Moorings in Belfast Lough

Belfast Lough is a sea lough of about 30 square miles on the east coast of Northern Ireland. It runs from the mouth of the River Lagan in Belfast out to Orlock Point in County Down and Black Head in County Antrim, where it opens into the North Channel. The inner lough is mudflat and lagoon, protected as an Area of Special Scientific Interest, and the lough is a Ramsar wetland, while the outer lough has rocky shores and scattered sandy bays.

There are three marinas on the lough. Bangor Marina, on the County Down shore, is one of the largest in Ireland and holds Blue Flag status. Carrickfergus has a marina on the Antrim shore, and in the city itself Belfast Harbour Marina opened in the Abercorn Basin at Titanic Quarter in 2009, with berths for leisure craft close to the centre.

The lough has a long sailing tradition. Bangor is home to the Royal Ulster and Ballyholme yacht clubs, with Ballyholme Bay beside the town, and the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club is at Cultra on the south shore. Carrickfergus Sailing Club is based on the north shore, and other shoreline communities include Holywood and Whitehead.

The port of Belfast, a trust port run by Belfast Harbour Commissioners, handles freight, ferries and cruise ships at the head of the lough, so leisure boats share the approaches with commercial traffic. For boat owners, moorings in Belfast Lough mainly mean marina pontoon berths at Bangor, Carrickfergus and Belfast, with club sailing spread along both shores.