Essex

Welcome to the Essex Section

The Essex Section provides a calendar of events for CA members and their guests throughout the year. The section was formed in 1993 and has continued to grow steadily with around 400 members and an increasing range of activities, which includes a programme of talks, mid-week lunches, the traditional fitting-out and laying-up suppers and summer rallies.

Where We Meet

Our evening social events are held in the very hospitable premises of the Blackwater Sailing Club, Basin Road, Heybridge Basin, Maldon, CM9 4SD. Congratulations are due to them for winning the 'Yachts & Yachting' Yacht Club of the Year award for 2014. The food is good and excellent value (though not compulsory), and there's plenty of parking space. The club is down a turning off Goldhanger Road, towards Heybridge Basin. Entrance to the club grounds is 200 yards on the left (in the dark, so keep a good look-out!). Then you just watch out for the speed bumps as you drive past the boat park towards the clubhouse.

Directions are:Exit the A12 at the Hatfield Peverel junction. Take the B1019 to Heybridge (approx 6 miles). Turn left at the first roundabout on to the B1026. Turn right at the second roundabout staying at the B1026 towards Goldhanger. After one mile, turn right for Heybridge Basin. The club entrance is 200 yards on the left.

Our meetings are held in the main function room of the Club which is on the first floor and has superb views over the river.

You pay £13 (members) £15 (non-members) for a two-course dinner with coffee at our regular evening meetings. Alternatively, just turn up a bit later for the presentation and pay £3 per person if you are a CA member or £5 if you are not. The evening starts at 7pm with dinner. Talks begin at 8pm and finish at 10pm. There is plenty of parking space and a bar is available.

We also organise mid-week lunches which are held at various locations in different parts of the county. These are informal and no booking is required - guests are also very welcome. Just turn up on the day. If you can let us know you are coming, it helps with catering.

Forthcoming Events

Heavy Weather Sailing with Noel Dilly
Date: 18/01/2020

Noel Dilly has been cruising for over 70 years. He now sails Whisper, a Rustler 36, with his wife Sandie. He will give us some salutary experiences of heavy weather sailing and some good...

Cruising Greenland and Iceland with Michael Henderson
Date: 08/02/2020

Michael will give us an insight into what its really like sailing in high latitudes, away from that pesky Mediterranean heat! A retired marine engineer, he spent 16 years at sea followed...

Crewing Services - more sailing for more people!
Date: 14/03/2020

Phil Barnes & Caroline Milmo will give us an introduction to how their separate crewing schemes work and, I'm sure, persuade us all to use them, from one or another side of the...

Cruising the Baltic with Andy Beharrell
Date: 04/04/2020

Andy will delight us with tales and pictures of the beautiful Scandinavian coasts. His elegant online log of his adventures in the Baltic on his Starlight 39 Charmary won the 2018 Lacy...

To see seminars and lectures organised by members of the CA see here, or to see a calendar of all events see here.

Interested in Finding out More?

Please contact the Section Secretaries, John and Penny Blakesley and Ray and Suzanne Kay at essex@theca.org.uk or
CA staff at office@theca.org.uk or +44 (0) 207 537 2828.

Cruising Sections

Baltic

Covers the Baltic Sea, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and Faroes. Holds a popular introductory seminar every spring.

Biscay

Covers Western France, Spain and Portugal as well as crossing Biscay. Holds a popular introductory seminar every spring.

Blue Water

For those sailing outside of European waters. Holds a popular Blue Water seminar in the summer.

Celtic

Covers waters from Land’s End to Cape Wrath. Meets at various west coast venues to share knowledge on all aspects of cruising the region.

Channel

For those cruising the south coast of the UK, Channel Islands, and France from the Belgian border to NW Brittany. Holds an annual seminar and summer rally/cruise-in-company.

European Inland Waterways

Covers over 30,000 km of navigable rivers and canals passing through over 20 countries. Meets spring and autumn at CA House.

Mediterranean

Covers the Mediterranean from Spain and Morocco in the west to the Levant in the east, and includes the Black Sea. Meets at CA House in the winter, and afloat in the summer.

North Sea

Covers the UK, Belgian and Dutch coasts. Meets at East Coast venues to share knowledge on all aspects of cruising the region.

Local / UK Sections

Antipodean

For members who live in Australia and New Zealand and who sail in the Northern Hemisphere.

CA London

CA London events are held at our Limehouse HQ.

East Midlands

Talks are held in various venues in the East Midlands.

Essex

Meetings held at Blackwater Sailing Club and mid-week lunches arranged.

Kent

Winter talks are held in Maidstone, and joint rallies are organised with Essex and Suffolk sections.

Solent

Summer rallies with weekend meets. Winter talks with ‘club’ suppers usually at a Hamble yacht club or marina.

South West

For members living in or cruising the areas from Portland Bill to the Isles of Scilly and along the north coast of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset to Bristol.

Suffolk

Joint meetings are arranged with the Royal Harwich Yacht Club at Woolverstone.

Thames Valley

Winter talks are held at the Upper Thames Sailing Club in Bourne End near Marlow.

Wessex

Talks are held at Lilliput Sailing Club, Poole.

West Midlands

Year round events held at Severn Motor Yacht Club, also winter meetings held at Ashwood Social Club Kingswinford.

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