Open day this Saturday 4th July. Town Pontoon, Brixham 10.30am-12.30 and 1.30-3.30pm.
Free Admission, donations welcome
Please help keep Pilgrim sailing!
Help keep our 130 year old heritage vessel sailing!
It costs us £150,000 a year for our volunteers of the Pilgrim Heritage Sailing Foundation to keep Pilgrim operational and preserved.
Pilgrim is the oldest surviving Victorian fishing trawler that was built and rigged in Brixham. Since her restoration Pilgrim has sailed hard for twelve years, taking thousands of guests along the Devon and Cornwall coasts and further afield to the Solent, the Isles of Scilly, France and the Channel Islands. We and our guests have loved seeing her at sea bringing appreciation of the craftsmanship and old ways of sailing.
We need your help to keep Pilgrim sailing and preserved in the heart of Brixham for future generations to enjoy.
Donate for our new sails
Pilgrim is desperate for a new suite of sails and there are other essential maintenance projects we need to undertake. Please donate to help us get new sails and keep her operational. It will cost us £50,000 to replace just the sails and we need your help to raise the money.
About Pilgrim
HISTORIC BOAT
Pilgrim was built at Upham’s yard in Brixham in 1895, next to where she’s currently moored. She’s the oldest surviving sailing trawler that was built and rigged in the port. She fished out of the port for 17 years before being sold to owners on the west coast of Sweden. In the 87 years that followed in Scandinavia she had many lives and a number of setbacks . Fortunately, in 1999 she was rescued and returned to Brixham and after many years of fund raising efforts she finally had a full restoration which started in 2010 in the neighbouring port of Dartmouth. Her red sails are iconic of Brixham trawlers and in her regular seasons she’s under sail most days, helping bring historic sailing to new generations.
HISTORIC TOWN
When Pilgrim was built Brixham and Torbay were home to a fleet of over 300 large fishing trawlers working the English Channel and farther afield. In Victorian times, Brixham was the largest fishing harbour in Devon, with as many as 1,600 trawlermen working out of the port. Today, more fish is landed in Brixham than any other port in England with a fleet of modern trawlers. However, the seafaring heritage is alive and well and Pilgrim joins with other historic vessels every year for the Brixham Heritage Regatta and events like the annual Pirate Festival bringing visitors from around the world. Pilgrim is the current holder of the King George V Perpetual Cup awarded by the King in 1914 to the sailing trawlers of Brixham and competed for each year at the Regatta.
THE CHARITY
The Pilgrim Heritage Sailing Foundation was formed in 2017 as a registered charity to take on the conservation, operation, maintenance and protection of the heritage sailing trawler Pilgrim of Brixham BM45. We rely on donations and sponsorship for the upkeep a 131-year-old lady requires, and volunteers are key to the routine maintenance and management of Pilgrim. Proceeds from sailing adventures and charters only cover a part of the cost of conserving her for future generations. The charity relies on public support through donations, grants, legacies etc together with fundraising events and other community activities.
Help keep Pilgrim maintained and operating
GET INVOLVED WITH PILGRIM
SUPPORT and SIGN-UP
We’ll keep you up to date with all things “Pilgrim” and we have some great offers …
SIGN UP HERE
SIGN UP HERE
FOUNDATION MEMBERSHIP
DONATIONS
We are a small charity and we need every penny to keep Pilgrim sailing
DONATE HERE
DONATE HERE
VISIT our SHOP
Check out our range of Pilgrim clothing, regalia and publications
SHOP HERE
SHOP HERE
Pilgrim of Brixham Adventure Sailing is provided by the Pilgrim Heritage Sailing Foundation which is a registered charity and operates from the historic Brixham Harbour in Devon, UK. We sail Pilgrim along the Devon and Cornwall coast, the Isles of Scilly, the Channel Islands and to France from Easter to October each year. Our base in Brixham is in the South Devon National Landscape and in the UNESCO English Riviera Global Geopark