Mersea Island Web Portal

Mersea Island is a growing community, with local shops and other amenities necessary to everyday life. There is a primary school that is expanding its numbers rapidly mirroring the growing population of the island. Many of the youngsters form the large Scout group that is present on Mersea. It is one of the few to have both land and sea Scout troops within the same group. Both the primary school and the Scout group have active links with Mersea Outdoors centre for outdoor learning, where the children often go to practice outdoor activities.

There is a thriving sailing community, with both the Dabchicks Sailing Club and the West Mersea Yacht Club strong in members, and very active.

Each year, towards the end of August, there is the regatta, which comes at the end of a week of hard racing. During Mersea Week(as it is known) there is a round-the-island race, which is always fun to watch - because you cannot actually sail the entire way round the island due to The Strood, so waiting at The Strood are hundreds of trailers and helpers ready to carry boats across the road!

The Regatta involves some sensible races - such as:

· Row from this buoy to that one

... and some not-so-sensible races - from:

· How fast exactly can 12 men in a boat paddling with spades actually go?

... to...

· If we put enough grease on this telegraph pole, lay it horizontally, and put a flag on the end, do you think any one will get the flag?

There are two parish churches, at east and west, also Methodist, Free Church, Brethren and Catholic churches. These often join together to form Churches Together In Mersea (CTIM).