CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2016 29HATHOR
setting up the annual wherry tour which it organised and
promoted until changes at the Broads Authority led to
the withdrawal of its financial support.
Peter and Barney’s growing concern about the long
term future of their three wherries led to the foundation
of WYCCT in 2002 under the leadership of the recently
retired Aitken Clark. Two years later, the Trust acquired
WYC’s fleet having secured its first grant from the
Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and embarked on an
ambitious £1.4 million project to restore the three
wherries and refurbish its base which has subsequently
proved capable of accommodating up to five wherries.
Despite this progress, Olive, Norada and Hathor were
increasingly showing their age, which resulted in the
temporary retirement of all three by 2009. However,
before any of the wherries could be restored, the Trust’s
volunteers, with its contractor, John Grimwood, had to
start work on its Wroxham base which included the
construction of a new covered slipway and workshops.
The completion of this work in 2011 enabled the
Trust to once more turn its attention to the revival of its
wherries, starting with Norada followed by Olive and
then Hathor. Work began on Hathor’s restoration in the
autumn of 2013 and included the replacement of
approximately 100ft (30.48m) of oak planking, several
frames in the forepeak and cuddy as well as stripping all
of the varnished woodwork back to bare wood. The
Bishop of Norwich, The Rt Revd Graham James, led a
rededication service at How Hill to mark the successful
completion of this work on 30 May 2015. The
ceremony was preceded by the first sail past of the five
wherries that are operated under the auspices of
WYCCT, including the wherry yacht White Moth and
the pleasure wherry Ardea which have now joined the
Trust’s fleet on long-term loan. The Bishop has been
actively involved with the Trust as patron since its
foundation and travels to St Benet’s Abbey on board one
of its wherries for the annual open air service on the first
Sunday of August in his role as the Abbot. Unlike
England’s other Abbeys, St Benet’s was never officially
closed during the dissolution of the monasteries in the
Reign of King Henry VIII and the land on which the
buildings stood is still consecrated ground. Even though
Henry VIII commanded that St Benet’s should continue,
the remaining monks had left the site by 1545. The
Abbey subsequently fell into disrepair and was
Above left and
right: Peter
Boardman holds
the camera used
by Florence
Boardman to
photograph
Hathor’s launch
in 1905; the
restoration made
the shortlist for
Classic Boat’s
Restoration of
the Year 2016plundered for materials that were re-used in the
construction of several local buildings within a radius of
approximately 20 miles. The site resumed its role as a
place of worship in 1939 when the then Bishop of
Norwich presided over the first service to be held at the
Abbey for hundreds of years. Since WWII the open air
service has become an annual event which begins with
the Bishop of Norwich arriving on board a wherry while
standing on the foredeck dressed in his cope and mitre.
Last year, the current Bishop made the journey from
Ranworth to St Benet’s on board Hathor and is due to
do so again for this year’s service on 7 August.
Despite WYCCT’s recent achievements, there is no
room for complacency. In the past year, the Trust has
made the transition from being an organisation which
focuses on restorations to one that concentrates on
education, public sailings, entertainment and skippered
charter holidays. The Trust’s ability to charter the
wherries has the potential to generate in excess of
£25,000 per year while the Friends organisation and
other sources usually contribute a further £10,000.
However, this still leaves the Trust with a potential
shortfall of approximately £40,000 per annum to cover
its entire annual running costs, which will have to be
found from other sources now that the HLF funding has
come to an end. Recruiting more members of the
Friends could help dramatically close this gap and
hopefully lead to the involvement of more volunteers
across all of the Trust’s activities.
WYCCT is also developing working relationships
with other organisations. Last season Hathor spent six
weeks at How Hill for the delivery of WYCCT’s
education programme in conjunction with the How
Hill Trust (HHT) which owns the former home of
Edward and Florence Boardman. Since 1984, the HHT
has operated the site as an environmental study centre
for the Broads which offers courses for adults and
children. The presence of a wherry adds a further
dimension to HHT’s courses for school children
alongside its thatching presentation and the tour of its
preserved marshman’s cottage. Such developments,
combined with the hard work of WYCCT supporters,
are helping to build a strong future for the Trust’s fleet
of five wherries which looks very promising, providing
WYCCT can continue to maintain its momentum by
identifying new sources of income and volunteers.HATHOR
LENGTH
56ft (17m)BEAM
14ft (4.26m)DRAUGHT
4ft (1.22m)SAIL AREA
1,157sq ft
(107.5m^2 )GROSS
TONNAGE23
BERTHS
12