Sailing The Blackwater: Adnams ice-cream tours; the shadows shorten

The enticement of salt spray and the calls of the wading birds is already drawing land locked strawberry beer Mickey takers out of the Dog and Duck. For four long weeks the welly-goggs and kit bag have been festering under the stairs. Feeling the heat from the sun is surely making the brain cell activate and with the breeze travelling through the whiskers we are surely ready to slip and be off. One of the best things we have ever done was to buy Zelda of Kent (Wanderer) to sit and watch the water pass is as good as life needs to be. Al Wigg and I have had as much pleasure sailing off for little beers, afternoon teas and brunch as ever we had in our Merlin Rocket racing around the cans.
The technique of reefing down and sitting in! fill us with delight. We have found ourselves in some pretty breezy stuff; the sort of thing that does blow your hat off, to the point that we replaced all the standing rigging. But all else is as old as the boat itself of which is solid in character and has a quality-moulded ship like feel about her. You can stuff a food hamper with cooking utensils under the foredeck, a broop-broop engine in the back below decks and sit on the floor and enjoy time spent. The river is surrounded with brilliant places to visit, either on the top of the tide or sail out on the ebb and return on the flood. Thank god the river is as a norm empty of grockles and trippers. The tides are good this year and love bunny is showing an interest in catching a few rays and posing on the aft deck. We have in the past talked with some of the club chappies on taking part in flotilla type events! But it appears that the lack of suitable tides (for them) and sailing ability stops the chappies from taking part. My fear would be that the average club’s boat owners’ boat is poorly maintained and rarely sailed and out side of Mundon spit would be a liability and un-lightly to reach Hythe Quay in time to buy a round of beers. The Osea Spring Brunch is not far off and we’ve worked out that the barbie works better out of the cardboard wrapper! Love bunny could have a hard-boiled egg next time.
We have now removed the long sharp point that we carved on to one of the oars on account that the seals seem to know of the plan to entice them closer and turn them into seal steak with orange sauce. We have had no luck with the fishes either. However to see Al Wigg get is dosh out from multi layers of sailing kit in the bar for the Jolly Sailor always is good for a laugh and the food is excellent. So if you should bump in to us (be more careful) we drink Adnams beer and recite the story of Strudders and the Caravanners to perfection and also how Jones-zee lost his sailing virginity in Maylandsea Bay (an awesome tale of courage and daring) and if you smell bacon butties and see a group sitting on the Osea beach surrounded in barbie smoke pop ashore we’ll share the bottle or take tea and toast. The Adnams ice-cream tour dates are to be published on this Blog shortly.The beauty of the Blackwater environment with its wild life is outstanding and an early sail down to West Mersea stunning (you get a good breakfast too) If you feel you would like to sail in company make sure your boat is up to it and you are fit with a strong bladder, moneyed up and able to look after yourself for Davey Jones’ Locker is not to be messed with and rescue is not an option. The tide turns every twelve hours. At the very least you need Al Wigg and rowlocks.