Mersea Week and Mersea Town Regatta 2015 - Preview

Racing at Mersea Week 2012 © Chrissie Westgate / www.chrissiewestgate.com

Now in its 42nd year this event takes place from the picturesque fishing village on Mersea Island, near Colchester in Essex. Organised and hosted by the Dabchicks Sailing Club and West Mersea Yacht Club, Mersea Week is a full week of sailing and social activities for yachts and dinghies running from 16th – 21st August 2015. Races are held each day for a range of classes with daily prize givings and live entertainment.

The sheltered waters of the River Blackwater provide perfect conditions, with racing in the estuary for the Smacks and cruisers and space to set championship quality courses for the dinghies and fishermen's open boats. On the Tuesday there is racing for dinghies only in the Round the Island Race. In this unique event competitors choose the direction of rounding and their start times in order to reach the causeway at high tide when the road is covered and dinghies can be floated, carried or trailered across. This makes a tremendous spectator event for families and friends, even if they get very wet helping with the crossing!

Mersea Week is followed on Saturday 22nd August by West Mersea Town Regatta. The day starts with dinghy and cruiser racing in the morning and then the water sport events get underway in the afternoon and the ever popular final event is 'Walking The Greasy Pole' which is rigged over the side of a Thames Barge. After the prize-giving a grand firework display then rounds off the event at dusk.

Both Mersea Week and the Town Regatta are organised and run by a large number of local volunteers who now have many years of experience, making it possible to run a really professional event but at a reasonable cost. We hope to welcome competitors and friends, both old and new. See the websites for more information:

• www.merseaweek.org
• www.mersearegatta.org.uk