The original Lottie Blossom (now Ragged Robin III), owned by Arthur Ransome from 1951-52, is now for sale. A 6-ton, centre-cockpit Hillyard yacht, Ragged Robin is cutter-rigged, and has been restored and equipped by her current owners, Ted and Diana Evans. Originally commissioned by Arthur Ransome in 1951 from David Hillyard (who also built Nancy […]
Today we had our best sail of the week so far for the current Nancy Blackett crew, which we’ve dubbed the Riddle of the Sands passage, or possibly the Riddle of the Middle, writes Peter Willis. An early bridge departure out of Goes got us out into the Oosterschelde by 9:30am on a pleasingly overcast […]
For our mid-week round-up of the fourth week of Nancy Blackett’s Dutch adventure, we received the following missive from Peter Willis, President of the Nancy Blackett Trust: “It was too windy to sail on Sunday, so we hired bikes and cycled round Middelburg. On Monday there were light winds, so we had a gentle sail/motor along […]
For our final Nancy Blackett dispatch this week, able-seaman Sophie Neville writes: “This morning all was quiet in Zeeland, where the thunder, lightning and high winds had passed. “All was well with Nancy Blackett and her crew, who later returned safely to Middleburg after sailing up the Veerse Meer against Force 5 winds. Having reefed later […]
Nancy Blackett and her crew were able to do some sailing today, as skipper Ian McGlynn recounts: “We had a good sail today from Wemeldinge to the Zandkreeksluis, and then to Wolphaartsdijk, where we are riding out F6-plus winds. We go back to Middelburg tomorrow. The crew is all happy.” And able-seaman Sophie Neville also […]
Is Nancy Blackett’s crew whistling for a wind? Skipper Ian McGlynn writes: “We had no wind this afternoon, but spent a pleasant morning exploring Zierikzee. We are now in Wemeldinge after motoring most of the way. “It was very hot and humid today as yesterday. The crew’s spirits are good – we just want to […]
Nancy Blackett and her crew arrived at Zierikzee on Schouwen-Duiveland this afternoon, as skipper Ian McGlynn writes: “We arrived in Zierikzee this afternoon. All is well but it is very hot here and there is little wind. The iron topsail was in much use. There was 2-knot tide under Zeelandbrug so we chickened-out with only […]
Today’s dispatch from skipper Ian McGlynn reads: “We left Veere this morning at 10:30 with local writer Veronica Frenks on board to do an article on Nancy Blackett. There was no wind in the morning but enough for a gentle sail this afternoon. “We are now in Kortgene for the night. Dinner is cooking! All […]
Today was an easy day for Nancy Blackett and her new crew. Skipper Ian McGlynn writes: “We left Middelburg at the 10:15am bridge opening. At 12:15 pm we were moored in Veere and spent the afternoon exploring the town. “The seawater filter cap was loosened, cleaned and greased, the filter cleaned, and the cooker knob […]
Today was a changeover day for Nancy Blackett and crew in Middelburg, in glorious summer sunshine. Sophie Neville joins our crew for this third week, and Dutch author (and Vlissingen resident) Veronica Frenks managed to track them down this afternoon. Here’s the story in their own words and pictures: With @NancyBlackettUK in Middleberg, the Netherlands […]
Last weekend (10th/11th June) saw the 18th annual “Swamazons” event held by the East Coast area of the Old Gaffers Association. The weekend started with a welcoming cooked breakfast at the Walton and Frinton Yacht Club, before the fleet of 17 traditional sailing dinghies faced challenging blustery conditions on a sunny Saturday. The course for […]
As Nancy Blackett reaches the end of the second week of her Dutch adventure, skipper Bryan Davies concludes: “(Yesterday we) had another fine sail… in a freshening wind. We sailed under the Zeelandbrugge – looked a bit scary, does Nancy’s 13m air draft include the antenna? Then along and locked into the Veerse Meer, where […]
You must be logged in to post a comment.