August 26, 2026

Overview

This year’s August Bank Holiday Cruise combines two East Coast highlights: the spectacular Clacton Airshow and the beautiful River Deben.

We’ll watch the air displays from our yachts off Clacton seafront, before heading north to explore one of Britain’s most scenic rivers. With a couple of nights in historic Woodbridge, there’s plenty of time to visit Sutton Hoo, enjoy riverside walks, and take in one of Suffolk’s most attractive market towns.

The cruise suits yachts from Essex, Suffolk and Kent, though all passages remain weather dependent. Clacton Airshow runs on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 August 2026, with the Red Arrows already confirmed.

Itinerary

Thursday 27 August - Clacton Airshow

• Morning: depart home ports for Clacton. HW West Mersea 12:49, 4.76m.
• Afternoon: anchor offshore to watch the airshow from the water.
• Evening: short sail to Titchmarsh Marina, Walton Backwaters.
• Group dinner at the marina restaurant or a local pub.
• Overnight: Titchmarsh Marina.

Friday 28 August - Walton Backwaters to the River Deben

• Morning: leisurely departure from Titchmarsh.
• Passage north via Felixstowe Ferry towards the Deben entrance.
• Important: the Deben Bar can only be crossed safely in suitable weather and tide conditions — we’ll aim to arrive around high water (HW West Mersea 13:26, 4.97m), using the latest harbour guidance and buoy positions.
• Afternoon: cruise upriver past Bawdsey, Ramsholt and Waldringfield.
• Evening: arrive Woodbridge (subject to sill access at Tide Mill Yacht Harbour).
• Group dinner in Woodbridge.
• Overnight: Woodbridge.

Saturday 29 August - Exploring Woodbridge

A relaxed day ashore, with options including:

• Visiting Sutton Hoo
• Exploring Woodbridge town centre
• Walking along the River Deben
• Local galleries, cafés and pubs
• Simply relaxing and enjoying a non-sailing day

Evening meal together. Overnight: Woodbridge.

Sunday 30 August - Woodbridge to Walton Yacht Basin

For those heading south to arrive home on a high tide:

• Morning: depart Woodbridge on a suitable tide window (HW West Mersea 14:31, 5.26m).
• Passage: exit the Deben around high water and sail south.

Overnight: Walton Yacht Basin.

Monday 31 August - Return Passage

A day on the beach at Walton before heading back to home ports (HW West Mersea 15:03, 5.29m).

Additional Notes

• Safety: plan VHF communication and tides carefully for the Deben and Orwell.
• Land options: non-sailing members can join us at Titchmarsh, Woodbridge or Walton for the social side.
• Weather contingency: land-based activities are lined up in case conditions rule out sailing.

Voyage Briefing

Monday 24 August, 19:00–20:00 - join us to get all your questions answered before we set sail.

Notes for Skippers

Your host is Jonathan H. Any questions, email eastcoast@gaysailing.org.uk. The itinerary is flexible - there’ll be time to make suggestions and changes.

Getting Help to Join Us

Skippers seeking crew, and crew seeking a boat or berth, are advised to use the club’s WhatsApp channels first. If you don’t have any luck there, contact the event host at eastcoast@gaysailing.org.uk.

Land-based members are always welcome to join for the social side of the event.

What You Need to Do

1. Register your attendance via the S&CA website by 1 March 2026.
2. We already have a couple of boats needing crew - register, email us, or use the WhatsApp channels so we can allocate space.
3. On approach, skippers should contact the harbour or marina by VHF for berthing instructions, stating you’re part of the Sailing & Cruising Association (S&CA) Rally.
4. You can bring along friends - just add them as a guest when you register. Guests can only be added at the time of registration. If you want to add a guest later and the event didn’t require payment, cancel and re-register with your guest added; if payment was required, contact the event host.

Event Safety and Alcohol Consumption

We’re very much a social club, but please be mindful of the dangers of alcohol consumption near water. There have been incidents at past events of people falling from pontoons into the water after drinking - each could have ended in tragedy but for luck. Please pace yourself at club events, and take extra care getting safely back on board at the end of a social evening.

We look after each other: if you notice another participant showing signs of intoxication, let their crewmates know, and make sure they aren’t heading back to the boats or pontoons alone.

The same care applies to dinghies and tenders, which have also been the cause of people ending up unintentionally in the water.

For further safety advice, see the RYA and RNLI guidance.

Cancellations and Refunds

We’ll aim to give a full refund for event charges when you cancel through the website in good time - normally at least a week before the event.

If the club has already made third-party bookings, paid deposits, or taken on other commitments for the event, only a partial refund (or none) may be possible.

If you’re requesting a refund because you were unhappy with a third party’s goods or services, we can only refund you if the third party refunds the club.