Groomsport
At a Glance
Contacts: North Down HM (William Angus) mobile 07718579105
This is a very small sheltered harbour, not much used by visitors as they haven't room for but one at a time! All the same it is popular with those that do use it and, if you are the sort of yachtie who prefers not to use large expensive marinas and prepared to pump up the dinghy to get ashore, this might be your sort of place.
The harbour is owned by Ards and North Down Council and the
Harbour Master here also looks after
Donaghadee round the corner along with Ballyherbert and Ballywalter further South
It's a well sheltered little cove with an island guarding the
entrance and keeping the big waves out, but you need your wits
about you getting in. At high water they have enough water at their
pier to nip alongside to fill up your water tank; there's a
friendly boating fraternity called the Cockle Island Boat Club
(that being the name of the island in the middle of the
cove).
The basic population of the village is only about 1000 but in the
summer that is swelled by holiday makers who arrive for day trips
or occupy one of the caravan sites close by. There is seldom a
summer weekend without some form of entertainment and there are
sufficient retail outlets for the boat owner to replenish basic
consumables and have a gentle time ashore or afloat.
One thing's for certain; if you can get your wee boat in here you
won't be moored next to some fifty foot boat with stainless steel
ground tackle and the crew all wearing this year's Mustos!!
Groomsport
Approach
Passage to Groomsport needs to be well planned with tidal streams in mind.
The interplay between the tides into an out of Belfast Lough and
the fierce flows through the North Channel is shown in the "More
Information" section below. Groomsport is also at the northern end
of the unusual tidal pattern which exists between here and Dublin;
careful examination of that pattern reveals that it possible with
good timing and a six knot boat it is possible to move to and from
here to Dublin on favourable currents the whole way. Details of
this route can be found in our article:
http://www.visitmyharbour.com/irish-sea-tides.asp
Approach Before you start the approach you need to
contact the HM to ensure that they have room for you. In good
weather this is a simple approach. Both the Eastern and the
Western channels are navigable but for a first visit the East
Passage is probably the preferred route. There are lead in marks
consisting of a slim red pole beside the flagpole and a taller
plain wood pole about twenty yards behind that. If you come in from
our Initial Fix (see chartlet) it'll bring you in on a bearing of
202°. The Island to starboard is cleared by a Starboard perch and
the HM will tell you where to park. If there is enough water for
you and there is space you may be able to turn straight in to a
berth on the wall where you can dry out - otherwise you'll be
directed to a spare mooring between the island and the shore.
There is no small scale chart available for this harbour so for the best indication of what this place looks like the best we can offer is the Aerial photo shown in our Navigation Images gallery
£ GMT
Waypoint
Charts
Rules & Regs
Hazards
Tides
Berthing
There is only room for one visiting boat that can either.....
..... take the ground or has a draught of less than one metre. They now (2021) charge harbour dues for a stay at this harbour. It'll cost you £14.00 for an overnight stop, £44.00 for a months stop (the limit) and £7.00 for one tide.
They have a website at Harbours | Ards and North Down Borough Counciland it will eventually be possible to pay on line but in the meantime call Bill Angus on the mobile number above to make arrangements.
They have installed visitors Buoys just on the right hand side after you enter the via the West Channel as was planned but have let them to local residents so you still have to plan ahead and contact the HM before setting out for here.
Marinas and Mooring
Bangor Marina
Bangor
County Down
Northern Ireland
BT20 5ED
Petrol.
A safe Berth In The Centre of A Highly Attractive Town.
The Marina Has 5 Golden Anchors Award
Your Marina Manager Is: Mr Andrew Jaggers
Facilities
There are toilets ashore and a couple of freshwater taps in the boatyard. There is a slipway for launching dinghies. Although there is a hard there is only room for the local boats to over winter here.
Chandlers
J Clarke Marine Ltd
Comber
Northern Ireland
Comber
BT23 6DZ
DOWN
BT23 6DZ
J Clarke Marine is an online store that specialises in canopy fasteners and marine grade stainless steel fittings that are often hard to source. We try our best to provide an excellent service as we value our customers greatly. All items are posted first class (within the UK) on a regular basis throughout the week. We keep marine grade 316 a4 stainless steel products and the best cover fasteners on the market.
We keep stock of various items including
Eyebolts
D Shackles
Webbing hooks
Carbine snap hooks
Stainless Dee and ORings
Frame/tube fittings for canopies
Woodscrew cup hooks
Split / cotter pins
Canopy fasteners
Turnbuttons
Lift the Dot
Snap Fastener
Tenax
Tomax
Lacing eyes
and more.....
You can also join us on facebook here.......
Bosun Bob's Chandlery
2 Quay Street
Bangor
Co Down
BT20 5ED
What to Do
The night life here consists of a restaurant/wine bar and a local pub. Near the harbour there is the Cockle Row Cottages which house a museum of fishing life in earlier years. They also put on events on most weekends in the summer whilst, if you are lucky the Boat club may have found an excuse to have a barbeque.
Plenty of shore walks or just relax and plan the next leg.
Yacht Clubs and Associations
Cockle Island Boat Club
Harbour Road
Groomsport
Co Down
BT19 6JP
History
Local Business
Geoff Collins Marine
70 Chippendale Avenue,
Bangor
BT20 4PY
Uncategorised
J Clarke Marine Ltd
Comber
Northern Ireland
Comber
BT23 6DZ
DOWN
BT23 6DZ
J Clarke Marine is an online store that specialises in canopy fasteners and marine grade stainless steel fittings that are often hard to source. We try our best to provide an excellent service as we value our customers greatly. All items are posted first class (within the UK) on a regular basis throughout the week. We keep marine grade 316 a4 stainless steel products and the best cover fasteners on the market.
We keep stock of various items including
Eyebolts
D Shackles
Webbing hooks
Carbine snap hooks
Stainless Dee and ORings
Frame/tube fittings for canopies
Woodscrew cup hooks
Split / cotter pins
Canopy fasteners
Turnbuttons
Lift the Dot
Snap Fastener
Tenax
Tomax
Lacing eyes
and more.....
You can also join us on facebook here.......
Bosun Bob's Chandlery
2 Quay Street
Bangor
Co Down
BT20 5ED
Geoff Collins Marine
70 Chippendale Avenue,
Bangor
BT20 4PY
Cockle Island Boat Club
Harbour Road
Groomsport
Co Down
BT19 6JP
Bangor Marina
Bangor
County Down
Northern Ireland
BT20 5ED
Petrol.
A safe Berth In The Centre of A Highly Attractive Town.
The Marina Has 5 Golden Anchors Award
Your Marina Manager Is: Mr Andrew Jaggers
Tide Information for groomsport
Tidal Information