Nancy Blackett and crew are safely back in Woolverstone, having arrived at midnight after a calm crossing of the Thames Estuary.

Yesterday’s weather forecast suggested perhaps a day in Eastbourne today, but in the event, today’s weather was not too bad, so the decision was made to take advantage of the wind-with-tide-downwind opportunity and set off towards Ramsgate. Nancy Blackett and crew had another brilliant sail, and got into Ramsgate in time for dinner aboard. One slight […]

Nancy Blackett and her new crew commenced their return journey from the Solent as the crack of dawn today, departing from Haslar just after 4am. This meant that they made the Looe Channel at slack water and had a full run of tide. They sailed from there until just after Beachy Head when they motored […]

Skipper Rod Webb reports that Nancy Blackett and her crew enjoyed a glorious sail yesterday, out past Hurst Castle and the Needles, round the Shingles Bank and back through the North Channel to Lymington. They saw the tall ship Tenacious and generously treated to an enjoyable supper by Sophie Neville, who today joined them for […]

Skipper Rod Webb reported a good sail earlier today (Wednesday). The relative shelter of Port Hamble and Southampton Water gave way to a blustery F5 out in the Solent – raising enough of a chop against the tide to slow Nancy Blackett and her crew down. They put into Newtown River for lunch just as […]

John Smith reports that this morning was very bleak out on the Solent, but wind had initially dropped off so Nancy Blackett and crew ventured out, hoping for Lymington, but conditions were too nasty, so they set off for the Hamble instead. Having made Port Hamble, she is drying out after a very wet crossing. […]

Due to the unsettled weather, John Smith reports that an attempt was made this evening to sail to Lymington. With the tide just turning west, and wind seemingly dropped, Nancy Blackett and crew optimistically left Cowes earlier this evening. However, when they got out of the shelter of Cowes and started west, the full force of the […]

Nancy Blackett and crew ventured out into the Solent from Portsmouth today, and are currently in East Cowes marina. Heavy rain and winds were stronger than forecast and far from ideal to make it to Lymington. Visibility too dropped off as they neared Cowes, so they diverted to East Cowes marina for tonight. The crew […]

Nancy Blackett and crew are now in Port Solent after an interesting day, particularly when they neared the America’s Cup fleet, and had to pass outside of an exclusion zone, although they did enjoy seeing the fleet passing by. They set off from Brighton at first light, and made good progress into the Solent. The passage to […]

After a couple of days holed up in Ramsgate, enjoying the local Thai restaurant, and a trip to RAF Manston to see their Spitfire and Hurricane exhibitions, skipper John Smith and crew finally made a break for it today. After a very choppy and somewhat wet trip they have arrived in Dover. Progress in a […]