A Weekend On Wherry White Moth

[Polly]

This was to be our second time of hiring White Moth. I love this wherry and have a framed enlarged photo of it on my dining room wall, which I took early one morning on Malthouse Broad.

So, on Friday, David, Sharon and I set out from Northamptonshire, taking a break at Elveden Farm Shop for lunch and arrived at Roy’s Carpark at 4. Claire, Andy and James (10) had the joys of the Dartford Crossing to contend with and were due at 5.30.

With time to spare, we three had to go and sit on the Hotel Terrace with a cooling drink…it’s a hard life! 

Our next task was to stock up at Roy’s with food and drink, Dave went to buy some new sailing gloves at the Chandlery and then we headed to the Wherry Charter Base, aka Barton Model Railway Base which is off The Avenue in Wroxham.

There’s an interest in tradition here so luggage goes from the car by wheelbarrow as in the olden days of boat hire. 
 The path to the river passes through the garden and the model railway to one side and a boundary hedge the other. Looking across this, I saw a Water Deer grazing, and further down, a Heron on its nest with the young looking up at it.

Ian, our volunteer skipper, was there with White Moth out on the river. I could see lovely Ardea back in one of the sheds, reminding me of watching the NBYCo web cam avidly during her rebuild. 

Loaded and safety briefed we motored to Wroxham Broad for the night. A night which was sadly the scene of a search and rescue operation.

Respect and condolences to the young man’s family.
 

[Polly]

We motored out of Wroxham Broad at about 10 next morning and Ian gave us our sailing instructions on the river before making sail. The wind was mild but it served. 
David quickly became a useful crew member and I think Ian enjoyed working with him over the weekend. 
Our destination was Black Horse Broad for a lunch of rolls and cheese and cooked meats. Also, what joy, David had provided Pimms and Lemonade😊.

Of course White Moth is a wonderful sight on the river, providing passing day boats and trip boats with a memorable ‘Wow’ moment. 

We motored into Black Horse, dropping the sail on the river, and dropped the mudweight. 
 

Lunch was a chilled out affair and, we had two dinghies with us for a bit of a row round afterwards. 
 

By this point, Andy was saying that he was really enjoying himself, having previously been a very reluctant sailor. James and I were pottering about, rowing, and said he’d like to buy a house and a boat here with Mummy and Daddy when he gets bigger. Broads magic at work.

Swan Bend negotiated and Horning passing by. I thought of you, Liz, and Ian and I talked about Gus. I remembered him waving the stag boats on downstream to the Ferry instead of encouraging them in to The New Inn. We always had a busy but pleasant night’s stay there 😊

Ranworth was our nights destination. Once we were out in the marshes, the wind picked up and we sailed at a sedate but steady pace. I got to helm down the Dam and into the broad, which was nice. 
 

We dropped the mudweight and we rowed in to drop a bin bag and check out the Maltsters for a table later. 

Malthouse Broad is ‘my place’ I have spent hours and hours sailing The Whimp, my dinghy, there; so I was keen to potter about in one of Moth’s rowing dinghies. Balm to the soul.

James by this time was fast asleep, so in the end Sharon and I stayed with him whilst the others went ashore.

We sat and chatted in the cockpit, enjoying the evening. As it got cooler we put up the cockpit awning, entertaining the shore crew who were watching us figuring it out. Now warm and sheltered but with the back open we continued our chat, also prepped the strawberries that Claire had brought as a post pub dessert, with cream- remember that cream…..😋

No sooner were the strawberries prepped than we got a text saying ‘forget  the strawberries we’re all full’, so they got a good meal at The Maltsters. 
 

Once returned it was optional hot chocolate and turning in. James was still asleep, and in fact, slept through until morning. 

The cabins on White Moth are very comfortable, lots of varnish and red upholstery of course. The saloon has two double bunks and, Edwardian Splendour, a piano. She was built in 1915 and will have seen some gracious living.

We managed to clobber one of the two loos on the first night, it being electric nowadays didn’t save it from being temperamental after all. However we were fine with the second loo, which saved Ian and David any further efforts with a stirrup pump and buckets!

The Wherry is licensed for, I think, 12 overnight passengers, but in the way of any boat I have been on, less is more. 
We had James and his parents in the saloon and Sharon, David and I had a cabin each. This was very comfortable, the cabins are actually doubles, in fact, and there is a bracket above for a pipe cot, so at a push you could sleep 3.

The galley is long and practical, with a hob and oven and fridge, all gas and spotlessly clean.

Flotex carpets are throughout more on this later…..
 

 

 

 

[Polly]

[Polly]

Early morning on Malthouse was rowing about time. Lovely! 
Claire and I went into the shop for a few bits and a couple of presents. Nice to see Steve and catch up, Claire was very touched to see that Steve has Phill’s photo up behind the counter. ‘There’s Dad’ Steve said what he most remembered was Phill’s laugh, which prompted a flow of reminiscences.

Back on White Moth we had hot buttered crumpets before making sail.  
 

Whilst under way Sharon and I sorted a full English for everyone, thinking that a good brunch would set us up for the day and the drive home later. So brunch and Pimms were very enjoyable indeed.Doing this breakfast for 8 reminded me of cooking breakfast for 13 on Broad Ambition before the 3RR, but that’s another story.

Sharon and Claire conquered the scrambled egg saucepans, which were predictably the worst bit of the washing up and we got clear and tidy.

Soon after there was a squawk from Claire. The cream, remember the cream, had dived out of the fridge and flowed out on to the Flotex. It took the combined effort of three of us to get it off the carpet. Then it was clearly time for yet another round of tea. I found the carpet to be unpleasant pottering about with bare feet so slipped on my sandals, big mistake.  Taking a cup of tea to Claire, now on deck, my sandal skidded on the bottom step and I twisted my leg, very ouch! In retrospect I realise that the cream residue had lubricated the sole with interesting results. Never mind, the girl got her tea.👍🏻

David and Ian helmed us down to Salhouse for a break, David and James went rowing, then David went ashore and came back with an ice lolly for James.

No coots! None on Malthouse, none even on Salhouse. I know a lot colonised the Ant flood relief channel but none here is not good.

The beach was thronged with kids having a wonderful time, which was good to see, also canoes were much in evidence. 
 

Soon we were off on the last leg. The wind being from the west made for a more technical sailing back. David loved it and said Ian had taught him a lot about Broads sailing, he being mostly a sea sailor these days.

We aimed to be at base at 5. Ian was there by just 6 minutes past.

Now it was time for thanks and farewells but we have booked again for next year. 

 

[Polly]

[ExSurveyor]

What a lovely write up and photos, thank you.

[Polly]

Just to clarify. The breakfast for 13 fed several boats crews rafted and a few people ashore….Griff invited I cooked in relays!!!

[YnysMon]

Thanks for a lovely tale Pauline. It sounds like the ideal family weekend…apart from the cream incident, lol.

[Lulu]

Lovely write up. feels very Swallows and Amazons, wonderful . It’s on my bucket list to at least have a day out on a wherry 

[Polly]

Do it Sam it’s less costly than you think.

[Polly]

A few more photos.

[YnysMon]

That’s a big tiller.I guess it looks bigger with a fairly small person in charge of it!