Rogerstown Inlet & Rush Harbour
At a Glance
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Contacts Rush Sailing Club tel +353 (0)18430695
The shore on the Irish coast opposite Lambay Island is a long
strand stretching from the Martello Tower at Rush as far south as
Portmarnock Point opposite Ireland's Eye. The coast is penetrated
by two river estuaries, the Rogerstown Inlet and the Malahide Inlet both of which
host the sailing fraternity; The Rogerstown Inlet has its Sailing
Club and the Malahide Inlet its marina which is covered in a
separate entry and both have interesting buoyed channels.
North of the Rogerstown Inlet the strand is backed by the town of
Rush which extends north of its Martello tower and forms the
backdrop to its "North" beach, whist the beach between the tower
and the inlet is the "South" beach; the small promontory between
these two beaches has a small drying harbour on its north side
known as Rush harbour.
This harbour dries completely at low tide exposing the unmarked,
dangerous rocky reef extending out from its North breakwater; this
reef is covered either side of HW and will not be obvious in
settled weather but any sea at all will cause breakers around it
and highlight its presence.
The harbour wall is occupied by small fishing vessels (mainly pot
layers) and there are long fore and aft moorings laid out for the
other permanent residents of the harbour. Obviously it is totally
unsuitable in easterly weather unless you can get to dry out
alongside the pier and even then it will be uncomfortable in
anything above a F3-F4. An alternative would be to lie to your
anchor outside the harbour in good holding and land ashore by
dinghy.
Further South it's an entirely different
situation; at low water the beach stretches out in almost
a straight line between the Martello towers at Rush and Cable
Rocks, the river estuary drains into the middle of this beach and
extends back through a lagoon almost three miles inland.
Over the beach the river channel varies in depth and dries entirely
in places; from June to September the Sailing Club lays out marker
buoys and a fairway buoy but at other times the channel is not
marked. There are normally four sets of buoys leading into the
anchorage opposite the Sailing Club's premises on the north shore
and the channel becomes obvious as it is bounded by yachts and
dinghies moored just outside the channel. There is limited space
for anchoring but the Sailing Club may be able to offer a spare
mooring.
Having taken the trouble to find your way here you will be tempted
to stay a while; it's a pleasant, rural spot with just enough in
the way of amenities, especially if you don't mind a wee walk in to
Rush itself which caters for visitors during the season.
Here's a short Drone sequence to give you an idea of what
to expect.
Rogerstown Inlet & Rush Harbour
Approach
The approach to Rush harbour is unmarked and without any lead in marks;
The best bet is to approach on a line parallel (approx 255°T)to
the north breakwater about 50m to the right of the end of the
pier.
When attempting an entry to the Rogerstown Inlet it is imperative
to identify the fairway marker and make your approach on a heading
of about 300°T. If visibility is such that you are unable to see
the buoys marking the channel then it would very unwise to plod on
in the hope that they will "turn up." Anyway, assuming that you can
see the buoys, the rest is simple; you'll be able to see the yachts
moored off the Sailing Club but be careful, although they do have
fin keeled yachts, you can't assume that what you are looking at
draws the same water as you or you may end up on the putty beside a
drop keeler!!
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Waypoint
Charts
Rules & Regs
Hazards
Tides
Facilities
The Rush Sailing Club has a bar and changing facilities and is open in the evenings at the weekend and on Wednesdays. For provisions and petrol you will have to walk in to the main street of the town which is the street beside the church marked on AC 0633-6; quite a way but there is a petrol station there as well.
Chandlers
What to Do
Apart from the Sailing Club bar there is not much here so you will have to seek entertainment and refreshment in the town.
History
Local Business
Rigging and Riggers
Masts and Rigging
Unit 9, Shannon Valley Centre, Turvey, Donabate, Co Dublin. K36 AE28