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Charlie Green’s Ice Yacht

This wooden ice yacht was built in the late 1920s, probably for Mr and Mrs Charles Green of Beeches Farm, Ludham. These photographs show the ice yacht in action on Hickling Broad, almost certainly in the winter of 1929. The other ice yacht in the photographs belonged to Mr ‘Percy’ Percival of Horning. Charlie Green is wearing a flat cap. His wife, Christobel, who was a well-known Norfolk dinghy sailor in ‘Bubbles’, is wearing a soft round hat, and Percy is wearing a trilby.

Following the death of Charlie Green in 1961, his friend Clifford Kittle of Ludham became the owner of the ice yacht.

In the ‘Great Freeze’ of 1962 – 1963, Beverly Edmonds sailed the ice yacht again on Hickling Broad. It was repaired and once more sailed on Hickling Broad during the ‘Great Snow’ of 1987, but lack of wind and poor ice surface due to the snow ruled out any excitement!

The ice yacht remained in the care of Bob Jarvis after the death of Clifford Kittle in 1992, and was donated to the Museum of the Broads in 1996. Christobel’s dinghy, ‘Bubbles’ was donated to the museum in 2019.

To make your own ice yacht, see our workshops:

Making the sail