It once would have been a common sight – a sail boat making its way along the Norfolk coast with a cargo of beer and this weekend one brewery turned the clocks back to do just that.
Setting sail from Wells Quay on Friday, October 5, a group of voyagers made a 24-hour journey to King's Lynn under the guidance of the Coastal Exploration Company on its 1950s wooden whelk which was laden with beer from Barsham Brewery, near Fakenham.
A spokesman for the group said: 'Friday started calmly but the wind moved to a strong northerly and the heavy rain meant we arrived at the mouth of the river at King's Lynn around 4am on the Saturday. We hunkered down and enjoyed bacon sandwiches on board after a sleep in the hammocks on board.'
Transporting beer by sea was first mooted as a sustainable way of delivering a Norfolk product which is brewed from local water, barley and malt.
A spokesman said: 'We wanted to celebrate the Hanseatic heritage of King's Lynn and transport beer the way it used to be done and in an environmentally friendly way. Bank House is the historic heart of King's Lynn and it's ancient cellars and riverside location make it the perfect place to deliver to. 'Our oceans are our greatest treasure and it is up to us all to work in a more responsible and sustainable way. We aim to extend to monthly deliveries of Norfolk produce under sail and we are astounded by the interest.'
The length of the journey had caused some difference to the timings originally planned.
A spokesman said: 'It's always down to the tides, the initial journey took slightly longer as the weather wasn't helpful, but we remained on course to arrive at the scheduled time of 5.30pm Sunday evening to unload at Bank House.
'We had a full crew on board as well as a filmmaker from SkyRise Productions, who are filming the whole experience.'
Looking to the future, The Coastal Exploration Company wants to start monthly deliveries along the same route travelled today and to invite Norfolk producers to contact them should they wish to participate.
Andrew Waddison, who took part and is helping is promote the event, said: 'We only have one planet, it's time to start looking backwards in order to move forward.'
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