A trip with a difference

On Sunday August 16 2026  we sailed on the restored Norfolk trading Wherry, Maud on the River Yare.
Wherry Maud Trust – Keeping Broads history alive
As it was a one way journey from Thorpe, Frostbites sailing club to Reedham ferry a bit of car shuffling was involved. We met another couple at Reedham and then travelled in their car to Thorp, leaving ours at the Ferry Pub.
This was our planned route

After donning lifejackets and a safety briefing we boarded Maud and cast off. One of the crew quantted the bows out into the cannel, no bow thruster for this old girl and then Nicky in the tender pushed us down stream against the incoming tied, there wasn’t a breath of wind and the sail was still down. As we approached Trowse Viaduct the mast had to be dropped  quite a way to clear it.

Once through the viaduct the mast was raised again, this is done with a block and tackle right at the bows of the boat and the sail hoisted, this is done with a two handed winch just ahead of the mast. You may expect the rope on the winch to be laid out evenly across the roller but its not. There is more effort required to hoist the sail the final few feed so the rope is wound to give a smaller diameter roller for that part of the job.

A short way beyond Trowse viaduct is where the local sewage works discharges into the river. You can see the incoming tide taking the foam upstreamThankfully as the morning progressed the wind freshened  so we were able to do some sailing. The wind was south east and the tide against us, but thanks to all the twists it the river we did pick a bit of speed up in places.

One thing I didn’t expect was to see three steel Narrowboats moored along here

Another strange sight was a stand-up Paddle Board with a chair on it, the chap at the front paddling and his young lady sitting watching the world go by.

We saw a few hire cruisers about but we also saw several yachts and although or general direction of travel was into the wind, the wind was on our stern as we met a couple tacking towards us and then behind us.

While we actually had some wind and the tender wasn’t required to pus us, some of the passengers took the opportunity to go out and take photographs of Maud.

The traditional Norfolk sailing yachts look quite splendid as they glides by, if I was a tad younger I could well look at hiring something like this for a weeks holiday

As we approached Reedham we passed the Cantley Sugar factory. By now the tide had turned and was slowly running with us. British Sugar recently announced that they plan close the site down.

As we approached Reedham the crew lowered the sail ready for us to come in to moor, we carried on downstream passed the pub before turning and come into moor right in front of the pub head to tide. We then took the couple who had gives a lift to Thorp this morning a ride to pick up their car in Thorp before heading home.