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Adjacent Haven WNWAdjacent Haven E

Rutland Harbour & Island

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Overview






Please note

eOceanic has been made aware of this haven. We are looking for a sailor with first-hand experience to provide their direct personal insights so that we may complete our write up. In advance of this we have posted these preliminary research notes. Do you know this location? Please contact us or click the 'Report a Mistake or Omission' button below to help share this location with the sailing community.


Rutland Harbour is a piece of the channel between Inishcoo and Duck Island to the north of Rutland Island, and about half a mile from Burtonport on the mainland, on the northwest coast of Ireland. The harbour provides a safe mid channel anchorage, and at a small bay on the east side of the island a further anchorage is available to wait for an improvement in the weather. There is also an opportunity to berth at the old quay on the small islet at the southern end of the channel.

Rutland Harbour is a piece of the channel between Inishcoo and Duck Island to the north of Rutland Island, and about half a mile from Burtonport on the mainland, on the northwest coast of Ireland. The harbour provides a safe mid channel anchorage, and at a small bay on the east side of the island a further anchorage is available to wait for an improvement in the weather. There is also an opportunity to berth at the old quay on the small islet at the southern end of the channel.

Protected by the nearby islands the anchorage affords good shelter and absence of swell in all reasonable conditions. The harbour is accessible at all states of the tide but attentive navigation is necessary as the approach is intricate and should only be made during favourable weather conditions. Care is also required to avoid the busy ferry and fishing boat traffic.
Please note

An approach from the north through a very narrow channel close east to Inishcoo is extremely dangerous. Care should also be taken to avoid the electric cable from Inishcoo. The charted positions in the Rutland and Burtonport area cannot be entirely relied upon making it necessary to use eyeball navigation in conjunction with the GPS.




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Keyfacts for Rutland Harbour & Island
Facilities
Pleasant family beach in the area


Nature
No fees for anchoring or berthing in this locationRemote or quiet secluded locationAnchoring locationBerth alongside a deep water pier or raft up to other vesselsBeach or shoreline landing from a tenderJetty or a structure to assist landingScenic location or scenic location in the immediate vicinityHistoric, geographic or culturally significant location; or in the immediate vicinity

Considerations
None listed

Protected sectors

Current wind over the protected quadrants
Minimum depth
5 metres (16.4 feet).

Approaches
3 stars: Attentive navigation; daylight access with dangers that need attention.
Shelter
4 stars: Good; assured night's sleep except from specific quarters.



Last modified
May 30th 2017

Summary

A good location with attentive navigation required for access.

Facilities
Pleasant family beach in the area


Nature
No fees for anchoring or berthing in this locationRemote or quiet secluded locationAnchoring locationBerth alongside a deep water pier or raft up to other vesselsBeach or shoreline landing from a tenderJetty or a structure to assist landingScenic location or scenic location in the immediate vicinityHistoric, geographic or culturally significant location; or in the immediate vicinity

Considerations
None listed



Position and approaches
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Haven position

54° 59.060' N, 008° 27.773' W

this is the position at the anchorage at Rutland Harbour.

What is the initial fix?

The following Rutland Harbour & Island initial fix. will set up a final approach:
55° 2.343' N, 008° 30.049' W
this is the position in Rosses Bay midway between Owey Island and Torneady Point on Arran Island.



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 Rutland Harbour & Island for your convenience.
Ten nearest havens by straight line charted distance and bearing:
  1. Burtonport - 0.7 nautical miles E
  2. Arranmore Island - 1.1 nautical miles WNW
  3. Cruit Bay - 3.7 nautical miles NNE
  4. Owey Island - 4.2 nautical miles N
  5. Bunbeg - 6.8 nautical miles NE
  6. Gola Island - 7.4 nautical miles NNE
  7. Church Pool & Portnoo - 8.3 nautical miles S
  8. Inishsirrer Island - 9.1 nautical miles NNE
  9. Dawros Bay - 10.1 nautical miles SSW
  10. Toberglassan Bay - 15.4 nautical miles NE
These havens are ordered by straight line charted distance and bearing, and can be reordered by compass direction or coastal sequence:
  1. Burtonport - 0.7 miles E
  2. Arranmore Island - 1.1 miles WNW
  3. Cruit Bay - 3.7 miles NNE
  4. Owey Island - 4.2 miles N
  5. Bunbeg - 6.8 miles NE
  6. Gola Island - 7.4 miles NNE
  7. Church Pool & Portnoo - 8.3 miles S
  8. Inishsirrer Island - 9.1 miles NNE
  9. Dawros Bay - 10.1 miles SSW
  10. Toberglassan Bay - 15.4 miles NE
To find locations with the specific attributes you need try:

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Chart
Please use our integrated Navionics chart to appraise the haven and its approaches. Navionics charts feature in premier plotters from B&G, Raymarine, Magellan and are also available on tablets. Open the chart in a larger viewing area by clicking the expand to 'new tab' or the 'full screen' option.

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How to get in?

Route location The 'Erris Head to Malin Head' coastal description provides approach information to the suggested initial fix. Vessels approaching from the south should select the northeast bound Route location sequenced description; vessels approaching from the north should select the southwest bound Route location sequence; western approaches may use either description.

Rutland Harbour is a good location from which to explore this very popular tourist area, sailing between the numerous islands and channels it has the advantage of being accessible at all states of the tide via the North Channel.

Haven locationTo the east of Duck Island where there is a depth of 5 metres, a vessel can anchor anywhere in mid channel and be confident of finding good shelter from sea and swell. An electricity cable lies due south of the old quay on the southwest of Inishcoo and care should be taken to avoid it.

You will probably be one of only a few vessels anchored at this location, but as traffic from Burtonport is very busy, it is advisable to show a riding light at all times.

Opposite Nancy's Rock a berth in 3.5metres alongside the old quay on West Edernish Island is possible, but fenders will need to be used because of the wash from passing boats.

Rutland Island situated south of the channel opposite Inishcoo and Edernish Island, has a lovely little bay called Black Hole located east of the rear leading light beacon on Rutland Island. Although small, this bay has a good depth of 4 metres.
The main approach is through Rutland North Channel and then Rutland Harbour, but it is also possible to access it from a southern approach through Rutland South Channel. There is also an approach from the north through a very narrow channel close to the east of Inishcoo but it is extremely dangerous and should only be attempted by small boats with local knowledge.


Why visit here?
The very popular sailing area south of Rosses Bay down to Burtonport contains numerous islands most of which have quays and beaches that afford a landing. Situated about half a mile west of Burtonport Harbour is Rutland Island, Irish: Inis Mhic an Doirn, also sometimes known locally as Inishmacadurn.

The island has very few permanent inhabitants, but contains several holiday homes. It was previously populated in the 18th century with a settlement being established by William Burton Conynham including a street of houses and businesses, together with the island's post office and school house, and a fish landing and processing facility. Fish catches declined heavily shortly after the construction, and finally with most services either closing down or leaving, the island eventually became permanently uninhabited in the 1960's.

Burtonport is a small fishing village on the extreme northwest mainland of County Donegal whose name is derived from the wealthy English landowner Lord Burton Conynham. He established a jetty and a few other amenities at the location and called it “Burtons Port”. At that time the infrastructure as we know it today was non-existent and the main access to the area was by sea, and the main landing port was at Rutland Island which is just opposite Burtonport.

Rutland then was the main port of call for the area and at the time it was a flourishing commercial centre where a colony of English settlers had been established on it after the plantation of Ulster in 1609. Today the island is enjoying a new lease of life, with some of the descendants of the original island families renovating their old homes with the help of the Donegal Islands Trust.

Rutland Island holds memories of many historic events, such as the landing of Napper Tandy and the French forces at the beginning of the 1798 rising, but today the island is being developed mainly towards the tourist industry with amenities for small pleasure craft. A recent development of a wind farm has added a new dimension to the landscape.

The island is described as most attractive, accessible but quiet, whose main feature must be its magnificent beach running the length of its west side which is absolutely worth a visit if sailing in the area. There are no facilities on the island, and although mains electricity reached it in 1957, to date it does not have mains water.


What facilities are available?
There are no facilties at this location. The nearest haven for provisions is Burtonport half a mile to the east on the mainland.


With thanks to:
inyourfootsteps.com site research. Photography with thanks to Rossographer, Joseph Mischyshyn, Malcolm Hurley Mills, Kenneth Allen and Celia Ferguson.



















The following videos may be useful to help first time visitors familiarise themselves with Rutland waters.


The following video presents excellent footage of the north Rutland channel going into Burtonport.




The following video presents a photo montage of the stunning scenery around Rutland Island. The person who posted the video has composed a fairly bleak poem to accompany it but the Island looks well worth a visit.




A photograph is worth a thousand words. We are always looking for bright sunny photographs that show this haven and its identifiable features at its best. If you have some images that we could use please upload them here. All we need to know is how you would like to be credited for your work and a brief description of the image if it is not readily apparent. If you would like us to add a hyperlink from the image that goes back to your site please include the desired link and we will be delighted to that for you.


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