John Sergeant, respected news broadcaster and President of the Arthur Ransome Society, recently enjoyed a sail on Ransome’s own Nancy Blackett, now restored and sailing on the River Orwell. He described it as “an unforgettable experience”, and was delighted to helm her on a passage which, accompanied by NBT President Peter Wills, Chairman-elect Robin Sadler […]
Nancy Blackett is now afloat and back in her berth at Woolverstone Marina – these photos were taken on Tuesday, shortly before the working party began bending on sails and loading equipment aboard. By lunchtime most of her equipment was back aboard, and she’s now ready to get stuck into her summer sailing programme. If […]
Nancy Blackett is currently having extensive restoration work carried out for the second year in succession at King’s boatyard in Pin Mill. It’s part of a phased programme which started during last year’s winter lay-up with work on the port-side cockpit coaming and cabin side, plus adjacent areas. This required sourcing of Brazilian Mahogany (rare […]
Nancy Blackett will be returning to the annual St Katherine Docks Classic Boat Festival in London this coming weekend – 7-8th September. This annual event has become a favourite date in her calendar, and once again she will be open for visitors to come aboard, meet knowledgeable crew members, learn the history of Arthur Ransome’s […]
Nancy Blackett set out from Scarborough on Sunday afternoon and was in Wells-next-the-Sea, North Norfolk, by Monday morning. During her stay in Scarborough she was visited by members of the Bentley family, which had owned her for over a quarter of a century until 1988. Eunice, Bill Bentley’s widow, was brought alongside in a wheelchair […]
[Update: Nancy Blackett arrived in Scarborough at 8am today (19th July) Nancy Blackett, Arthur Ransome’s favourite yacht, is returning to Scarborough this week for the first time in over 25 years, and will be open to visitors during the town’s annual Seafest weekend (19th-21st July). Arthur Ransome, author of Swallows and Amazons, came to Scarborough […]
Nancy Blackett was successfully launched on Thursday 28th March for the new sailing season. She was in a cradle at Harry King’s at Pin Mill, ready to launch from Wednesday (above – photo by Peter Willis). Back in her berth at Woolverstone (above and below – photos by Neil Brooks) – the close up shows […]
It is perhaps a little-known fact that Tower Bridge is legally obliged to open for any vessel tall enough to need it, free of charge (it was a condition of permission for it to be built). Openings nowadays are at fixed times to suit the convenience of the bridge, and the traffic that uses it […]
Arthur Ransome’s favourite yacht Nancy Blackett will be open to visitors again this weekend at the Classic Boat Festival in St Katherine Docks, London. The annual boating extravaganza will also see over 40 other beautiful vintage and exquisitely preserved vessels assemble in the central basin of St Katharine Docks, including the Dunkirk Little Ships, motorboats […]
Arthur Ransome’s Nancy Blackett has returned to Littlehampton in Sussex, as part of her three-week summer visit to the Solent. Nancy Blackett was built by David Hillyard of Littlehampton in 1931, and arrived in the port this afternoon (Thursday 22nd June) having departed from Woolverstone on Sunday morning, with intermediate stops at Ramsgate, Dover, Eastbourne […]
Selina King, the yacht that Arthur Ransome had built as a replacement for Nancy Blackett, visited the Nancy Blackett Trust’s AGM on Saturday, following her relaunch after an eleven-year restoration. Built by Harry King’s of Pin Mill in 1938, she recently returned there to complete the work originated in Bermuda and continued in Chichester Harbour. […]
Last Saturday – 25th March – saw Nancy Blackett being fitted-out for the 2023 summer season, following her relaunch about a mile down the river at Harry King’s of Pin Mill earlier in the week. Back in her regular berth at Woolverstone Marina, her condition looked immaculate, and a team of half-a-dozen Trust members set […]
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