Absolutely loved this video. Thank you so much. ❤️❤️

What a nightmare.., surely the bridge people should cover some of the costs as they have failed to honour the date they agreed on

Engaging story, remarkable achievement, impressive strength, resolve and resourcefulness. But even with all this there seems to be an inconsistency between the original captal required and the income stream and the expenditures. Don't know how they did it.

I love this! I spoke to you one fine evening on the pontoon at Oban last year. What a fantastic boat.

Welcome to Tajikistan to the Pamir mountain Pamir mountain is the roof of the world 🇹🇯 Хуш омадед ба Точикистон ба боми чахон 🇹🇯 Willkommen nach Tadschikistan auf dem dach der welt 🇹🇯 Добро пожаловать в Таджикистан на крыше мира 🇹🇯 Ahlan wa Sahlan fi Tojikiston 🇹🇯 Xosh kelibsiz Tojikistonga 🇹🇯

I was on the Bessie Ellen years ago sailing around the Caneries and I can tell you Nikki is a formidable character, I liked her very much, I learned a lot about everything and I wish her well. Bon voyage Nikki X

Beautiful such a pleasure to watch.... Thankyou

as long as you are happy you will be well.

What a fuckin place ❤❤❤❤ excellent content.

What a fuckin _cracking_ story.❤❤❤

Kim & Del --This is an awesome trail! Can't believe she could have been that much enchanting! Can't wait to hike out there.

What's really amazing about this film is you manage to make it and show the ship for 40 seconds at the end, and from a distance.

This was fabulous to hear about. What an adventurous life and beautiful story. I always wonder how people afford to do these things when they have never had high paying jobs. But it gives me hope still at 50 that I may figure out a way to finance the dreams.

On the 1st episode, I was waiting for the moment when she said being a woman came up. I've ignored sexism all my life & just got on with it, but in the boat world that became impossible. This lady has at least 10years in age & living/working/restoring an old boat, & I'm relieved to say after 10years I'm experiencing a change in attitudes. In her day, she must have had to put up with some shite.

Such an interesting video. Fascinating.

Spellbinding ! I couldn't stop watching this as Nikki overcame all the odds of this challenge . I'm a river-rat myself, but I find these tall ships so awesome ! It's no wonder that my grandfather always wanted to return to the sea .

Im a live aboard, when i came across your content, i instantly fell in love with the ship. One day, i hope to sail aboard a real ship. Keep up the awesome work! Fair winds and calm seas!

Nikki have you been to fremington or appledore which was a free mooring on the quay, when we built 2. 72 ft wooden trawlers at hinks. pete radclyffe

Bonjour, venez vous en France pour des rassemblements de vieux bâteaux ??

Wonderful 🎉💖🍺

Wow what a story🎉😅😊

That was really interesting and inspiring to watch . Thank you for sharing your exciting life journey .

Impressive. To take on the restoration of an old ship is an admirable and challenging thing to do. I feel the video may have skipped over the financial stuff a bit too casually. For a 17 year old to turn up in London and get paid 'a lot of money' for 3 years of music journalism, enough to buy a ship, and hire shipwrights, buy trees from a forest for lumber, pay berthing, and live? Well, I suspect a wealthy family with London magazine connections. This doesn't distract from her achievements, but it might be useful for anyone contemplating something similar to know. This lifestyle is awfully expensive.

Fantastic story 👏

Thanks

In literature there is Villiers, Conrad, Hemingway In the world of building what they wrote about there is still Nikki Alford and her story of Bessie Ellen. A saga so beautifully told here. We still sail for free off a free wind driving our imaginations and the sea gulls still laugh at we fools of wooden ships knowing damn well they and we would have it no other way in our wildest dreams.

Great video and production guys - well done.

Nice looking "old" ship. Restored with lots of love and hard work looks like. I see she's asking 599,000 pounds for it so that would be over $1M Canadian.

Es ist recht einfach, die die eingeknickt sind, wollen nicht alleine sein. Die Ärzte haben sich nicht informiert, satt dessen haben sie gut bis sehr gut daran verdient. Die Politiker sagen immer nur noch das was Geld bringt und sind durch ihre Mauscheleien skrupellose gedeckte marionetten. Ganz bekannt die Flinten Uschi, mehrfach angeklagt und verurteilt, und nichts passiert. Eine Außenministerin die ihre Papiere so zurecht legt damit es passt, nichts passiert. Aber das schlimmste an der Geschichte. Durch die Gesellschaft akzeptiert und befürwortet dieses Verhalten durch ihr Nichts tun. Das alleine ist der Grund für alles. Lethargisch da sitzen und sagen, was kann ich denn tun… Ihr Schafe, raus und auf eure Beine stehen, und zur Abwechslung mal euer Gesicht und Charakter zeigen, das was man euch ab trainiert hat! Das zeigen welches euer täglicher TV Star macht… die rote Linie aufzeigen. Und keine Sorge, deshalb seit ihr keine Nazis Faschisten oder Querdenker, ihr seit einfach nur ganz normale Menschen, die zu recht sich nicht auf der Nase herum Tanzen lassen. Nicht mehr nicht weniger!

Very nice and atmospheric video. Like this style of sharing your WHW-Adventure with us. Thank you very much. Greetings from Poland.

The story of this vessel and her owner have completely captivated me. The commitment and total dedication to her restoration and sailing are beyond imagination.

A simple: Well done! is not enough here - So very well done! All the best to "Bessie Allen" and all those who travel with her. "Immer eine Handbreite Wasser unter dem Kiel" ... Greets, H.

A small space in a public park (nature-preserve type) would be the perfect place for this. And kids from the school system will have regular tours on it, especially those looking to sail as young adults

Who are Kim and Del and where do they fit in the project?

Absolutely fascinating story !

The food looks top notch wish i was on board eating it with you.really making me hungry watching this.

She is gorgeous, and superbly laid out, Nikki did an amazing job! This video won my heart, subscribed, off now to see what other remarkable adventures you have been up to...

I would most definitely crew for "free" (berth and board only), some of my best memories are of seafaring adventures that started like that - just one problem though, I'm a woman in my seventies, and haven't been to sea for ten years ... Still willing, just not quite as flexible ...

Thank you so much for introducing us to this extraordinary seafarer! She is living proof that a courageous, hard working woman can accomplish great deeds. I was surprised to find you had not included links to Nikki's charter operation as well as the listing for Bessie Ellen (who knows, the perfect "angel" might be amongst your viewers), but a quick search brought up many articles about her, and links to her sites - so off I go, to learn more about this brilliant person and her gorgeous ketch...

Went to St Kilda when 9-11 happened ,spent 3 weeks there working, erecting a fibreglass raydome, only done 3 days work, the wind was always blowing, especially up on top. When I was there, there was a pub, called the Puff Inn, run by the people from Quinetic.

Thank you for saving this ship. I hope when you are old someone else will do the honors. I spent my honeymoon on a homemade ketch sailing around Florida, and another two weeks the next year on the same boat. I wonder what happened to it when the owner/builder died?

A story well told and hard to walk away from. Almost got me late for work 😲

I don't want to die wondering what could have been on my death bed. Some things in life simply have to be done, often at great sacrifice. Well done Nikki. An incredible story brilliantly retold. Saving Bessie Ellen = simply brilliant. I raced former the Olympic Class Flying Dutchman in Australia between 1878-90. Then it stopped until 2000 when I started racing 4-8 weeks per yr all over Europe in FD regattas & worlds'. My crew was a famous 3-time Russian Olympic sailor. It was a magical time in my life. It cost me a small fortune, but ya can't take if with you. Right?

That lady is maybe very nice and what she does/did is kind of good (for her), but her way of speaking drives me crazy. Long-winded, one break after another, full of unnecessary side issues - terrible. I‘ll have to stop now.

Doing something “for the love of it” may be unfashionable today, but there is hope. I had just started a RU-vid video project about people who love what they do, and thought My biggest problem was finding candidates. Turns out there are so many I will never get to all off them .. and that’s just in my local area .. and I’m 80. Your story is a tonic. Thank you for telling it. ❤️

Many years ago I was retrenched from the company that I worked for, and the retrenchment compensation plus six months’ long service leave as a lump sum bought me a run-down gaff ketch. Seven years’ work made her sailable, and I really enjoyed it. However, I ran out of ‘resources’ and had to sell. Friends who have seen her recently have said that she has found a proper shipwright to look after her, which is very satisfying. Now I have ‘swallowed the anchor’, so watching Bessie Ellen brings back the good times and pleasure sailing.

So impressive, Thank You.

What an amazing amazing life! I hope you write a book too.i inherited books and logs of my 120 year old uncles life. He captained sail masted ships.During the war he was a harbor master . New york harbor and Chesapeake. I wish now i could ask more questions

Hello, I am a boat person who would like to be put in touch with Nikki. Is it okay to leave my phone number here, or will it get autodeleted? Best wishes from Cis

Thanks!