Last Thursday Nancy Blackett welcomed aboard a party of pupils from Brandeston Hall school near Woodbridge. They are currently reading "We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea" in class and their teacher James Loveridge had planned to show them Pin Mill – he was amazed to learn that the Goblin was moored only a mile or so away, and that we would be delighted to show her off to the children.

A group of Year 4s aboard Nancy, with classroom assistants Annie and Alex

There were twenty-eight pupils in the party, with two teachers, several assistants and a parent, and after a short look around Pin Mill they walked up through the woods to Woolverstone Marina. They split into small groups, with one group exploring Nancy, shown around by the Trust's Chairman Peter Willis, while the others did various activities including acting out scenes from the book, and knot-tying with John Benford, the Trust's Sailing Secretary.

Knot-tying with John Benford

The children were all from Year 4, so aged eight or thereabouts. The text they are reading is a specially abridged version of "We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea", designed for the age group, in the Oxford Bookworms series. It has its own delightful illustrations by Henry Brighouse, which were clearly based on close study of Nancy Blackett as she is now.

Teacher Mrs Ball reads from We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea… aboard the Goblin

And thanks to our friends at the Neptune Sailing Centre, who loaned us small buoyancy aids, and let us use their activities room.