Nancy Blackett spent a large part of last weekend aground after inadvertently encountering a mudbank in the River Alde, near Iken. She was on her way to Snape Maltings, and missed a channel withy close to Iken church at around 1245 on Saturday. Skipper Richard Wainwright remained aboard, having sent the rest of the crew ashore in a local dinghy. He was kept company by a curious seal as Nancy settled gently onto her starboard side with the outgoing tide.

Nancy was towed off about 24 hours later, by local boatyard owner Brian Upson. She is apparently none the worse – except for a fractured chainplate which broke when the skipper grabbed the shroud affixed to it while seeking to gain balance on the sloping deck. It’s not immediately clear whether the grounding in any way contributed to the fracture, but we’re grateful it didn’t happen at sea. Replacing it was a quick and straightforward job and Nancy is already on her way back to Woolverstone.

The photo, by John Smith, shows Nancy, the mudbank and the seal.