Wherry, Norfolk

A Norfolk wherry is an inland sailing trading vessel of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads in eastern England, in use from the 18th into the early 20th century. Black-hulled, shallow-draft, and clinker- or carvel-built, it carried a single large gaff sail on a counterbalanced mast that lowered to pass under bridges. A crew of one or two carried coal, reed, grain, and bricks along the rivers and broads. Surviving trading wherries such as Albion are preserved as heritage craft.