Mersea Week and Town Regatta Greasy Pole 2026

Wow, what a week! I spent Mersea Week 2026 sailing aboard Martha 2 (MN69) on the River Blackwater. Martha 2 is a 38ft Aldous smack, built in 1876. Mersea Week is always brilliant fun, but let's be honest—you really need an extra week off afterwards to recover! Sailing a smack is hard work, and the days are usually followed by a few (or more than a few!) well-earned beers at the Dabchicks or West Mersea Yacht Club. You can probably hear my voice getting raspier as the week goes on. My skipper Angus summed it up perfectly, “It’s like a marathon, run like a sprint!” There were two Johns sailing aboard Dorothy, one smaller than the other! Little Johnny happened to have his birthday on Thursday 13th August, and with his wife and son sailing with us, it was a lovely moment to sing him Happy Birthday as they sailed past. A fantastic week of sailing, racing, hard work, laughter and plenty of memories. Mersea Week never disappoints! Overall results for the week were: 1st Yet 2nd Martha 2 3rd Kate 4th Puritan 5th Alberta 6th Sunbeam 7th Harriet Blanche 8th Charlotte Ellen 9th Primrose 00:00 Day 2 4:14 Day 3 10:39 Day 4 14:52 Happy Birthday! 15:15 Day 4 Prizegiving 16:22 Day 5 17:15 Town regatta 17:39 Greasy Pole