What a top weekend!!! three days away in our campervan for the first time this year  and brilliant sunny and warm too :)

After a 10 mile walk from Heybridge Basin along the Chelmer and Blackwater Canal to Maldon in the morning and by the time we got back to our van at about 2:30 there was a good breeze blowing onshore at Heybridge giving a good area of flat water with the tide now coming in.

The only trouble was finding somewhere to lauch as the only places in Heybridge were private sailing clubs and caravan parks :(

We ended up at the Maldon Promomade Park carpark right next to the sailing club by the public slipway !!! I asked a couple of cat sailors from the club about the tides and how long I could sail before the river turned to mud and they said I had about an hour after high which meant I had to be back by about 6.

I quickly rigged the only kit I had with me ,my raceboard and 9.4 and headed out towards Northery Island with Mag going to ring my moblle when I had an hour of sailing left !!!

It was a beat all the way past Heybridge and the whole place had come alive with all kinds of craft new and old including some wonderful old sailing barges which Maldon is famous for :)

I was going to sail around Northery Island but it is very shallow on the inside so headed further out to Osea Island and decided to go round this instead.Sadley the breeze could have been stronger but the beat with full plate was good and Mag rang as I had just made my turning point on the far side of the island giving me an hour to return.The was a run nearly all the way and as the tide had turned there was abit of a swell running in the river :(

I was beginning to get concerned that I was not going to make it as most of the other sailing craft had returned to their marina's,but I managed to make it back to the slip just in time and only got a little muddy coming ashore !!!

Mag was abit concerned but thats nothing new for me and my longdistance cruising !!! so thats another Island crossed off and I am looking forward to my next adventure.

We then headed off in our van to the entrance to the Maldon Golf Club and parked up for the night,free right by the Chelmer and Blackwater Canal at Beeleigh Falls the most woderful spot :)