Haven position
This is set in about 3 metres in the middle of the bay.
What is the initial fix?
The following Cork Harbour initial will set up a final approach:

What are the key points of the approach?
Offshore details are available in southeastern Ireland’s coastal overview for Rosslare Harbour to Cork Harbour
. Details for vessels approaching from the southwest are available in southwestern Ireland’s coastal overview for Cork Harbour to Mizen Head
. Use the directions provided for Cork City Marina
for the entry and run-up through Cork Harbour.
Not what you need?
Click the 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons to progress through neighbouring havens in a coastal 'clockwise' or 'anti-clockwise' sequence. Below are the ten nearest havens to White Bay for your convenience.
Ten nearest havens by straight line charted distance and bearing:
- Crosshaven - 1.8 nautical miles W
- Spike Island - 2.4 nautical miles NW
- Ringabella Bay - 2.8 nautical miles SW
- Aghada - 2.9 nautical miles NNE
- Cuskinny - 3 nautical miles N
- Drake’s Pool - 3 nautical miles W
- Cobh - 3.1 nautical miles NNW
- Cork Harbour Marina - 3.8 nautical miles NW
- East Ferry Marina - 4 nautical miles NNE
- Robert's Cove - 4.3 nautical miles SSW
These havens are ordered by straight line charted distance and bearing, and can be reordered by compass direction or coastal sequence:
- Crosshaven - 1.8 miles W
- Spike Island - 2.4 miles NW
- Ringabella Bay - 2.8 miles SW
- Aghada - 2.9 miles NNE
- Cuskinny - 3 miles N
- Drake’s Pool - 3 miles W
- Cobh - 3.1 miles NNW
- Cork Harbour Marina - 3.8 miles NW
- East Ferry Marina - 4 miles NNE
- Robert's Cove - 4.3 miles SSW
Chart
What's the story here?

Image: Michael Harpur
White Bay is located immediately within the entrance to Cork Harbour, on its eastern side and about ¾ mile north of Roches Point. It offers an attractive rural anchorage with a sandy beach. When the tide is out, there is an extensive sandy beach. When the tide is in, however, particularly on Springs, the sand is almost completely covered.
Set within the mouth of the harbour and under steep cliffs, the anchorage offers excellent easterly protection with ample water and good holding.
How to get in?

Roches Point Lighthouse
Image: Michael Harpur

Image: Michael Harpur
White Bay lies inside the channel leading into Cork Harbour and on the east shore less than a mile north of Roches Point Lighthouse. Once within the vicinity of the No.3 starboard buoy, it is safe to turn east by northeastward for White Bay.

Image: Philip Bowes via CC BY-SA 2

Image: Michael Harpur
Why visit here?
It is uncertain how White Bay acquired its name; presumably it is down to the gleaming white sands that vividly reflect the sun when exposed at low water.
Image: Michael Harpur
If this is the case, it is well named; nestled at the foot of the cliffs to the north of Roches Point, it is truly a spectacular beach, and one that is off the beaten path and more conveniently addressed by boat. There is no better suntrap to soak up the afternoon’s rays, with wonderful views of Cork’s Lower Harbour to the north, and Roche’s Point Lighthouse, along with the outer Ringabella Bay coastline, to the south. This remote, secluded location is also well known by rod fishermen, particularly those who like to harvest a night tide. Its best fishing is to be had in the deepwater channel about 150 metres out from the beach, which is ideal for anchored boatmen to try their luck. Flatfish, bass, codling, conger eels, dogfish and even rays are regularly pulled in here.

Image: Michael Harpur
The anchorage also offers unique views of nearby Fort Davis, which overlooks it from the north. Fort Davis flanks the entrance with Fort Meagher at the opposite side. The two forts, set on lower harbour's entrance promontories, are dramatic features. Positioned at the narrowest point of the entrance and together with similar structures at Fort Mitchell (on Spike Island) and Templebreedy Battery (also close to Fort Meagher), all would have been most effective at closing out any seaborne attack.
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Image: Michael Harpur
With such structures visible around the anchorage, it will come as no surprise that Cork Harbour has throughout history played a key naval role in protecting the western approaches to the British Isles. Its significance was fully realised in the mid-1700s, when the harbour was chosen as a base for the Royal Navy. These two defining outer entrance forts were, however, a late Cork Harbour military construction. The first fortifications were built to protect Cork City and were in and around the surrounds of the ancient metropolis. In the 18th century, fortifications were built on Haulbowline Island to protect the anchorage and the garrison town of Cobh. Fort Davis (first called Fort Carlisle) and Fort Meagher (previously Fort Camden) were started around 1780, constructed during the American War of Independence (1775–1783). They were significantly strengthened after the arrival of the French fleet into Bantry Bay in 1796.

Image: Public Domain
By the mid-19th century, the defences had been renamed Fort Carlisle, for Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle, a previous Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. In the 1850s a Royal Commission gave renewed consideration to the strategic importance of the harbour and proposed enhancements to the defences at Fort Mitchell on Spike Island, Fort Camden and Fort Carlisle. During the 1860s Fort Carlisle was redeveloped along the lines of other 'Palmerston Forts' in the region. Convict labour was used to complete the construction of both forts, and they remained as a labour force for decades afterwards. It was not until the latter days of 1867 that the convicts were replaced by military and civilian labour.

Image: Michael Harpur
Following the establishment of the Irish Free State, three deepwater Treaty Ports at Cork Harbour (Queenstown), Berehaven and Lough Swilly were retained by the United Kingdom in accordance with the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. The main reason for the retention of the ports was the U-boat campaign around Irish coasts during World War I and the concern of the British government that it might recur. The forts were handed over to the Irish Defence Forces in 1938, and Fort Carlisle was renamed Fort Davis. This was in memory of Cork’s revolutionary Irish writer and poet Thomas Davis (1814 –1845), who was the chief organiser of the Young Ireland movement. Fort Camden was also renamed Fort Meagher at this time, in memory of Irish nationalist Thomas Francis Meagher, who was the leader of the Young Irelanders in the Rebellion of 1848.
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Image: Public Domain
From a sailing point of view, White Bay offers visitors a beautifully secluded anchorage off an extensive white-sand Blue Flag beach. For those with a family aboard, this hidden local gem has to be the primary destination on a sunny summer’s afternoon. It is also an ideal location for late-arriving first-time-visitors to anchor overnight before addressing Cork’s lower harbour in daylight. Although very well marked for night navigation, the harbour is nonetheless challenging for first-time visitors owing to the vast amount of markers in the lower harbour area, which are hard to pick out from the lights of Cobh. White Bay renders this an unnecessary challenge during easterlies, just as the Ringabella anchorage, immediately outside the entrance, provides a useful berth during westerlies. Beyond these outer anchorages, casual anchoring in the lower harbour is difficult owing to the number of unlit moorings that will be encountered at any useful anchoring location.
What facilities are available?
There are no facilities at White Bay. It has road access to Midleton via the R630 from Whitegate. The beach has a car park adjacent to the road leading to Roche’s Point. The pathway to the beach will be found at the left-hand corner of the car park.Cork Harbour is a major yachting centre for Ireland, so you can get everything you need inside the lower harbour area. The main concentration of services, however, is a couple of miles away at Crosshaven.
Any security concerns?
Never an issue known to have occurred to vessels at anchor at this secluded location.With thanks to:
James O’Brien, Cork Harbour Marina owner and manager.
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