Stone Point at the far North West tip of The Naze is an isolated spot with a fine sandy beach which used to be a nesting site for the rare Little Tern bird species.

But many people probably don’t know that Stone Point, where the Walton Channel meets Hamford Water, was the location of the Island Point Marine Club which was established in 1926.

The substantial building pictured was able to accommodate visitors overnight with the provision of stores, liquid refreshments and moorings.

It was operated by Walton Sailing Club which started in 1908 for local sailors who used the Backwaters for recreation and racing.

The first general meeting of the Walton Yacht Club was held two years later at the Royal Albion Hotel in the town.

From 1908 the upstairs rooms of what is now the closed public toilet building in Mill Lane were the meeting place of the Walton on the Naze Sailing Club until it morphed into the Walton & Frinton Yacht Club in 1920 when it moved to its present site.

The members sailed from the windmill quay at the other end of Mill Lane.

In 1919, they had to renegotiate the use of the quay. The offer of the freehold of the whole mill site led to the formation of both the Walton & Frinton Yacht Trust and Yacht Club in 1920.

This warm and friendly club is tucked away at the end of Mill Lane, in the tranquil backwaters of Walton. It is a welcome haven for visiting sailors, locals and visitors alike.

The clubhouse was created from an old windmill in 1920 and has recently been fully refurbished.

Walton’s Backwaters offer exceptional sailing for dinghy enthusiasts and cruisers.

The gentle creeks offer the sailor the chance of both sailing and observing the wide range of birds, seals and other unique wildlife.

The Backwaters were one of Arthur Ransome’s favourite places to visit on his yacht, ‘Nancy Blackett’, and are famously depicted in his 1930’s book Secret Water, the sequel to We Didn’t Mean To Go To Sea. The map inside Secret Water is very similar to the 1930s chart of the Walton Backwaters, still recognisable today.