test please delete

[NickFitz]

As they were drinking, they suddenly saw the wherry sailing away from the staithe!

[NickFitz]

The wherryman's friends had crept up and stolen the wherry, to prevent it falling into the hands of the Crown

[NickFitz]

Naturally, the Customs men rushed out to their cutter, to set sail in pursuit

[NickFitz]

But upon boarding the vessel, they discovered that the wherryman's mates, before taking the wherry, had removed every single rope from the cutter - so they couldn't raise so much as a jib

[NickFitz]

So they had to stand there on the now-useless Customs cutter and watch the wherry sail merrily off down the river

[NickFitz]

The wherryman's mates took the wherry down to Oulton Broad, where they sank it in a reed bed at a remote part of the broad.

[zeitghost]

But upon boarding the vessel, they discovered that the wherryman's mates, before taking the wherry, had removed every single top from the cutter - so they couldn't raise so much as a jib

PALI!

[NickFitz]

And when he got out of prison, maybe a year or so later, they raised the wherry again, gave it a different name, and he was back in business

[NickFitz]

PALI!

Nice, isn't it

[NickFitz]

PALI!

Though it doesn't help that autocorrect had for some reason changed "rope" to "top"