Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

I have now been on Mersea Island for about 4 days, and it is a stunning place with approx 7,000 residents and about 3 pubs, a small shopping area, and loads of yachts. It is an island of wealth, and the cars and yachts reflect that. It is also an island that connected the mainland by a tidial causeway, which has been greatly improved since I was last here in 2013.
You can cycle around the island, to which I did on an electric bike, very nice it was (just dont drink the local beer and then cycle......).
My friends Allan and Shirley live for their yachting, and it was all hands on deck when I arrived as Allan teaches new yachties in handling dinghies up to 4m in length. Allan took me out on the support boat to assist in spotting. One lady who is learning is 87 yrs old, an example to all of us, and you're never too late to learn. After 2 hrs on the sea, I was exhausted.
The next day, we had to go out to "Dura," their main yacht, and prepare for the Friday racing and our planned weekend excursion up to Heybridge basin and lock, close Maldon We were to take part in 3 days of racing for the Admirals Cup. However, A & S could not get enough crew, so it's a Friday night effort in a weekly competition.
Preparing a yacht is a huge task, l didn't realise the work that goes into this. I had often helped my friend Mike G on his 16-foot fishing launch, and that was hard work, but yachts are on a different scale. We will be short crewed for the Heybridge trip, but this "cabin boy" will have to learn quickly and multi task😉.
There are two yacht clubs on the island, and A & S belong to "Dabchicks."
Mersea has some interesting homes and scenes, sunsets like I would expect in the tropics, and beautiful sandy beaches. The heat is something else as well, phew!
However, it is still British in every sense with beach huts, shops selling buckets and spades, warm beer at the pub, and a lovely local butcher. There is also a thriving oyster and mussel farming business and local fish mongers, British in every sense. Of course, there is endless industry dealing with yachts, launches, and small boats.
So, today I'm off at 5pm to go out to Dura on the rigid hull inflatable and do at least 2 hours racing finishing up at the yacht club for a bit of nosh and a warm beer, oh arrh!Read more