The forecast was for a drizzly start for Saturday, quickly clearing to warm sun and mild breezes. This was exactly what we got. I had obtained permission from the Medway YC for DCA members to launch there, but no one telephoned me so their kind offer was not taken up by anyone but me. The weather cleared while I was loading up and I burbled off down the river stripping off my clothes on the way.

Whilst I had already reconnoitred a pleasant deep lagoon in the saltings as a rally site, I went straight there again at low water to check access. In fact there was a nice depth of water even then, so I retired to the named meeting place and spent the rest of the day sun-bathing, reading and bird-watching. Stanley Dean appeared in Rebell in time for tea. In fact he had been sitting on a mooring at the MYC when I launched. Not expecting him I had not noticed. I had described the lagoon to him on the telephone and he spent the Thursday night there after crossing the Thames Estuary. Then after a trip upriver to Rochester he sailed back down to the MYC.

We had the saltings to ourselves. As it was a fine night I needed only a part awning so could admire the stars as I listened to Classic FM through my headphones.

Stanley left at HW in the morning, with a light fair wind for his trip back to the Blackwater. I pottered about after a leisurely breakfast in the early morning sunshine. Strange that no others felt the urge to attend. The Medway is a large estuary with masses of interesting creeks to explore, and for the more adventurous there’s the circumnavigation of the Isle of Sheppey, the wreck of the Richard Montgomery — or Southend Pier. Peter Bick

Northey Island, River Blackwater 12th - 13th September

This promised to be to an well attended rally but the weather forecasters had other ideas and in the event four people in four boats attended.

Alan Glanville in his 19ft lightweight Lowly Worm launched from the Blackwater Sailing Club on Friday evening to spend the night down river in Goldhanger Creek. It was a beautiful evening with a light breeze. The following morning however was dreadful and caused a number of people to have second thoughts. Alan, who had sailed to West Mersea during the morning, and Peter Bick in Slippers, who launched at Bradwell Marina, both got very wet sailing and motoring respectively, into the fresh westerly breeze. Having left his Torch Dinghy, Tyne, at the BSC in the morning to explore Maldon, Paul Constantine nearly decided not to launch on the afternoon tide but the weather cleared and by the time we all met up on the Northey Island shore it was a pleasant evening. Alan, Peter and myself in Rebell anchored just off the beach and went ashore in my dinghy for a walk around the island whilst Paul explored the upper reaches of the Blackwater through Maldon. Again it was a lovely evening and the island very peaceful and beautiful. As the island beach was a lee shore we motored to the Heybridge Basin side of the river for a quieter night.

On the Sunday morning, as they had had an enjoyable sail and done what they had set out to do, Alan and Paul decided that they would recover their boats on the morning tide. Peter departed for Bradwell and, having listened to gale warning for Thames and the inshore strong wind warning, I decided to forgo my cruise down river and put Rebell back on her mooring.

On the whole a rally enjoyed in parts by each of us. For my part I didn’t raise a sail and never went more than half a mile for my mooring! Stanley Dean