practicalboatowner · video

What this video covers

Sophie Neville, who played Titty in the 1974 film *Swallows and Amazons*, appeared at the Southampton Boat Show with Swallow, the original dinghy used in the film.0:38 The boat is a 1930 general-purpose runabout built by William King of Burnham-on-Crouch, identifiable by the "WK" mark on her transom.3:43 Neville explained that Swallow was purchased at auction from a prop store in Twickenham, where it had been held alongside boats from other productions including the Dawn Treader.1:29 The boat has a fixed keel rather than a daggerboard, making her responsive on one tack but slow to turn.3:36 When sailed, buoyancy is added under the thwarts.2:12 Swallow appeared on Antiques Roadshow and was valued at over £20,000.5:12 Neville also discussed Arthur Ransome's own yacht Nancy Blackett, a Hillyard that served as the model for *We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea*, and noted she sailed Nancy Blackett through the inland waterways of the Netherlands.8:21 The 1974 film has been remastered and recently rebroadcast in England.7:10 The 50th anniversary of filming falls the following summer, with plans to sail both Swallow and Amazon on the Lake District with a new generation of children.4:53 Swallow can be booked to sail via the website Sail Ransom.9:12

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