242 BROADLAND SPORT 



Maria was raced quite in her old form, upon Barton Broad, 

 by Sir Jacob Preston and his son Mr T. Preston. She again 

 beat everything in her class, although she was sailing with 

 the same crew, the same sails, and nearly all her original 

 gear of fifty years previously ; the only additions that could 

 be traced were a new garboard strake and some new spars. 



At his death (1894), it is rumoured that Sir Jacob 

 Preston left by will a provision sufficient to preserve this 

 veteran yacht in good order and up-keep for all time. 



The old Sylph, belonging to Colonel Harvey of Thorpe, 

 near Norwich, was another great antagonist to the Maria, but, 

 the patriarch of all Broadland boats was undoubtedly the 

 Augusta, built in 1755 or thereabouts. Colonel H. M. 

 Leathes of Herringfleet Hall states that she retained 

 practically all her old material up to 1867, and that he last 

 saw her about 1885 in a dyke at Buckenham Ferry, 

 where she was affording a home to an artist who was 

 living in her for the winter. She would then be 130 

 years old. 



Another wonderful racer was the Enchantress, built about 

 1850, by Mr Green of Wroxham, to replace his old craft, the 

 Widgeon. She was at first lateen-rigged, measuring nineteen 

 feet on the ram, with a counter seven feet long, beam, nine feet, 

 and draught of water four feet ; her foreyard was sixty feet. In 

 1867 she was bought by Mr O. Diver of Great Yarmouth ; six 

 feet were added to her bows, she was converted into a ten-ton 

 cutter, and her racing days received new life, which were con- 

 tinued with more or less success for some years. At the 

 present day she may be met with labouring along under the 

 management of tourist crews. What an ignominious ending 

 to a proud career! 



In the forties the fastest racing craft of Broadland were 

 lateeners, which invariably beat the so-called cutters, and by 

 the rules of racing they were compelled, to grant a time 

 allowance. 



Prominent amongst the lateens may be mentioned the 

 following : Sir Jacob Preston's Maria ; Mr Thornton's 



