Nancy Blackett is one of the boats once owned by Arthur Ransome, author of the ‘Swallows and Amazons’ books. He named her after his favourite character, and he put her in his book ‘We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea’, as the Goblin, the boat in which four children sail across the North Sea to Holland.
Recently rescued and restored, Nancy Blackett is now preserved and maintained by The Nancy Blackett Trust, as a beautiful and important part of our literary and maritime heritage, and with the aims of inspiring interest in Arthur Ransome and his books, and encouraging young people to enjoy sailing.
The Nancy Blackett is regularly on show at maritime festivals, and sails hundreds of miles each year, crewed by Trust members. When not attending public events or in use for private trips, she is based during the summer season just up the River Orwell from Pin Mill at Woolverstone. To find out more about the Nancy Blackett, and how you can become involved with her, please look around this site.
If you would like to arrange a private visit (subject to location and availability), or a private sailing trip (subject to membership and availability), please see this page or contact us.
The patron of the Nancy Blackett Trust is Dame Ellen MacArthur.
The Nancy Blackett Trust 