Dick Durham on West Mersea

sailorman

sailorman

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Sad change to a good run ashore

Mersea hostility
pub

The children were kicking crabs along the pontoon, the last time I came ashore at West Mersea. Legs missing and nippers raised they fell back into the ebbing tide, not to be fooled again by easy meat on a string.

The yacht club bar - long my favourite on any coast - and one which has a painted board declaring Visiting Yachtsmen Welcome, was staffed by a plump, unfriendly young woman who asked my companion, Martyn Mackrill, dressed in reefer jacket, pink trousers and sailing boots, if he was a yachtsman. He is. 'Which club do you belong to?'she asked.

The level of beer poured, hung by the thread of its meniscus to the imperial measure...

Something is rotten at the heart of Mersea City and environs these days and so we walk instead, across the Strood, to the excellent Peldon Rose
 
Shame about that. Have you tried the Coast Inn? Always busy with locals (a good sign). Never had a bad reception/pint/lunch there.
No, I don't own it!
 
That's never been my experience at West Mersea.
I did a couple of days of Mersea Week last year and thought what a friendly atmosphere there was.
A bit like Burnham Week used to be.
 
Champagne Murphy said:
Shame about that. Have you tried the Coast Inn? Always busy with locals (a good sign). Never had a bad reception/pint/lunch there.
No, I don't own it!
Click to expand...

I am not a member of WMYC (although my former skipper was), although I have often been to the bar there and never had a bad experience.

You should have tried the Victory, just along the road. The present owners, who took over about 5 years ago, have done wonders for the place, and are often featured on TV. They were featured in a programme called "4 in a bed" recently - I am not sure what that is all about, sounds kinky to me
 
sailorman said:
Sad change to a good run ashore

Mersea hostility
pub

The children were kicking crabs along the pontoon, the last time I came ashore at West Mersea. Legs missing and nippers raised they fell back into the ebbing tide, not to be fooled again by easy meat on a string.

The yacht club bar - long my favourite on any coast - and one which has a painted board declaring Visiting Yachtsmen Welcome, was staffed by a plump, unfriendly young woman who asked my companion, Martyn Mackrill, dressed in reefer jacket, pink trousers and sailing boots, if he was a yachtsman. He is. 'Which club do you belong to?'she asked.

The level of beer poured, hung by the thread of its meniscus to the imperial measure...

Something is rotten at the heart of Mersea City and environs these days and so we walk instead, across the Strood, to the excellent Peldon Rose
Click to expand...

Nasty little bleeders kickin crabs want a drenching but very surprised at your welcome in yacht club.
Been visiting infrequently for decades and never had anything but a pleasant welcome. Not a wealth dripping superyotter but just a normal boaty type who wears shorts and tee shirts in the right weather. Must have caught the 'Lady' on a bad day.
Come to Brightlingsea for a nice welcome guaranteed tho' and a choice of waterfront Yacht Clubs ;)
 
GrumpyOldGit said:
Nasty little bleeders kickin crabs want a drenching but very surprised at your welcome in yacht club.
Been visiting infrequently for decades and never had anything but a pleasant welcome. Not a wealth dripping superyotter but just a normal boaty type who wears shorts and tee shirts in the right weather. Must have caught the 'Lady' on a bad day.
Come to Brightlingsea for a nice welcome guaranteed tho' and a choice of waterfront Yacht Clubs ;)
Click to expand...

Re read #1 :eek:

It wasnt me
 
I received a rather cool, though not downright frosty, reception on the only occassion I visited, though it was some years ago now. I might have put it down to the barmaid having a bad night, but my impression was reinforced later by less than positive comments from a local about the place.

I did go a number of times to a sort of bar-cum-restaurant between the Club and the Victory known as something like 'the Soc and Sail' (run by a Dutchman?). That seemed quite jolly. Does it still exist, and is it any good?
 
The 'mad' Dutchman has long gone but the Coast Inn is good fun and usually a good meal.

Yes, our ladies can occasionally have a bad night like any place but generally it's ok. Non-member locals are resentful of our enforcement of the licensing laws that stops them using the bar - many of whom come in dressed from the waterfront - hence DD being asked the quite correct question and probably whether they had signed in.

DD ought to know better than to public personal comments about individuals especially when he writes silly articles about the East Coast he professes to know, ignorant of well publicised buoyage changes that have been in position for best part of three quarters of a year. Frankly I do not believe he walked all the way from the waterfront to the Peldon Rose - but I'll buy him a pint to say sorry if I'm wrong. A nasty spiteful little piece. He's utterly wrong about the crabs as well. The crabs are the best fed crabs in the world!

Sod it, I wasn't going to bite but the NtMs have been a pig tonight!
 
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