Skipper Phil Durnford has just returned from a “furthest north” cruise at the helm of Nancy Blackett. He writes: I joined Nancy Blackett on Monday 18th August in Ipswich Dock, where she had spent the weekend as part of the OGA fleet at Maritime Ipswich. Colin Embrey as mate and Nicola Farr as crew joined me, […]
On Monday 7th July Nancy Blackett (with Judy Taylor and John Benford) and Peter Duck (with Julia Jones) entertained Year 6 of Chelmondiston Primary School respectively at Woolverstone Marina and the Royal Harwich Yacht Club. They also entertained us – they have been reading “We Didn’t Mean To Go To Sea”, and performed a version […]
This year sees the 75th anniversary of the publication of "Secret Water", the eighth book in the "Swallows and Amazons" series by Arthur Ransome. The story is principally set in the Walton Backwaters and includes an second appearance by Nancy Blackett as the Goblin, being the direct sequel to the classic "We Didn't Mean to […]
You can now pre-order from our shop the new upcoming Vintage Classics editions of both "We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea" and "Secret Water" – the two Arthur Ransome titles that feature Nancy Blackett as the Goblin. They are about to be published in Random House's Vintage Classics series, with striking new cover designs. The […]
Children’s literature postgrad Elizabeth Williams from Newcastle University recently came to research the East Coast locations used by Ransome and Julia Jones, and was delighted to accept an invitation to visit the Goblin – alias Nancy Blackett. Here’s her account of the day: I love reading children’s books, and rereading the ones I’m particularly attached to. […]
We now have a gallery of screencaps from Nancy Blackett’s appearance on “Britain and the Sea” last Sunday. View our photo album on Flickr.
Last Thursday Nancy Blackett welcomed aboard a party of pupils from Brandeston Hall school near Woodbridge. They are currently reading "We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea" in class and their teacher James Loveridge had planned to show them Pin Mill – he was amazed to learn that the Goblin was moored only a mile […]
Last Friday “Swallows and Amazons” was featured as the specialist subject of one contestant on the veteran BBC’s “Mastermind” quiz series. Sixteen questions were asked, drawing from topics across Arthur Ransome’s series of children’s novels, including two from “We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea”, in which Nancy Blackett stars as the Goblin. The contestant, […]
Nancy Blackett’s final cruise of the season was also the first for newly-promoted Skipper for Roger Sturge, the Nancy Blackett Trust’s Secretary. Here is his account… On Monday morning, in bright sunshine, we motored down the River Orwell and raised sail at Levington. The crew, Roger, Sue Heron and Ray Nash (the Trust’s treasurer) had […]
Arthur Ransome’s "We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea" was published 75 years ago this month. Inspired by his boat the Nancy Blackett, it was quickly recognised as the high point of his "Swallows and Amazons" series and one of the great pieces of sea fiction. The story features the four young ‘Swallows’ (John, Susan, Titty and […]
“A wonderful day that I will never forget – it was a totally amazing experience” Thirty-six top-year schoolchildren from Kessingland Primary School near Lowestoft enjoyed a books-and-boats day out with Arthur Ransome’s yacht Nancy Blackett and local author Julia Jones’s Peter Duck, also originally owned by Ransome. Their day out, on June 25th, began at […]
This time last week, the Nancy Blackett and her crew were on their way home across the Channel earlier than originally planned, to avoid the worst of the forecast weather. They left Middelburg last Friday afternoon at 1pm, with perfect timing in passing all five bridges on the way to Flushing without waiting, arriving at […]
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