Our Wherries

Pleasure Wherry Hathor and Wherry Yachts Olive and Norada were last owned by Peter Bower and Barney Matthews. Olive was the first of the three to be offered for charter in 1978, followed by Norada (then Lady Edith) in 1984. Wherry Yacht Charter was formed as a non-profit making organisation by Barney and Peter in 1985, following which Pleasure Wherry Hathor was also bought and restored to full sailing order by 1988. The fleet was then complete as we know it today, housed at the boat base at Barton House, Wroxham. Since 2004 the fleet has been cared for by Wherry Yacht Charter Charitable Trust.

Current status - February 2012

The key aims of the project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund are the restoration of the three wherries, and the refurbishment of the wherry base at Wroxham. Most of the buildings and facilities at the base were nearing the end of their useful lives, and so in order to be able to carry out the work to the high and lasting standards required, as well as provide a safe environment for our volunteers, a significant amount of work has been carried out. The base work was completed in early 2011, and the new workshops and boat shelter will allow much faster progress on the boats themselves.

During 2010 and 2011, for the first time in Wherry Yacht Charter's history, none of the wherries were in sailing order. We are looking forward to better news this year, and their current status is as follows:

• Norada was out of the water from 2007-2009 and has had a great deal of work done on her structure, including hull frames, planking, counter-stern and tabernacle. This work has been inspected and passed, but to get to the hull it was necessary to remove most of her interior, which is now being put back and restored where necessary. As well as finishing the living accommodation to a standard suitable for charter, the electrical, gas and other systems must all meet current safety regulations - which can be something of a challenge on a historic vessel! On the outside, one of the larger tasks has been to replace the linoleum on the deck and coach roof. Our current target is to have her operational for day charters from Spring 2012 - bearing in mind that once she ready to sail, we will have to refresh the skills of skippers and crew members who have not sailed on a wherry yacht for some years. When the overhaul of her interior is complete she will be able to undertake overnight charters.
• Olive waits patiently in the boat shelter. She has had no work done on her recently, with attention having focused on Norada's hull and on keeping Hathor sailing for her 2009 tour. We believe that she needs less structural work than Norada, but still requires interior work to bring her up to scratch. In late 2011 we were allocated almost £60,000 in grant funding for Olive's restoration, with the daunting condition that we have to raise and spend the money in order to claim the funding! Nonetheless, we are working hard on fundraising and aim to have her sailing again later in the 2012 season.
• Hathor retired after her 2009 Farewell Tour, not permanently but it will be some years until her restoration is complete. At the moment she is under the covers at the boat base, at the end of the queue for restoration. Once Olive is complete, we will be able to turn our attention to Hathor and give her the care and attention she deserves inside and out. Her return, projected for 2013, will see the fleet complete once again, and will be the cue for a very large celebration!
• White Moth is currently a guest in our fleet. Although privately owned, she will be operated by WYCCT for charter purposes for the next three years, allowing us to earn much-needed income. We are very grateful for this opportunity, and particularly delighted to welcome Olive and Norada's sister vessel from the Ernest Collins fleet.

It is important to remember that, although we hold a significant award from the HLF to support the restoration, our ability to tap into it is still dependent on us finding match funding in the form of donations, grants, and volunteer time. With the extensive sailing tours of previous years and the huge effort put in by our crew and other volunteers, we are nearing the limit of the amount we can claim in respect of volunteer hours, and therefore must depend ever more heavily on raising money. We apply to other charitable trusts and grant awarding bodies wherever possible, and make every effort to raise money through our own activities. Friends' subscriptions, sales and events income all help us to unlock HLF funds, as do simple donations - but the biggest boost for us will be the return of a wherry to sailing (and therefore earning!) condition, for use on both private charters and public sailings and viewings. However you can support us, it is most welcome and will help us towards our goal of seeing all three wherries sailing together again.