Nancy Blackett
Encyclopedia
Nancy Blackett is a 28 feet (8.5 m) long, 7 ton, Bermuda rig
ged Hillyard
sailing
cutter built in 1931. The boat is now owned and operated by The Nancy Blackett Trust.
Originally named Spindrift at her launch in 1931 (and then renamed Electron by her next owner), she was bought by children’s author Arthur Ransome
in 1934 and renamed Nancy Blackett after the major character of the same name
in his Swallows and Amazons series of children’s books. He sailed her mostly on the east coast of England
and the southern North Sea
from her home port of Pin Mill near Harwich
.
She is most notable for being the original for the fictional yacht Goblin in Ransome’s book We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea
(1937) which recounts a voyage across the North Sea to the Dutch
port of Flushing
. Ransome made a similar voyage from Harwich to Holland in 1936 and used his personal experience in the book.
Ransome's cruises also provided material for another book Secret Water
(1939) set in the Walton
backwaters.
Ransome sold Nancy Blackett in 1939 but always said that she was "the best little ship". In 1988, she was found rotting in Scarborough and restored. The Nancy Blackett Trust was formed as a registered charity
to preserve and sail her and to promote the sort of sailing activities dear to Ransome. The trust's patron is Ellen MacArthur
.
Bermuda rig
The term Bermuda rig refers to a configuration of mast and rigging for a type of sailboat and is also known as a Marconi rig; this is the typical configuration for most modern sailboats...
ged Hillyard
Hillyard
-Company:*Hillyard, Inc., specialist in maintenance of basketball courts* David Hillyard, yacht builder, Littlehampton, England-People:* Dave Hillyard, musician* George Hillyard, tennis player...
sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
cutter built in 1931. The boat is now owned and operated by The Nancy Blackett Trust.
Originally named Spindrift at her launch in 1931 (and then renamed Electron by her next owner), she was bought by children’s author Arthur Ransome
Arthur Ransome
Arthur Michell Ransome was an English author and journalist, best known for writing the Swallows and Amazons series of children's books. These tell of school-holiday adventures of children, mostly in the Lake District and the Norfolk Broads. Many of the books involve sailing; other common subjects...
in 1934 and renamed Nancy Blackett after the major character of the same name
Nancy Blackett
Nancy Blackett is a long, 7 ton, Bermuda rigged Hillyard sailing cutter built in 1931. The boat is now owned and operated by The Nancy Blackett Trust....
in his Swallows and Amazons series of children’s books. He sailed her mostly on the east coast of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the southern North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
from her home port of Pin Mill near Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
.
She is most notable for being the original for the fictional yacht Goblin in Ransome’s book We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea
We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea is the seventh book in Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series of children's books. It was published in 1937. In this book, the Swallows are the only recurring characters...
(1937) which recounts a voyage across the North Sea to the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
port of Flushing
Flushing, Netherlands
Vlissingen is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century...
. Ransome made a similar voyage from Harwich to Holland in 1936 and used his personal experience in the book.
Ransome's cruises also provided material for another book Secret Water
Secret Water
Secret Water is the eighth book in Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series of children's books. It was published in 1939.This book is set in and around Hamford Water in Essex, close to the resort town of Walton-on-the-Naze. It brings the Swallows and the Amazons together and introduces a new...
(1939) set in the Walton
Walton-on-the-Naze
Walton-on-the-Naze is a small town in Essex, England, on the North Sea coast in the Tendring district. It is north of Clacton and south of the port of Harwich. It abuts Frinton-on-Sea to the south, and is part of the parish of Frinton and Walton. It is a resort town, with a permanent population of...
backwaters.
Ransome sold Nancy Blackett in 1939 but always said that she was "the best little ship". In 1988, she was found rotting in Scarborough and restored. The Nancy Blackett Trust was formed as a registered charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
to preserve and sail her and to promote the sort of sailing activities dear to Ransome. The trust's patron is Ellen MacArthur
Ellen MacArthur
Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE is an English sailor, up until 2009, from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in West Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. She is best known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman. On 7 February 2005 she broke the world record for the fastest solo...
.