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Preface

My first introduction to “Dragon” was during the summer of 1948 when in reply to an advertisement in The Eastern Daily Press an agent took us to her mooring in Brimbelow Road Wroxham (Hoveton). The owner was away and little was known by the agent of the condition of the hull but we (Audrey, my mother known throughout the log as AKH) were shown over her. Superficially she was very attractive to us and I made an offer subject to survey. After some bargaining with the agent lasting a few days negotiations lapsed.

In January 1949 another agent offered her to me but in doing so said the owner was abroad and had left no instructions.

In August 1949 over a box number an un named wherry was offered for sale. I immediately wrote for details. No reply was received until mid September when the owner Mr G W Eves wrote offering Dragon for sale. Negotiations continued with him over the whole of the winter during which time he sent her to Lowestoft for slipping and repair. AKH and I saw her on the slip on the last Sunday in October and Mr Austrin, manager of Stalham Yachting Station Ltd had inspected her earlier in the week.

On 19 November 1949 the owner formally accepted a conditional offer from me for purchase. On 4 February 1950 Mr Nat Bircham gave The (“The” was crossed out in the manuscript and from then on was never used by my Father, in fact he would get quite cross if people called her “THE Dragon” we always called her just Dragon) Dragon a trial run under power from her moorings at Wroxham round Wroxham Broad and back.

On 18 March 1950 I took over Dragon.

                               H.E. Hopthrow

Dragon was built at Press’s yard Wroxham, then owned by The Norfolk Broads Yachting Company, in 1900/01 ( launched 1901) The company was formed by Mr F H Chambers. It is believed that Dragon was built as a trader but converted to a pleasure wherry before she was launched according to Boss Applegates Diary she also had an extra depth of keel added after her launching year.

18th March   At noon Nat Bircham arrived at Dragon’s mooring (Brimbelow Road) to act as sailing master on a passage to Stalham. The morning had been fully occupied in checking the inventory and collecting various bits of gear from a number of store places. The sail had been delivered, after overhaul by Jeckells, still in a “bundle” on the deck. None of the running rigging was rove. There was a gale from the south west and in my estimation little prospect of sailing. Nat “thought otherwise” rove the gear bent on the sail and hoisted it while still moored! The mast whipped like a fishing rod. The sail was lowered for all to get lunch (AKH, HEH, Nat and his son John). Nat decided to sail under 2 reefs so we left the mooring under sail and motor at 2pm. Mr South, Mr Eves son in law, travelled with us as he had never seen the wherry under sail.

With motor running all the time we sailed down The Bure in heavy weather. It was a dead beat or close-hauled all the way till we turned into the Ant. At Ludham Bridge we had to lower the sail and mast and took the opportunity to refill the petrol tank. (In those early days the engine, Thorneycroft Handbill started on petrol then with luck when hot enough we turned over to TVO)

With a following gale the engine was stopped, both reefs shaken out, and we sailed at a great pace up The Ant, across Barton Broad and up to Stalham. With the exception of one yacht (Cordon Rouge) at the entrance to the broad no other boats were seen out during the whole passage. During the run up the Ant and across the Broad “Dragon” was probably travelling at her maximum Speed. We arrived at Stalham 5pm after a most exhilarating experience.

19th March (Sunday) Transferring gear from “Limberlost” (This was an old Broadland ice barge, about 50 foot long, which had been converted before The 2nd world war to a house boat my Father sold her to a family who due to the wartime housing shortage had been living in one room 8 feet square. They called her their” Palace”) to Dragon (AKH & HEH)

25th – 26th March (Saturday to Sunday) HEH Transferring gear filling with water and petrol. Dragon aground, very low water.

5th April (Wednesday) AKH, AKMH (my sister Anne) JLEH + the Dog Fossey arrived by train and taxi to prepare for Easter Cruise (slept ashore at Brightside, Stalham).

6th April (Thursday)  Airing bedding, filling up with water (this had to be done using the dinghy and a 5gallon can as there were no hose pipes available) and provisioning. Cousin Roy Taylor and HEH arrived by car in the evening. HEH friend Lt. Col Edgar Brawn (he designed The Romney Hut during the war and was on my Fathers staff) plus his children Vivian and David arrived to spend the weekend on Limberlost.

7th April (Good Friday) HEH, AKH, JLEH, AKMH & Roy left Stalham under power, looked at “Barton Broad” turned and returned to Barton Staithe owing to gale and rain. In the afternoon, with Brawns as crew, we motored to Irstead Shoals & sailed back to Barton Staithe after tea. The wind had eased and we sailed round the Broad before retuning. During a gybe one engine room door was lost over board & retrieved by Viv in the Dingy “XIT” (nothing loose must be left on deck while sailing!)

8th April (Saturday) Gales and rain 

9th April (Easter Sunday) Gale & rain. Rain eased after midday. Motored to Ludham Bridge, Brawns as crew. Wind lifted forepeak hatch and flung it in the river. Picked up by Roy in Xit. When turning in Barton Dyke stern mooring warp parted & caused a “diversion” (cast off running rigging unsuitable for warps unless carefully examined). The water point at Ludham Bridge was a lee shore & many boats calling. After filling up with water and 2 gallons of petrol (there were restrictions on the amount of petrol we were allowed to buy, the pump was hand operated) an abortive attempt was made to turn around, adjourned for tea! Lowered mast and motored through bridge and turned below it. Motored to Barton with mast down, blowing hard darkness falling making it difficult to see the dinghy towing astern. In trying to Ann on board ran aground in the Ant. Got off with aid of quants, “ Brawn”, engine and rising tide. Xit’s painter parted, David recovered her. 

Towing painters must be robust and securely fastened) Passage in the dark both in The Ant and on Barton Broad very difficult lookout forward conned the way and gave hand and voice signals( as there are no lighted navigation marks on the boards) arrived Barton Staithe 8.25pm. Raised mast and moored. (I remember we had a large light fitting that would have clipped into a key slot on the mast, we never used it as it would have drained the batteries in next to no time)  

10th April (Easter Monday) Retuned to Stalham under power, moored our mooring in the bight, having moved the green Yacht Roma. (We came to know the owner of this very pretty boat with a large bowsprit and counter stern, he used to take Barnardo’s boys on short sailing trips) Brawn family returned by car to London.

11th April (Tuesday) HEH returned to London by car Roy Taylor returned to Derby by train (from Stalham).

12th April (Wednesday) AKH, AKMH, JLEH  stowing gear.

13th April (Thursday) AKH, AKMH, JLEH returned to London (from Wroxham).

23rd May AKH arrived on board.

24th May AKMH, JLEH arrived. Nita (AKH Sister) called in.

26th May HEH and Eileen Roe arrived by car pm.

27th May (Saturday) Aground at berth, after much pulling and pushing and swinging got underway under power at 11.00am. Arrived Ludham Bridge 1.00pm and ran aground a ships length short of the water point. Plenty of water alongside. Left Ludham 2.30pm. Motored to Ranworth. Searched for anchorage in Malthouse Broad but found no holding blew aground! Floated on rising tide and motored into Ranworth Dyke for the night.

28th May (Whit Sunday) Left Ranworth under power 10.15am motored against head wind arriving Salhouse Broad 12.15pm anchored with new C.Q.R. anchor, it held. Took 2 reefs in, motored out of Broad 3.00pm hoisted sail and sailed with strong following wind to Ant mouth {Passed Horning 4.25pm}. Lowered sail at Ant mouth and motored to Ludham Bridge 5.45pm. Left Ludham Bridge under power 7.15pm arrived Barton Turf 9.00pm.

29th May (Whit Monday) Moored Barton, Sailing Elnora (Norfolk Broads one design dingy B67) Eileen Roe left at tea time.

30th May HEH left am. Remainder to Stalham in Xit.

31st May AKH, AKMH, JLEH  Painting plantshear white

1st June Painting. Calor Gas agent from Roys overhauling gas system. Replaced governor.

2nd June  AKH, AKMH, JLEH to Stalham in Xit (with 1.5 horse power Anzanie outboard)

HEH, Edgar and Bertha Brawn arrived by road 9.30pm.

3rd June (Saturday) Motored to Ludham Bridge & onto South Walsham Broad. Very hot cloudless day, cruised round outer broad moored Fleet Dyke for Lunch. After lunch hoisted sail & sailed out of Fleet Dyke and up Bure to Wroxham Broad about 6.30pm. Dropped sail motored to Horning Ferry, moored for the night

4th June (Sunday) Motored to Ant Mouth, Ludham Bridge, Barton Broad (Noon). Raced Elnora pm but gave up owing to very light airs. Motored into Barton Staithe 3.30pm. HEH & Brawns left by road 5.00pm

1950

Continued on the next page

Extracts from Dragon’s Log

1950 – 1958

Written by Brig H E Hopthrow, Owner

Transcribed by his son John

Re-printed below are the original sailing logs from 1950-59 of the wherry “Dragon” as written by her then owner, Brigadier H.E. Hopthrow, with additional notes added in bracketed italics by his son John. My thanks go to John for kindly allowing me permission to publish this fascinating piece of Broadland’s history on here. Throughout the logs the family are referred to by their initials -  HEH is Brigadier Hopthrow, AKH is his wife Audrey, AKMH is their daughter Anne, and JLEH is their son John.