| ABOUT THE WHERRIES OF THE NORFOLK BROADS |
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The Wherry is a shallow-draughted single-sailed boat indigenous to the Norfolk Broads. The hull of a wherry is generally clinker-built (overlapping planks) out of oak. Its rarity nowadays is attributed to the design; only in the unique calm and shallow Broads were wherries produced and used. The remarkably low depth of the waterways requires the hull to be similarly shallow, and the single mast is tall, holding one edge of its vast pointed sail to catch the breeze above the trees. To enable the wherries to pass under tight bridges, the mast is counterweighted and can be gently lowered. No other sailing vessels like them can be found in the world, the closest being the colourful Dutch boats built to sail the dykes on the flat reclaimed land - these can be found on rare occasions on the Norfolk Broads themselves, brought over from the Netherlands. The wherry, however, is the only sailing vessel of its size or carrying capacity that can cover almost all the waterways on the Broads, including the odd secluded dyke.
To learn more about wherries, we recommend looking out for Wherries and Waterways by Robert Malster. Both this and the seminal Black Sailed Traders by Roy Clark are now out of print but the latter is harder to find. History specific to trading wherry Albion can be found on the Norfolk Wherry Trust site. We have a booklet on Hathor's history available for £2 + P&P -
contact us to purchase one.
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| WHERRY WEIGHTS AND MEASURES |
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Wherries' sizes are often quoted by several weights and measurements.
Length: the length of the wherry from bow to stern.
Beam: the width of the wherry at its widest point.
Draught: the depth of the wherry below the water line. This will obviously vary depending on the contents of the wherry - trading wherries often went very low in the water when fully laden - and on the salt content (i.e. density) of the water.
Gross Tonnage: the weight of the wherry and all the interior fittings.
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Registered Charity: No. 1096073
http://www.wherryyachtcharter.org/wherries.html
Updated 05/05/2009 by the
WYC Webmaster
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Norfolk's Eight Wherries |
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Besides our fleet of three, there are five other wherries in sailing order on the Broads today. |
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