NANCY BLACKETT 90TH BIRTHDAY
Arthur Ransome’s favourite yacht Nancy Blackett is 90.
Named after the self-styled pirate of Swallows and Amazons fame, the 28ft cutter featured in the book We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea. After a winter lay up at Robertson’s Boatyard in Woodbridge, Suffolk, Nancy Blackett was cleaned and antifouled ready for an end-of-April launch party on the River Orwell.
Trust members were determined to mark the vessel’s special anniversary with bunting, cake and three cheers despite pandemic restrictions. A programme of events and sail days is planned for 2021.
Trust President Peter Willis says: “We preserved Nancy so she should be sailed and enjoyed by anybody who loves Arthur Ransome’s books – or just beautiful old boats, and that’s just what we hope to be doing this summer.”