Falmouth Classics
Falmouth Classics – a prestigious three-day regatta of racing, parades and onshore events
Cobmarsh
Handicap Dinghies for Mersea Fisherman’s Open Boats*
Fast Division for The Oswald Lewis Challenge Cup
Slow Division for The Gladys and Ed Wyatt Trophy.
The Wyatt Cup for the first ex-working boat not winning another trophy.
The Pinky Hewes Memorial Trophy for first over the start line.
* Note: Strictly for open boats with NO decking and to be sailed under M.F.O.B. Class. Rules and handicapping. Rules available on request from David Cope 07764 559380.
Mersea Week
A week of racing for a vast array of vessels with lots of smiles both on and off shore !
Round The Buoy for the Boys
Life can be complicated, this race isn’t. One start, one mark.
Mersea Town Regatta
West Mersea Town Regatta takes place on Mersea Island in Essex, and has been running since 1838
Sailing, Watersports and Fireworks and even an Essex Heritage Workboat taking centre stage. SB Wyvenhoe will again be the Regatta Barge.
More details at https://www.mersearegatta.org.uk/
The Colne Smack & Barge Match
The Colne Smack Preservation Society’s Colne Smack & Barge Match 2025
Mersea Museum Summer Exhibition
Down Memory Lane is the subject being shared at the Mersea Museum this summer open until 30th September 2025
Turkey Race
Now very much part of the Calendar for smacks, bumkins and winklebrigs who are literally racing for their Christmas Dinner !
Salcott Challenge
One of the favourites of the MFOB sailing year when the boats and crew are put to the test
Salt + Oyster Relay
This is a relay from Maldon to Mersea on the tide for our wonderful Maldon Class Three oyster smacks and our Mersea Bumkins.
Maldon Town Regatta
Smacks and old gaffers, traditional and modern yachts race up river from West Mersea to Osea and from there to the town in a second race, berthing at high water.
2024 Colne Smack & Sailing Barge Match
The Annual Colne Smack & Sailing Barge Match from Brightlingsea, with the additional spectacle of the Bumkins and MFOB racing off East Mersea,
Mersea Dredging Match
Oyster Dredging Match starts at 1100h to 1300h for heritage working vessels that were originally built for the fishing industry in the Blackwater and Colne.
The Oyster Challenge Match
Join the Bumkins and Smacks as they take part in the The Oyster Challenge Match at West Mersea
Essex Heritage Workboat Oyster Season is Open
It’s the 1st September and that means the start of the EHWB Native Oyster Season.
Mersea Oyster Tendle Group
We have reached the end of our lovely project to discover more about the basket known as the Mersea Oyster Tendle. Over the past months we have worked with a wonderful group of fishermen, historians and of course basket makers to unpick the secrets of the process of making the Tendle. With the grant awarded by The Ratcliffe Trust we have been able to hold a series of meetings at the Mersea Island Museum over the winter.
What we have learned especially from the local boat builders and fishermen about
Tendle components and construction.
Materials required; species, dimensions, when and where to harvest them.
What physical characteristics of the materials were key, I.e. flexibility and strength.
How to twist and make the grommets.
The use of formers to create the correct shape to the handle and rims.
It was harder than we thought it was going to be!
The amazing skill of past tendle makers.
Steaming!
Mersea Oyster Tendle Group
We will be at the end of the investigation this week and we plan to round up the findings we have collected over the past few months
The Mersea Museum have kindly invited us to put on an exhibition in the early summer to enable us to show a wider audience what we have been working on and where this may lead to in the future.
Dates to be confirmed but we do hope you will pop in and find out what we have been busy investigating.
Mersea Oyster Tendle Group
It is hoped we are able to look at the weaving of the sides by this stage of the season and reach the point where we can start to have a correctly constructed Mersea Oyster Tendle.
Mersea Oyster Tendle Group
More investigating the construction of this very rare basket made by local craftmen on the island of Mersea for the oyster trade.
We are looking into the heritage of the trade as well as the people who used them.
Mersea Oyster Tendle Group
Following on from our first five sessions at the Mersea Museum to investigate the construction of the basket made for the native oyster trade, we are pleased to say that there are to be a further set of get togethers at the same place same time.
This one we are hoping to have some ash that is ready to be used and therefore we can begin the construction of the frames and the handle and of course the grommet !
Turkey Race
The annual Turkey Race is here again where we race for a wonderful Turkey, yes the first prize in each class is a Christmas Turkey !
Got to be in it to win it though…
There are lots of vessels looking for crew so do enquire if you would like to join in.
Harris Rally
The Harris Rally invites you to join them as they celebrate with The Rowhedge Heritage Trust the fishing vessels built there
