Yacht Seaduction

Chris and Carole’s Sail Logs

Heybridge 2013

Another Essex coast harbour worth visiting is Heybridge Basin which is situated at the top of the River Blackwater just before Maldon.

Heybridge Basin is the start of the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation to which it owes its existence. It was here that the Colliers' barges unloaded for the journey inland.  Today this is used only by pleasure boats.  The entrance to the lock can only be made at 1 hour before High Water via a very narrow channel, with no room for error.  We had no more then 10cm under our keel on approaching the lock. The lock has two pubs and when the lock opens some off the pub regulars help the boats by taking their lines.

The next day we arranged to meet up with Bob and Gill who have their own motor boat on the Chelmer Navigation, then went off to eat in one of the pubs.

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