Portrush
At a Glance
Contacts:
Portrush Harbour VHF channels16,12 From Jun to Sep manned everyday
with extended hours during the week. Tel no 028 70822307 Mobile
07889 081860 .
Portrush Yacht Club 028 7082 3932
Until the mid 1800s when the railway arrived this was a small fishing village but that arrival heralded the beginning of Portrush as a holiday resort. After the railway closed (thank you Dr Beeching) the town suffered a decline but for the last few years it has gone from strength to strength, has returned to the years of its hey-day and is once again the playground of Northern Ireland. A major part of its attraction are the superb beaches; the of white, gently sloping sands are a safe place for children to play and for grown ups to relax (if a little crowded on a summer weekend)
In May the town and the roads behind it host the North West 200 which is a motorcycle road race to equal the Isle of Man TT and in September it is the venue for the Northern Ireland International Air Show each of which attracts over 20,000 visitors to the town. At the weekend in the summer throngs of visitors pack the beaches, amusements and pubs whilst for the rest of the year it is the centre for the night life of the population of the hinterland (remember that Coleraine is a University town... most of the students come here to play) Virtually all the pubs have live music of one sort or the other (The Springhill Bar on Causeway Street has an Irish "Session" night on Thursdays) The result of this is that the visiting yachtsmen will find plenty to entertain themselves and their crews (old or young) and a visit to the Tourist Information Centre (about 15 to 20 minutes walk from the harbour) is recommended.
The harbour itself is fairly busy but there should be no problem finding a berth for the night; the Yacht Club is very welcoming and has showers in addition to the new harbour amenities block (see below)
There are plans for marina type facilities for mooring but they are a long way into the future.
Portrush
Approach
Watch out for the counter current here.
It sets in round the bay about a quarter the way through the ebb and continues for the whole of the flood. There are rocks extending out 20m from the North Pier head (port hand side inbound); these are very close, port side, to the lead in marks; combine these with the tide running from right to left and you could run into problems. Onshore winds above F4 make the harbour entrance very difficult due to the ground swell.
Approaching from the West is fairly simple whether one is coming from Donegal or Lough Foyle (outside or inside the Tuns off Magilligan point); Once clear of Balbane Point (North West of Inishowen Head) or clearing the Tuns one can lay a course directly for the Initial fix or even the harbour mouth and one will be clear of all dangers.
From the East coming through the Skerries Sound is eminently
feasible, preferably on the ebb with the wind behind one. If the
wind is anything F4 or above from the West or North West take the
outside passage and forget about going in to Portrush at all; a
good bet in those conditions would be to seek shelter in the lee of
the Skerries and drop the pick there. Although the water to the
East of the Ramore promontory looks sheltered there are rocks there
and it would be unwise to approach there without local knowledge.
Once you have positively identified Reviggerly (the three rocks off
the NE corner of Ramore point, which at low tide look like one)
there is no problem scraping round the next headland (it's
steep-too) inside any overfalls and slipping past the cliffs to the
harbour entrance, but remember you will be aiming to pass through
this passage at, or just after LW Portrush to avoid having to peg
the counter current later in the tide. Be very careful entering
the harbour; there is plenty of water in the very centre of the
entrance but it shelves very quickly to shallow water towards the
North Pier where drying rocks protrude into the entrance. Whatever
you do, don't cut the corner tight to the N Pier; there are lead in
marks on a bearing of 028 which are only lit when the Lifeboat is
out – the for'd one is on the small bridge at the NE
corner of the harbour and the one behind on a mast (red triangles).
£ GMT
Waypoint
Charts
Rules & Regs
Hazards
Tides
Berthing
Once inside the harbour entrance an alongside berth....
..... can be found on the North wall or pontoon in 3 m+. The
pontoon is only suitable for an overnight berth and has to be
cleared by nine in the morning. There are plans afoot for
improving the moorings in the harbour over the winter of 2016/16
but, as usual, funding and permissions is a problem.
The tide range in this harbour is only a metre at springs so one
does not have to leave a massive scope on the lines. It is
sometimes possible to pick up a mooring on the South side; the HM
( VHF#12 or tel 028 70822307 Mobile 07889081860 ) can advise on
this and, although it means pumping up the dinghy to get ashore,
this would be a more comfortable berth when there is surge in the
harbour from West or Northwest winds.
Visitor harbour dues (2022) are £24.50 per night irrespective of
size.
Marinas and Mooring
Portrush Harbour
Harbour Road
Portrush
BT56 8DF
Facilities
Water and shore power are available at the pontoon and
arrangements can be made for diesel to be delivered there. If you
need petrol, that's about 3/4 mile from the harbour on the
Bushmills Road.
Showers (coin op) and toilets can be found in the harbour amenities
block with toilets, showers and laundry facilities.
The streets overlooking the harbour are mainly B & B and Bars,
for provisions there is a Costcutter and a Bank (with an ATM) on
Main Street which is a couple of streets back from the foreshore.
There is an active Yacht Club where we once had to take showers; they still welcome visitors and their website is http://www.portrushyachtclub.com/
Chandlers
Tonys Marine service
10 Ballindreen Road
Coleraine
Co Londonderry
BT52 2JU
What to Do
One is spoilt for choice: near the harbour virtually every other
premises is licenced and they are interrupted by take away foods,
souvenir shops and amusement arcades. Most of the pubs offer pub
grub and live music and there are the usual seaside resort
cafés and eateries. For the main bars see
Portrush pubs and bars; pubs in Portrush, County
Antrim # beerintheevening.com
Eating Out
Restaurants & Places to Eat in Portrush 2021 -
Tripadvisor
There are two golf courses and, as has been said, information on
local events and entertainment can be found at the Tourist
Information Centre to the South of the Harbour.
Giants Causeway. This famous tourist attraction is a mere half an
hour's bus ride from Portrush. The service is operated by Ulster
Bus and is service no 177
On the other hand, Port Ballintrae anchorage is only five miles
along the coast... if you are lucky enough to find a day with balmy
southerly winds, a flood in the morning and ebb in the afternoon
then you have the recipe for a lovely day out. You can either walk
round the beach and cliffs from Port Ballintrae to the Causeway or
wander up to the main road and pick up the bus (they're about every
two hours and is the same bus you would have taken from
Portrush!)
History
Local Business
Uncategorised
Tonys Marine service
10 Ballindreen Road
Coleraine
Co Londonderry
BT52 2JU
Portrush Harbour
Harbour Road
Portrush
BT56 8DF
Troggs Surf School
North Coast Watersports Centre
East Strand
Portrush
BT56 8AN
Tide Information for portrush
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