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Aughinish Bay lies 6 miles east of Black Head on the southern shore of Galway Bay situated directly on the border between County Clare and County Galway on the west coast of Ireland.

Aughinish Bay lies 6 miles east of Black Head on the southern shore of Galway Bay situated directly on the border between County Clare and County Galway on the west coast of Ireland.

It is a shallow narrow creek that meanders approximately 3 miles inland in an easterly direction leading eventually to Corranroo Bay at its head, which is very shallow and encumbered with sandbanks and as there are no landing places it is not recommended that boats should go this far in.

The entrance to Aughinish Bay south of Aughinish Point is straightforward, and boats should anchor in 3 metres depth at or above New Quay which is situated on the southern shore less than 1 mile from the entrance of the bay.

It is important to note that there are strong tidal streams at this anchorage off New Quay which makes it uncomfortable particularly in northwest winds as there are overfalls on the ebb and a yacht will be tide robe. Under these circumstances go further up the bay, sounding continuously as the channel is unmarked.



2 comments
Keyfacts for Aughinish Bay
Facilities
None listed


Nature
No fees for anchoring or berthing in this locationRemote or quiet secluded locationAnchoring location

Considerations
Note: strong tides or currents in the area that require considerationNote: overfalls, tidal rips or breakers in the vacinity

Protected sectors

Current wind over the protected quadrants
Minimum depth
3 metres (9.84 feet).

Approaches
4 stars: Straightforward; when unaffected by weather from difficult quadrants or tidal consideration, no overly complex dangers.
Shelter
3 stars: Tolerable; in suitable conditions a vessel may be left unwatched and an overnight stay.



Last modified
July 19th 2018

Summary

A tolerable location with straightforward access.

Facilities
None listed


Nature
No fees for anchoring or berthing in this locationRemote or quiet secluded locationAnchoring location

Considerations
Note: strong tides or currents in the area that require considerationNote: overfalls, tidal rips or breakers in the vacinity



Position and approaches
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Haven position

53° 9.383' N, 009° 4.560' W

this is the position of the pierhead at New Quay, Aughinish Bay.

What is the initial fix?

The following Galway Harbour initial fix will set up a final approach:
53° 10.966' N, 009° 22.452' W
This is midway between the Black Rock Buoy, Fl.R.3s, and that of the Margaretta Marker Buoy, Fl.G.3s. It is the three miles out from Leverets light tower and in its leading white sector. A course of 062°(T) towards the tower will lead into the Galway Roadstead and set up a final approach to Galway Docks.



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 Aughinish Bay for your convenience.
Ten nearest havens by straight line charted distance and bearing:
  1. Ballyvaughan Bay - 3.3 nautical miles SW
  2. Kinvara Bay - 4 nautical miles ENE
  3. South Bay & Rincarna Bay - 5 nautical miles NE
  4. Galway Docks - 6.8 nautical miles N
  5. Fanore Bay - 8.4 nautical miles WSW
  6. Spiddle - 9.7 nautical miles WNW
  7. Doolin Pier (Ballaghaline Quay) - 14.6 nautical miles SW
  8. Inisheer - 16.9 nautical miles WSW
  9. Liscannor Bay - 17.3 nautical miles SW
  10. Caladh Mór Pier - 18.5 nautical miles W
These havens are ordered by straight line charted distance and bearing, and can be reordered by compass direction or coastal sequence:
  1. Ballyvaughan Bay - 3.3 miles SW
  2. Kinvara Bay - 4 miles ENE
  3. South Bay & Rincarna Bay - 5 miles NE
  4. Galway Docks - 6.8 miles N
  5. Fanore Bay - 8.4 miles WSW
  6. Spiddle - 9.7 miles WNW
  7. Doolin Pier (Ballaghaline Quay) - 14.6 miles SW
  8. Inisheer - 16.9 miles WSW
  9. Liscannor Bay - 17.3 miles SW
  10. Caladh Mór Pier - 18.5 miles W
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?
inyourfootsteps.com has identified this as a boat haven and asks readers with first-hand experience to contact us so we may fully write up this location. In the meantime we have posted our preliminary research notes alongside the haven position, tidal data, current wind and weather, satellite images plus charting information.

If, on the other hand, you have been to this haven and experienced it, please contact us by clicking the “Correct” button below. If you could provide us with your details so we may contact you, or indeed send us information directly, it would be very much appreciated. This will enable us to complete this Haven, sharing it for the common good of the entire sailing community.


Why visit here?
Although only a short distance from Galway city, Aughinish Bay is a remote and quiet location that has few if any landing places and consequently no facilities. The border between Counties Clare and Galway runs directly down the centre of the bay, which is located in the northeast corner of The Burren, an area of great rocky expanse considered by many to be a unique landscape.

Limestone areas like The Burren are famous for their large cave systems, and there are two caves which are open to the public, the Aillwee Caves, and since 2006 the Doolin Cave with one of the largest stalactites known to the world.

In suitable conditions Aughinish Bay is an interesting spot to drop anchor for a quiet lunch break before heading into Galway itself with all the necessary shops and facilities, or continuing on a coastal passage to the Aran islands.


What facilities are available?
there are no facilities available at this location.


With thanks to:
inyoufootsteps.com site research.








Harbour Master, Harbour Office, New Docks, Galway +353 91 561874/562329 VHF Harbour Master call sign 'Galway Harbour Radio'.



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Add your review or comment:


Dermot Tynan wrote this review on Sep 27th 2017:

Hi. I live near here and have brought my 24 foot Achilles into the bay and left her at anchor. There is a very strong current N of the quay at New Quay, with an excellent and always-busy restaurant called Linnanes. You need to head in at high tide to navigate the channel which is deep but narrow in parts. The tide is later than Galway due to the large bay filling and emptying. Wind over tide at the mid-point of the tides can cause serious standing waves just W of New Quay. Currents can be up to six knots during Springs. If you want any further info, let me know.

Average Rating: Unrated


Michael Harpur wrote this review on May 22nd 2018:

Thank you for commenting.
Firstly, my apology. We have to date only been only able to place reference notes for the northwest corner of Ireland. We do intend to fully write up the northwest coast, but we recognise that this will take a concerted effort to do correctly and we have not been able to apportion the time for that campaign yet.
When we do, comments like yours will be invaluable and, in the meantime, for those cruising the coast in advance of that write up. So please keep commenting they are enormously helpful. Thank you for your patience.

Average Rating: Unrated

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Please note eOceanic makes no guarantee of the validity of this information, we have not visited this haven and do not have first-hand experience to qualify the data. Although the contributors are vetted by peer review as practised authorities, they are in no way, whatsoever, responsible for the accuracy of their contributions. It is essential that you thoroughly check the accuracy and suitability for your vessel of any waypoints offered in any context plus the precision of your GPS. Any data provided on this page is entirely used at your own risk and you must read our legal page if you view data on this site. Free to use sea charts courtesy of Navionics.