The Cinque Port of Brightlingsea had another brilliant Blessing of the Waters on Sunday 14^th June 2026. It is an historic & hugely enjoyable custom!

At 10.45am the C17 Brewers Arms kindly opened up as the Reception for the event as mayors & other dignitaries began to arrive, welcomed by  the Cinque Port Deputy’s red robed Assistants & Black robed officers, & the Cinque Port Deputy & Lady Deputy Tony & Julie Linton, Town Mayor & Mayoress Cllr Ric & Gilly Morgan. At 11.25am the Town Crier called for silence for the Cinque Port Deputy, who stated we were honoured to have present the new Seneschal & Registrar of the Cinque Ports Ian Potter, acting in the stead of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. The Seneschal then instructed Brightlingsea’s Droit-gatherer Roger Tabor to swear according to the Historic Oath for Brightlingsea’s Droit-gatherer. He did in accord with his Warrant from the Lord Warden.

At 11.30am on the steps of St James Church the Town Crier rang his bell & called on the Procession to assemble, declaring Brightlingsea’s Blessing of the Waters to be “an ancient tradition of Beating the Bounds on land & water”.

The Procession of over 80 people was appropriately led by the Colchester Waits with the Churchwarden, the Waits in Medieval dress play medieval instruments & were traditional accompanists to civic processions. The dignitaries included the Bishop of Colchester, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Essex, the High Sheriff of Essex, Chairs of ECC & TDC, the Speaker of the Cinque Ports the Mayor of Winchelsea, Cinque Port Mayors of, our Head Port of Sandwich,  Hythe, Rye, Margate, Faversham & Fordwich, the coastal Essex Mayoral group included the Mayor of the City of Colchester, Mayors of Harwich, Maldon, Wivenhoe & West Mersea, plus other councillors.

As the Procession entered the Harbour precincts at the Brightlingsea’s Cinque Port Wreck-house it was met by the Chair of Harbour Commissioners Andrew Scott & the Droit-gatherer, who escorted it onto the Hard. Brightlingsea Vicar Rev Caroline Beckett led the service. The Bishop Blessed the Water first in a brass bowl, then used that water to bless the boats on the Hard, including the line of Gigs along the Jetty. The dignitaries & others made their way onto the official boats, which this year 2026 were Smacks Pioneer CK18, Maria CK21, ADC CK431, Priscilla CK437 plus other boats including Barge Sietske, Trinity, Harbour boat, launch Kerry Ann, Yacht’s Capella, Colne Clipper & Dream Machine and 2 RHIBs. The flotilla was accompanied by numerous other craft, including Gigs, Essex Marine Police RHIB, yachts, cruisers, dinghies.

They left the Hard to the sound of the “Din”. The flotilla went along Brightlingsea Creek then gathered around Pioneer when she hove to off the creek’s mouth near Bateman’s Tower. The Bishop laid the Willow Cross on the water, then the Deputy made his “Challenge” which was followed by the toast of “Gang-ho”. In 1542 the then Cinque Port Deputy left provision in his will for the “drynkyng” at Brightlingsea’s Beating of the Bounds.