Aberdovey

From the South there are no dangers along the coast apart from the Cynfelyn Patches....

..... and there is a passage inside these. From the North you must go outside the Sarn-y-Bwch reef as there are some nasty rocks inshore of that reef (This is advice from a local sailor).

Before starting this approach you should contact the HM on #12 to confirm the passage inbound and for any updates to the buoyage. This channel is of the "ever varying" category to the extent that the latest Admiralty chart (in our gallery) shows the latest buoyage (correct) superimposed on the old soundings (incorrect). The advice here is to start your approach from the Outer Buoy (our waypoint); do NOT cut the corner and head straight for the bar buoys, and call the HM for advice. They also advise that the Bar is only passable 3 hours either side of HW

We have supplied a diagram of the buoyage and channel in our Navigation Images as given to us in the summer of 2022. If you plot the positions of the buoys as given in the table on that image you will see that the only buoy on the Admiralty Chart which is correct is the Outer R/W buoy - all the others have been moved and will move again!!

As that panel is a bit difficult to read here are the buoy positions

Outer buoy 52 32.000 N 004 05.550 W
Bar Buoy No 1 52 32.125 N 004 04.750 W
Bar Buoy No2 52 32.171 N 004 04.764 W
No 3 South Spit 52 32.195 N 004 04.491 W
No 5 52 32.198 N 004 04.053 W
No 7 52 32.256 N 004 03.408 W
YSM 4 Knots 52 32.469 N 004 02.861 W

Once you are over the bar at the entrance to the channel then there is plenty of water but you should not enter too early in the flood on a spring tide in a fin keeler. The final yellow buoy in the approach should be left to starboard on the way in.

The ebb runs very strongly in the channel, especially at springs, so you need to time your run in with enough water over the bar but enough time left in the flood to make it to wherever you want to clew up. You should call the HM on Channel 12 before entering the channel