Nancy Blackett played a proud role in this year’s East Anglian Sailing Trust (EAST) Visually-Impaired Cruise Weekend, which brought together seven yachts, 29 participants, and seven VIPs (visually-impaired participants) for a memorable few days on the water. Ahead of the main event, Nancy Blackett hosted a short preparatory sail for four EAST members. The 2.5-hour […]
Despite a delayed season start due to necessary restoration work, and the cancellation of various planned voyages due to early autumn storms, 2025 proved a successful year for Nancy Blackett, writes Mark Taylor… May and June were mostly dedicated to our annual volunteer crew inductions and training sessions. We were fortunate with the weather, enabling […]
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 […]
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