ANYONE for a ghost hunt? A prime opportunity for those interested in investigating psychic phenomena occurs on Oulton Broad on June 24 every year - at 12.30am on Saturday to be precise. The apparition is a large one - a full-sized wherry under sail, no less - and is said to be in full view as it sails round the Broad for about half an hour!

Oulton Broad.

In 1932, there was a great deal of interest in the psychic world about Oulton Broad's phantom wherry and it was reported that no fewer than four learned societies would be there at the appointed hour to keep a date with the "hell ship." They were even equipped with special cine cameras so that the whole horrifying scene could be filmed.

Whether they managed to film this Broads version of the "Flying Dutchman" no-one knows. Perhaps the film proved too horrible to be shown! However, nothing more seems to have been done since then to track down the phantom wherry.

The story of why the wherry reappears on Oulton Broad every June 24 is a romantic if somewhat unbelievable one. It seems that in 1851 a bank in Beccles, wanting to shift £400,000 in cash to Yarmouth, hit upon the crazy idea of shipping it on the wherry Mayfly, the skipper of which, "Blood" Stephenson, was a notorious character. As if this wasn't enough of a temptation for "Blood" the bank also sent the daughter of one of the directors, the fair Miss Millicent Dormey, along for the ride!

Of course, all this was too much for "Blood." Blood's eyes bulged at the sight of his gleaming cargo, and soon he was plotting an evil course. Crazed with desire for the gold and the fair Millicent he took the wherry straight out to the North Sea, bound for Holland - and who can blame him? But Millicent repulsed his advances and the cabin boy, honest Bert Entwistle, sprang to her defence. In the ensuing struggle, the decks ran red with the blood of skipper and passengers alike. The whole debacle ended up with "Blood" and Millicent dead on deck and Bert gibbering with fear. Bert managed to get away in the small boat where he crouched all night praying for deliverance.

When, at last he sighted a sail, Bert thought he was saved, but, horror of horrors, it was the Mayfly, gleaming with a horrible phosphorescence, already a hell ship, destined to sail the seven seas for ever.

Four years later, Bert was quietly fishing at night on Oulton Broad when the Mayfly appeared again - a ghostly ship sailing round the Broad with "Blood" at the helm and the fair Millicent screaming her head off on deck.

And ever since, it is said, on June 24 the Mayfly comes back, eternally trying to find a port which she can enter and gain her rest, though why she sails round Oulton Broad, which has no connection with the original story, no-one knows. Mind you, it hasn't been seen recently. Maybe those psychic researchers frightened it off. However, on June 23 1972, assistant harbour master Bill Soloman revealed the truth about Wherry Mayfly…

Casually, Bill Soloman hammered the final nails into the coffins of "Blood" Stephenson, the Mayfly's demonic skipper, and sweet Millicent Dormey, who died at his hands. "It was lies" said Bill, with a grin.

Since Bill began the tale in the 1950s, many an imaginative mind has been brought to bear in the best tradition of ghost stories. Bill insisted it had been exaggerated since he first told of the ghastly happenings on board the wherry.

Bill Soloman told the Evening News: "It was just a yarn - but aren't all ghost stories yarns?" Bill claims that it all started in the 1950s when a well-known broadcaster visited the area on June 24 … "He asked me for some stories about the Broads," explained Bill … and so the hoax was born.

Bill even planned to substantiate the tale by sailing a wherry on the water that night. Unfortunately, the owner lacked Bill's keen sense of humour and objected to having the phosphorescent paint smeared on the sails.

Since then, the tale has been broadcast and appeared in numerous books and articles - much to Bill's amusement. Not that the story was a complete fabrication. Originally, Bill read of the ghost ship in a book, and "varied it a bit." So perhaps, after all, there is a phantom craft … who knows?

LOCATION