Matchless

The Matchless was a British pleasure yacht which sank in Morecambe Bay, off north west England, in 1894 with the loss of 25 lives. Boat The Matchless was a Lancashire nobby sailing boat, used for fishing in winter and for pleasure trips in summer. It was long, of tonnage about 5 tons, and had mainsail, foresail, topsail and jib. It had been built by a Mr Woodhouse in Overton in 1877. On the day of the disaster, as was usual except in rough weather, it was operated by a single boatman, its owner Samuel Houghton, aged 54 and an experienced skipper. Sinking