31/05/21 Brightlingsea to West Mersea

 

It either had to be a crack of dawn start or potentially getting to West Mersea a little late in the afternoon than we'd like. Given last years fiasco of returning from a late evening at Chris and Anne's to find the dinghy aground in the mud, we didn't fancy the prospect of a repeat moonlit performance so opted for the early start. I love the rhythm of rising with the tide to make the most of nature's travellator or as in this case, to escape a marina before nature traps us into staying a few hours more. I love the early morning night and the peace of a few hours for Patrick and I to enjoy a little time alone before the kids wake. The Colne, as it often does, harboured a Thames Barge for us to admire, and a beautiful smack sailed by a family overtook us on the way downriver to the Blackwater.

Once on the Blackwater we put the headsail out and enjoyed a slow drift along the South Shore of Mersea Island. David called us from Freewheel and was having a somewhat livelier time on the wallet but was making good time.

Once at West Mersea, we picked up an outer mooring and had breakfast whilst we waited for the launch man to come on duty. Having tidied up a little and caught up on some sleep I called the launch guy to see if we could get a mooring a little closer to the hammer head. The guy was slightly less helpful than last year so in the end we motored a little way in and picked up one of the handful of Buoys without tails to signify they belonged to somebody. Once settled AJ and Esmé set about the fun task of bailing out the dinghy with water canons! 

We then motored ashore, failed to get new deck shoes at the chandlery and then headed to the beach close to our friends Chris and Anne.

AJ loves to swim in the sea so he immediately stripped off to enjoy the waves, where-as Esmé took a little longer to be tempted in.. she seems to be the only sun-worshipper in the family happy to stretch out on her towel to enjoy some rays. Patrick and I enjoyed watching the kids and catching up with some reading.

We then headed to Chris and Anne's house, good friends from the start of my sailing days. They recently moved to a lovely bungalow on Mersea Island with a beautiful garden which entertains AJ and Esmé in a way that reminds us that they are still playful kids as well as maturing teen/tweenagers!

After Indian inspired pizza and a good catch up where we arranged for Chris to join us the following afternoon for our sail down to Heybridge, Chris and Anne walked us back to the dinghy... all of us keen to avoid having to drag the dinghy out of the mud this time. It was a lovely little motor back to Laurin who was moored just off the old packing shed and it was lovely to enjoy the rest of the evening sitting in the cockpit enjoying the peace.