The weather forecast for this year’s West Mersea Rally was bleak. The wind was NNE force 3 to 4, increasing 5 to 6 occasionally 7 with the sea state and visibility moderate, writes Susan Lyons. Once out of the Medway the sea was virtually deserted and the usual array of yachts that adorned this part of the water were missing, daunted no doubt by the weather, which at this point of our voyage was becoming rougher. The grey, overcast sky and strong howling wind lent an eery feeling to this area of the seas.

With the wind on the nose it was not easy for Kazbek to head in the desired direction and we tacked to and fro so many times past a ship anchored in the area that I wondered if we were making any progress at all. Down below Anne was managing to cook breakfast and mouth-watering aromas were wafting up to the deck.

With the added challenge of wind over tide, helming was not easy and Kazbek kept constantly bouncing off course. After what seemed like an eternity the skinny neck of the Nass Beacon marking the mouth of Blackwater was a welcome sight.

We finally arrived at our destination at 8pm, mentally and physically drained having sucessfully risen to the challenge offered by the sea. The voyage had taken us nine hours from Chatham. I managed to hook the buoy at the first attempt but was so tired and cold that my brain was not working anymore and my bowline, usually tied without thinking was in fact a ‘granny knot’! My gloves were soaked through and my hands and face frozen.

Safely moored onto the buoy we slept very well as Kazbek bounced her way through the night.

The next day the evening meal in the West Mersea Yacht Club’s beautiful premises was cheery and welcoming, well worth the effort of getting there. LSC members who arrived were all smiling and laughing and the superb dinner was also attended by the honorary bosun, Kevin Mullins and his wife Lesley. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Mainly due to the tough weather conditions, only three out of seven LSC yachts who planned to take part in the rally this year had actually made it : Kazbek, Teka and Demeter, although crew from Mon Amie and Goldie came overland to join in.

The next morning the traditional seafood breakfast took place at The Company Shed and the crew from Wight Wizard also joined us to enjoy the shell fish, prawns, cockles, crab, muscles and French baguettes, washed down with white wine or fruit juice. The sun was shining and the atmosphere was heart-warming in this restaurant, packed to the brim with people who flock there for the seafood. Many thanks to Anne, David and Sheila Curry who all helped to organise this breakfast.

Back on Kazbek the next day, Anne spent some considerable time preparing the remains of the seafood breakfast which had not been consumed and expertly transformed it into a mouth-watering sea food bisque. Whilst Kazbek bobbed around on her mooring we ate and came to the decision that we would leave West Mersea at dawn, despite the weather forecast for strong winds again. At least the winds would be behind us most of the way this time!

At 5am the following day we fell out of our bunks, eyes heavy with sleep and braved the elements once more for our return to Chatham. The wind was forecast NE 3 to 4, increasing 5 to 6 at times 7. At Colne Bar conditions became very rocky due to a combination of the sea bed, wind over tide and a moderate sea state and we were all thrown around Kazbek as if in a giant washing machine. Even the most basic tasks became extremely difficult but we perservered, determined to make it home in one piece. Once out of the estuary the NE wind blew us back to Chatham making sailing relatively easy compared to our outbound voyage, although despite the sun it was still very cold.

Eating with Anne & Ian in warm, sunny Chatham I reflected that sailing to this years’s West Mersea Rally had indeed been challenging and that conditions were definitely not for the faint-hearted.

A big thank you to Anne Malcolm for organising this rally yet again. I loved the challenge of the sea and of course it was a treat to share the rally meals in the company of the West Mersea club and fellow Little Ship Club members.


Susan Lyons
 

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