Bright(-ish) morning, so we dropped our mooring soon after 10 o'clock and ambled up the channel past West Mersea to have a little look and see.

Turned around, motored back into the main river and set off upstream with a good spring tide under us.

After a couple of tacks the river turned right and we bore off for a good sail in the fresh force 4 breeze.

Shortly before mid-day Stone YC put on their bank holiday dinghy racing for us as we sailed through their course.

Ian then got all misty-eyed as Marconi Sailing Club came into view. It was where he learned to sail before coming to live in Poole.. Several snapshots (and much reminiscing) later we were tied up at the visitors' pontoon on Hythe Quay at Maldon, in amongst the Thames Barges.

The river bailiff had thoughtfully put the pontoon right next to the Queen's Head so, with lunch now overdue, there are no prizes for guessing where we spent the next hour. It's now late afternoon, White Satin has settled comfortly into the Essex mud and the forecast rain has arrived.

All in all a good day, and the best sailing since leaving Poole two weeks ago.