Nancy Blackett’s first ‘proper’ sail of the season on Sunday was captured by photographer Gill Moon. We’ve done a short sail for the Countryfile cameras, and a delivery trip-cum-crew training run, but this was Nancy Blackett’s first outing this year for the benefit of her members.

The family (two boys, one having his 11th birthday) stayed onboard on Saturday night, after treating skipper Bryan Bonser and mate John Benford to a meal at the Butt & Oyster (thanks Linda & Martin). And on Sunday we took them for a sail from Woolverstone – the boys on the helm a lot of the time – down to Bathside Bay (just to the west of Trinity House at Harwich on the south side of the Stour), where we picked up a buoy and had lunch (thanks again, Linda), and then blew back under headsails up the Orwell back to Woolverstone. 

We sailed past the Dutch barge Twee Gebroeders on the way down the Orwell, and exchanged greetings, and photos were also taken of Thames Barge Victor.