Nancy Blackett is back in the water, beautifully repainted and varnished and ready for the new season. Her fitting-out was completed in record time on Saturday, despite one volunteer being stranded in Cairo and another in Turkey by the flights shutdown. Thanks to everyone who turned up, with special mentions for the brass-polishing crew, Debbie, Honnor and Kerryn, and to Bryan Bonser for sausage rolls, grog, beers and… er, Christmas cake (?!). 

The delivery crew was ready to take Nancy out of the Woodbridge Tidemill marina as soon as there was sufficient depth of water over the sill, about 1.20pm, sailed her round to Woolvertone and were back to join the rest of us in the Cherry Tree pub for their dinner soon after 8.00. 

Nancy already has a busy schedule lined up for the first half of the season, including the voyage to the Solent and back, but from July onwards there are plenty of blanks in the calendar for members who want to book a sail.