News and What's New

News About Nancy

What’s New

08 Feb 2005

The Nancy Blackett Trust Congratulates Its Patron Ellen MacArthur

Ellen MacArthur, Patron of the Nancy Blackett Trust, has broken the solo record for sailing non-stop around the world. Ms. MacArthur, a keen sailor since childhood, beat the record set last year by Francis Joyon by one day, eight hours and thirty-five minutes, in a specially-constructed tri-maran.

As a result of her achievement, Ms. MacArthur has been made a Dame.

Peter Willis, Chairman of the Nancy Blackett Trust, said: “Many congratulations from all of us on your stupendous achievement. We're intensely proud of you, and full of admiration at the determination you've shown not just over the past 72 days, but over your whole career. You truly are an inspiration.

“It is a great day for sailing, and for sailing in Britain and a marvellous outcome of reading all those Arthur Ransome books! And we're particularly delighted that you chose to set out from and return to Falmouth, which was of course where the Swallows learned to sail, and the furthest that Jim Brading and Uncle Bob had taken the Goblin. Good choice!

“To mark the occasion, we are planning to make a contribution to the Ellen MacArthur Trust.”

Further information about Ms. MacArthur’s achievements may be found on the Team Ellen website, while a comprehensive list of international press coverage about the event is on the NewsNow website. The Ellen MacArthur Trust may be found here.

07 Feb 2005

Nancy Blackett in Top 200 boats

Nancy Blackett has gained a place in Classic Boat magazine's listing of the top 200 classic boats. The list was compiled, with votes from readers, to mark the magazine's 200th issue, cover-dated February 2005, and on sale from mid-January. Nancy is in the top half of the table, which is particularly gratifying as she did not make it into previous top 100 and 150 lists in the 100th and 150th issues. Two other Ransome boats, Selina King and Peter Duck, have also made it into the Top 200.

14 Nov 2004

Helen Tew: Obituary

Helen Tew, vice-president of the Nancy Blackett Trust, and Transatlantic yachtswoman, died on November 9th 2004, aged 92. Helen was best known for her Transatlantic crossing in her boat Mary Helen, in 2000, when she was 89. She lived near Buckler's Hard, and got to know Arthur and Evgenia Ransome in the 1950s when they sailed there in Lottie Blossom. She had written a book, “Transatlantic at Last”, which was on the point of being published when she died, and will be published on November 26th.

Our condolences go to her family.

An obituary has been published by the Daily Telegraph.

Please also see the links to a number of articles about her achievements.

25 Sep 2004

Liftout Social in October

The Nancy Blackett is due to be brought round to Woodbridge's Tidemill Yacht Harbour on Saturday 16th October, where her moveable equipment will be unloaded prior to her liftout at Robertson's boatyard on Monday 18th.

Assistance will be welcomed with the unloading during the day on Saturday, which will be followed by afternoon tea, cake and sociability at the Woodbridge Cruising Club from about 4pm.

Please e-mail info@nancyblackett.org for more details, or to register interest.

25 Sep 2004

New Sails for Nancy

The Nancy Blackett has a new jib and a new staysail, thanks to the generosity of members of the Trust and others.

The staysail is about 50% larger than the previous sail, which Jim Andrews noticed looked undersized during the TARS AGM in 2003. We checked and found that it was indeed so. Thanks to an anonymous donor, it has now been replaced.

The jib had been looking unsightly ever since a new panel had been let in to repair a rip. The new one was bought with donations in memory of our late member Mike Burton.

Both new sails, made by James Lawrence of Brightlingsea, were delivered in time for the Trust's AGM, the staysail hoisted the same day, the jib, which required some modification a little later.

Skipper Bryan Bonser said that the larger staysail enables Nancy to point about 5 degrees closer to the wind, and can add up to a knot to her speed through the water.

24 Jul 2004

Ellen MacArthur Interviewed in E-Motion

The Nancy Blackett Trust’s Patron Ellen MacArthur is interviewed in the July/August edition of E-Motion, South West Trains’ passenger magazine. You can read the article here, or obtain the paper edition of the magazine free-of-charge from South West Trains.

02 May 2004

2004 AGM Date and Guest Speaker Confirmed

The date of the Nancy Blackett Trust's AGM has been moved to Saturday 10 July. The venue is the Royal Harwich Yacht Club, Woolverstone, Suffolk.

The change of date is in order to secure the use of the club which has proved a favourite in the past, and is very convenient for organising sailing trips aboard Nancy on the River Orwell.

The programme is yet to be finalised, but our Guest Speaker will be: Ted Evans on Hillyard Yachts.

Nancy was built by Hillyards, and Ted himself owns two Hillyard boats - one of them, Ragged Robin III, previously owned by Arthur Ransome, when she was known as Lottie Blossom.

09 March 2004

Nancy's Dutch trip in Sailing Today

The April issue of Sailing Today, the UK yachting magazine, carries a 4-page feature on Nancy Blackett's 2003 voyage to Vlissingen and the Dutch classic boat rally at Hellevoetsluis.

This was the recreation of “We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea” that featured genuine children (Susie Martin and Beanie Wallace-King) albeit supported by competent adults (Bill Wallace-King and Ken Randall).

The feature is based on the crew's logs, with plentiful photos, charts and a birds-eye view of Vlissingen.

News-stand copies available March-April 2004. By post, or as a back-issue, from www.sailingtoday.co.uk.

07 Feb 2005:

Links Page updated for Team Ellen & the Ellen MacArthur Trust.

Home Page updated for Ellen MacArthur and Team Ellen news.

14 Nov 2004:

Links Page updated for Helen Tew.

Events Page updated for 2005.

25 Sep 2004:

Events Page updated for Liftout.

24 Jul 2004:

Links Page updated with new links for Ellen MacArthur, Pin Mill and the Nancy Blackett.

11 Jul 2004:

Events Page for 2004 updated.

02 May 2004:

Events Page for 2004 updated for AGM.

01 May 2004:

Links Page updated with Bank Ground Farm, Coniston.

09 Mar 2004:

Links Page updated with East Coast Classics, Hillyard Owners Association and Old Gaffers Association.

06 Mar 2004:

Events Page for 2004 added.

28 Jan 2004:

PDF version of the Membership Form now available.

17 Jan 2004:

Contact page added.

About and Join and Sail pages expanded.

01 Dec 2003:

New website goes live.