An 8am high tide at the sill to Tollesbury Marina means an early start, having told the Harbourmaster at Brightlingsea that we wouldn’t be leaving early and that we’ll pay in the morning. Ha! We relent of course and phone to pay later.

Such is our confidence now that we cut across the Mersea Flats from Inner Bench with a breeze pushing us along at a little over 4kt. We are almost up to Woodrolfe Creek before we lose the last of the genoa and hold Heydays back a little as we try not to hassle an old boy sculling his dinghy across the river.  With the old salt house in the background and ignoring the moored plastic boats this could almost be between the wars…