BOAT enthusiasts will have their final chance to bid for a wide variety of vessels in Mayland this weekend.

Sailing boats, fishing boats, canoes, kayaks, a tug and a 100-year-old Thames sailing barge are among more than 40 boats being offered for sale on Sunday at Blackwater Marina, Maylandsea in an auction that will benefit three charities.

Some, taken in lieu of debt, are being offered at no reserve to give them the best chance of being enjoyed, meaning £1 buys the boat if there are no higher bids.

All boats are being sold with free storage for three-months, worth at least £300. The auction includes a boat jumble and craft stalls and on-water fun provided by sea cadets.

With every boat sold, six per cent of the hammer price will be donated to the RNLI, Maldon Sea Cadets, and GAIN, the charity supported by well-known sailing writer Dave Selby who has a very rare viral condition called Guilain-Barré Syndrome.

Stall fees - £10 private/£20 trade - are also being donated to charity.

Dave Selby, 59, said: “It’s been my mission for some years to show people that cost is no barrier to getting afloat in a boat of your own. It’s a sad fact that many older people are giving up the water, but that means there’s an ever-growing stock of good old fibre-glass boats and they’re getting cheaper all the time.”

The event is free to attend and with free parking, opening at 10am with the auction beginning at 2pm.

Visit www.blackwater-marina.co.uk or phone 01621 740264.