My grandchildren were thrilled - thank you for showing us around and bringing a good [...]]]> "We visited the Nancy Blackett at the
Old Gaffers meeting at Yarmouth
last weekend. Just as we arrived
a lady was starting to tell the story
'We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea'.

My grandchildren were thrilled -
thank you for showing us around
and bringing a good tale to life."

The lady was, of course, our own Jenny Wedick, and this message was accompanied by a donation of £30.

Thank you, VC of Lymington – it is nice to be appreciated!

Nancy Blackett is on the front cover of this month's "Cruising," the magazine of the Cruising Association.

The photograph was taken by Gill Moon on a recent trip down the River Orwell, with Skipper Bryan Bonser is waving from [...]]]>

Nancy Blackett is on the front cover of this month's "Cruising," the magazine of the Cruising Association.

The photograph was taken by Gill Moon on a recent trip down the River Orwell, with Skipper Bryan Bonser is waving from the cockpit, and John Benford on the foredeck.

The issue contains a feature on Arthur Ransome and the Cruising Association – he was a member for over 40 years.

The winning design is one of several he has created for the "Swallows and Amazons" series, the others being for "Swallowdale", [...]]]> The cover for the new Vintage Classics edition of "Swallows and Amazons" has won the prestigious 2013 V&A Book Cover Illustration Award for the Finnish illustrator Pietari Posti.

The winning design is one of several he has created for the "Swallows and Amazons" series, the others being for "Swallowdale", "Peter Duck", "Winter Holiday", "Coot Club" and "Pigeon Post".

Posti, a graphic design graduate of Lahti University in Finland who is currently based in Barcelona, said of his designs: 

“I wanted to keep the spirit of the 30s on the covers but without feeling too ´old´ or outdated. Something that felt at the same time both vintage, and fresh. I think the limited colour palette of bright orange and fresh blues were a good choice for the series keeping all the covers united but still giving enough room for variation, and making each cover unique. The water is obviously an important element in the series, so I wanted to give it a really visible graphic treatment because it plays such an important role.”

The Vintage Classics editions of "Swallows and Amazons", "Swallowdale", "Peter Duck" and "Winter Holiday" are all available from the Nancy Blackett Shop. the proceeds of which go toward the ongoing preservation of the Nancy Blackett.

From tomorrow Nancy [...]]]> After spending Monday night at the Royal Lymington Yacht Club, Nancy Blackett moved to Lymington Yacht Haven for two nights. This morning the skipper and his mate had a good sail across to Yarmouth, via various other Solent locations, leaving at 10.30am and arriving about 4pm.

From tomorrow Nancy Blackett will be showing off at the Yarmouth Old Gaffers Festival this weekend, which is celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the Old Gaffers Association this year.

Sophie had been speaking at the Arthur Ransome Society's IAGM, [...]]]> Sophie Neville – who played Titty in the original "Swallows and Amazons" film – took a step up from sailing Swallow last Monday when she took the helm of Nancy Blackett on passage from Buckler's Hard to Lymington.

Sophie had been speaking at the Arthur Ransome Society's IAGM, and celebrating the 40th anniversary of the making of the film. When we reached Lymington, we were invited to tie up at the Royal Lymington Yacht Club, where we were able to invite several interested members aboard, including friends and relations of former NBT vice-president Helen Tew.

Later Sophie and her husband Simon Williams-Thomas kindly entertained Nancy's crew – Peter Willis, Roger Sturge and the Trust's newest skipper Bob Page – to supper at the Royal Lymington Yacht Club. Simon had something to celebrate too – the birth of his first grand-daughter (through a previous marriage). We think she ought to be called Nancy!

Photos:
Right: Sophie at the helm 

Below: The crew: from left, new skipper Bob Page, Sophie Neville, Peter Willis, Sophie's friend Jenny and skipper Roger Sturge – despite the '15-minute' notice, the club let us stay overnight.

While the warm spring sunshine continues to shine over a unusually fine bank holiday [...]]]> Nancy Blackett enjoyed a good number of visitors at the weekend while she was at Bucklers Hard on the Beaulieu River, Hampshire, including Magnus Smith of Sailing Swallow, for the Arthur Ransome Society IAGM. 

While the warm spring sunshine continues to shine over a unusually fine bank holiday weekend, Nancy Blackett is making her way across to Lymington with Sophie Neville and Peter Willis amongst her crew.

In the meantime, our Flickr photo gallery and slideshow of Nancy Blackett at Bucklers Hard is below.

While Nancy Blackett was receiving visitors at the adjacent marina, Sailing Swallow co-founder [...]]]> We celebrated the 40th anniversary of the filming of "Swallows and Amazons" with the restored dinghy Swallow, one of its stars, at Bucklers Hard this weekend, in conjunction with IAGM of the Arthur Ransome Society. 

While Nancy Blackett was receiving visitors at the adjacent marina, Sailing Swallow co-founder Magnus Smith was on hand to take enthusiastic sailors of all ages on voyages downriver and back again, subject to the unpredictable wind and the obligatory pair of oars. In the evening, one of the other stars of the film, Sophie Neville (who played Titty) gave an entertaining talk about the secrets of making the film at Brockenhurst College.

Our Flickr photo gallery and slideshow of Swallow on the Beaulieu River is below…

"Nancy at Bucklers Hard. Crew just like Arthur and Evgenia repaired to Master Builder and settled down to hog."

Nancy Blackett will be open [...]]]> A dispatch received earlier this evening from none other than the Nancy Blackett Trust's very own chairman, Peter Willis, states simply:

"Nancy at Bucklers Hard. Crew just like Arthur and Evgenia repaired to Master Builder and settled down to hog."

Nancy Blackett will be open to members of the Arthur Ransome Society this bank holiday weekend, in conjunction with their IAGM, along with Swallow.