Anyone here in Tollesbury Marina?

Saguday

Saguday

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We're moving Kioni off her mooring up the Strood at West Mersea to Tollesbury Marina for the winter this weekend (17/18th Oct)

Anyone here in there, so to speak?

I'll wave to the Old Salts in the Saltings as we putter by :D

Anyone out for a sail on the Blackwater this weekend? We're going to the Leisure Owners Association laying up supper at Heybridge on Saturday night but as we have to drive from Somerset on Saturday morning (was supposed to be Friday but now won't be, long story) I don't think we'll be able to sail to it.
 
I am hoping to pursuade Colin Jarman to join me for a last look at the Rays'n Saturday but next week I need to think about getting into the mud berth.
 
I should be out on trusty 'Sarah' as we hopefully make our way to Brightlingsea. Hopefully pass like ships in the err Daytime. :D
 
You will hopefully pass Black Diamond, on the furthest mooring out, by Shinglehead, on your way in. She's a bit down on her marks as there's a slow leak from the wet well, and I haven't bailed her since last Thursday. I'm stuck up in the Former People's Republic this weekend, down to Mersea Sunday night, but I'll be over to Tollesbury early in the week, delivering a bespoke launching trolley I'm having galvanised in Witham at the mo'. The plan is to get BD out on the next lunchtime tides, Sunday 1st November, and moor her in the Sailing Club for winter works.
 
Super, thanks all we'll look for you if ever we manage to get there...

Just took my son to school early for a school trip to find the M5 in both directions is completely closed from near my house in Somerset all the way to Bristol (J22 to J19) so a) don't know how he's going to get to the museum in the Midlands they're heading for and b) how I'm going to get to work :(

Hope it all sorts itself out for tomorrow morning when we head east...

BD, we've passed you many times on the way in, will throw a friendly wave next time we pass.
 
Pottering Sunday

Also planning to be out from Bradwell on Sunday, pottering about on Bonsella after two weeks walking in Scotland. Weather looks promising.
Morgan
 
We're in!

Well we made it, and what a super weekend we had too.

Kids were up before 6AM (:eek:) and we left Somerset at 7AM, on time!!! Traffic wasn't too bad and we arrived at Mersea at 10:45. Unloaded the car, WMYC launch over to Kioni (thanks Jeff), chuck it all on, check batteries (still ok), start engine (took a couple of goes but ok), off the mooring by 11:30. Didn't motor at all really, just hauled the genny out straight away and ran down through the moorings (it was blowing a 5 I think) and a couple of gybes between the boats to agitate the lazy so-and-so's sitting in their cockpits instead of going sailing on such a lovely day and then we headed over to Tollesbury. Lovely short reach (over 5 1/2 knots just with the genny reefed) and then hardened up close hauled and with a bit of judicious pinching we just made Woodrolfe Creek without tacking. Bit of a hairy moment or two when the genoa wouldn't furl again but nothing that a bit of shouting at the wife and cuffing the kids couldn't sort out.

Now we're safely tucked up on B pontoon getting the lie of the land a bit. Many thanks to Paul at the marina who kindly drove us over to Mersea to pick the car up again.

Didn't see anyone we knew in our short hour long sail but we did wave to Black Diamond on the way in. Saw Dualin on the dock but didn't get to see if anyone was there (Sorry, next time).

A chap came up to me on Saturday afternoon and said hello, he'd seen my post on the forum. We had a chat and he said he used to have a Leisure 17 and a Leisure 23SL like ours, so we traded stories a bit (he's also in Tollesbury for the winter) and asked what the previous names of our boat were. Well, Muddy Waters and before that Pipers Dream - ah, then the penny dropped, Kioni was his boat when she was called Pipers Dream!! Small world innit? This was Tony, who posts on here as baggypipes.

We went to the Leisure Owners dinner at Heybridge Basin and had a fine time there on Saturday night. Must admit we'd planned to sail to Osea on Sunday but none us woke up 'til 10:30 (late night see?) so we just messed about in the glorious sunshine. Even got some small jobs done and planned some for next time.

We went out in the dinghy and poked around in the saltings a bit, following the GP14's from TSC back up to the hard (we have a GP14, Molly and I learned to sail in one). Nattered with those folks for a while catching up on Class gossip :D Also wandered round TSL on Sunday and found Eloisa but no Ian there.

I also uncovered a Lurker - Roy and Pauline on a lovely Sadler 34 called Lady Aeisha, two berths over. Roy knew the Kioni name and admitted he read the forum a lot but hadn't registered to post. Come out, come out, Roy, you've been rumbled - say hello and introduce yourself :)

We left around 6PM yesterday, stopped in Maldon and had a super Chinese there for tea and got back around 11PM (kids + SWMBO asleep most of the way of course, as usual).

Great weekend and everyone really happy. It is a lovely place, my kids really enjoy it there, we love the mud, the water, the open space and the peace and quiet. I'm very pleased she'll stay in the water this winter as we've worked out the logistics of getting there and back in a reasonable fashion now and it'll be much easier for me to do the work on her I want to do. Takes about 20-30 odd minutes off our journey time to the boat as well which helps on a trip as long as ours.

We're planning a week down there next week so hopefully the weather will be kind so we can go sailing too. Hope to meet more of you next time.

Neil
 
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Hi to you all. Thank you Neil and Roger for your kind remarks. We are, as the guys have said, Roy and Pauline and we sail a Sadler 34 called Lady Ayesha which we keep in Tollesbury where we have been for the last 8 or 9 years. We have kept boats in the Blackwater for the past 20 years or so, spending the first few years in The Heybridge Basin sailing wooden boats, one of which was, as Roger says, a former boat of his, a lovely clinker built cutter called 'Clochard'. Our next boat was a Moody 29 and now the Sadler which we have had for nearly a year now. If you are in Tollesbury we are on B pontoon if not hope to see you on the water. Good sailing.
Roy
 
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