Nancy Blackett departs Woodbridge Tidemill on April 29th 2017. Photo credit: Peter Willis.

Nancy Blackett finally started her new sailing season last Saturday (April 29th) when she left the Tidemill Marina in Woodbridge at about 1.00pm, as soon as there was sufficient depth of water over its sill.

Her new mast looked splendid, and performed excellently during the short cruise round to Shotley Marina on the Stour/Orwell junction. The complexities associated with fitting the new mast, its associated rigging and wiring issues had delayed her relaunch, originally scheduled for April 8th, by three weeks. New instrumentation includes replacement of the Tac Tic system, and a new AIS receiver.

With a complete hull repaint and refreshed varnishwork, Nancy Blackett now looks as good as she ever did, ready for a season of Arthur Ransome celebration, including the Pin Mill Jamboree on May 13th, our own 20th anniversary AGM on June 3rd, and the flotilla-accompanied Parade of Sail departure for Holland on June 4th.

– Peter Willis