Contacts: Union Hall HM  VHF 6 tel no +353 (0)28 34737 or +353 (0)8 66081944 (mob);
Glandore Yacht Club    tel no +353 (0)28 33468 (Glandore Inn)
If unable to contact by phone use their FB page "Glandore Harbour Yacht Club"

Apart from Glandore Harbour and Union Hall there are two other anchorages in Glandore Bay between Galley Head and Glandore. They are both to the West of the Ross Carbery inlet which is too shallow to be of any use to the cruising yachtie.

Mill Cove is very narrow and approached from due South between the rocks to the East & West of the inlet. The rocks to the West of the inlet, known as The Black Rocks, are shown on the chart as drying but in fact they stand quite high above the HW mark at all states of the tide but bear in mind that the soundings here are based on Admiralty nineteenth century lead line surveys so give all dangers a good berth Although the cove is small and crowded with local moorings you should be able to find room for a temporary stop but might need to limit your swing with a second anchor.

Tralong Bay is entered from the SE on a course of about 325T into the middle of the anchorage. Tralong Rock is very obvious but be aware that there are further rocks to the SE of it by about half a cable and also rocks between it and the shore so, again, give it a wide berth.  There are no facilities ashore and, obviously, no shelter from the South.  You should also be a bit wary of anchoring here in a strong NW air stream which just maybe gets funnelled by the valleys leading down into the coves. 

Glandore Harbour and Union Hall Quay are at the head of the Glandore Harbour inlet. In general the NE side of the harbour is where the yachts live and Union Hall Quay is where the fishing vessels operate.

Glandore is tucked into the NE corner where there is a minute drying harbour overlooked by the Glandore Marine Hotel which dominates the front.  Glandore has its own yacht club based at the Glandore Inn (which is up the hill to the SE of the pier) and provides visitors moorings for which they charge. Other than the hotel and the inn there is one other pub beyond the inn and that’s it, no shops or public toilets.  The corner of the bay off Glandore has numerous moorings (upwards of 50) so, if you prefer to anchor, you may find yourself quite a way out from the landing in the harbour.

Given that there may not be room and that the shelter here is not very good in South to South East winds you may find it better to anchor close to the shore north east of Union Hall Quay. There are other moorings there but not nearly so many as at Glandore and the shelter is much better but don’t anchor too close to the channel marked on the chart as there is constant fishing trawler traffic which needs to use it.

You would be unwise to make the approach to Glandore harbour in the dark

....... or for the first time without AC 2092-1. This is also a very dangerous place to make for in strong SE winds; the sea builds into the entrance and will take you onto the rocks before you have time to avoid them. You have to remember that once you are this far west the Atlantic Ocean starts a hundred yards off the beach with all that that entails.  They lost a sizable fishing vessel here in January of 2012 after a night of gale force winds had battered it and then driven it onto Adam’s Island at dawn as it tried to get back in.

The safest way in is via our Initial Fix between Adam’s Island and Goat’s Head although the channel between Sheela Point and Adam’s Island is perfectly viable as long as you identify Sheela’s Rocks.

If you are at all doubtful go round to the East of Adam’s Island; after all, it’s only an extra half mile. 

Shape your course from the initial fix towards Long Point until you pick up the Glandore SW mark (a SHM, lit green Pylon) and then go for the middle of the gap between it and the west shore. There are two further green perches and a green SH buoy (Sunken Rock) to be left to starboard before the anchorage off Glandore can be gained straight ahead. Our photo of these marks on a foggy morning show just how prominent all these marks are so you should not be concerned about this entry in daylight; at night it would be a very different proposition and very brave, if not foolhardy, if you haven’t been here before. 

If you intend going round to Union Hall be very aware that the water shoals for quite a way out to the north of Ballincolla House due East of the Quay; in the season it will be easy to judge where the channel is because the small boat moorings to the north of the channel are close to its margins 

The anchorages at Mill Cove and Tralong Bay have been discussed

......but you may be able to get some idea of what to expect at Mill Cove from this Google maps street View.

As has been said, in Glandore harbour you can anchor off Glandore itself or pick up a visitors buoy; in fact it may be so busy here that a visitors’ buoy may be your only option and will cost you 15 Euros per vessel per night.

At Union Hall there is room to anchor off the shore to the north of the deep channel. The anchorage marked on the charts to the north of Poulgorm bridge beyond Union Hall is no use for a boat with a mast as the clearance is too low but if you are confident of your echo sounder you might try for the deep pool just to the south of the bridge.

There are no facilities at Glandore apart from water on the pier; you will have to cross to Union Hall to find shops and fuel (and that has to be ordered by road tanker in sufficient quantities to make it worthwhile for the retailer)

At Glandore there are two pubs and a hotel for eating and entertainment. Glandore Harbour Yacht Club members can be found most Sundays during the racing season at the Glandore Inn. They have a strong Classic boat racing fraternity (which explains that Dragon lying to a buoy in one of our photos). Their website is at

http://www.glandoreyc.com

In Union Hall the main shopping street is to the west of the causeway where there is a Post Office, a store, a fish shop, a coffee shop and five bars in as little as fifty yards; certainly got their priorities right in this village!!