BM45 Blog

Guests who sail on Pilgrim enjoy the moods of the sea, the marine wildlife, spectacular scenery and the amazing heritage sailing experience. What they don’t see is what has to go on behind the scenes to keep her conserved and operational. One landmark in that regard is the five year out-of-water inspection and certification required by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. That involves getting Pilgrim to a shipyard that can safely lift her 100+tons and provide the facilities for the all the necessary maintenance work. This periodic landmark also creates an opportunity to do other essential work that can only be done when Pilgrim is safe and secure ashore. At the end of October, she set off from Brixham on a three day passage to MDL’s Saxon Wharf Yard on Southampton. The weather was kind but not great for the sort of sailing the crew might have hoped for. Nevertheless, after a very early start the first night at anchor was a delightful stopover in Swanage Bay. This was followed by a layover near Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, before a carefully timed passage along the Solent and up through a busy Southampton Water into the River Itchen. Pilgrim’s topmast was lowered to pass under the Itchen Bridge and she was moored at Saxon Wharf for two further days so the crew could completely de-rig the boat. A crane was then brought in to lift out both masts for repair and refurbishment and the 200 ton travel hoist was used to Pilgrim out and secure her in the yard for a month of intensive activity. Shipwrights were contracted to replace some planks and stern timbers while the Pilgrim team started work preparing for the inspection. This involves removing the propellers and shafts plus all the ‘through hull’ skin fittings for inspection

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. Twelve years on, Pilgrim really needs some TLC. The intensity of our sailing schedule is taking its toll and the cost of maintenance and refit work is straining the charity’s finances, and the Trustees of the Pilgrim Heritage Sailing Foundation have taken the hard decision to suspend our usual sailing programme for 2025. Our sailing income simply doesn’t enable us to meet all our annual operating and refit costs. Our volunteer team work hard year round to support our sailing operations and we now need to redirect that effort for a while to sustain her for the future. It’s Pilgrim’s 130th anniversary in 2025 and we need to make sure she remains in fine fettle to reach her 150th! For most of 2025 we’ll be in Brixham with the maintenance volunteers and professional shipwrights taking on some big, overdue jobs.  We expect to recommence Open Days and Events from spring 2025 onward – keep an eye on the News and Events page and become a Pilgrim Foundation member to receive advance notice of activities. As a charity, our responsibility is to conserve and protect our heritage asset as an exemplar of Brixham’s Victorian sailing trawlers. This is where you can help. Our charity needs to raise £50,000 for a new suite of sails and so far we’ve raised just over £5700. Please help us fund the sails with a donation CLICK HERE. There are always opportunities

After a busy winter of boat updates, maintenance and training, we are almost ready to welcome our first guests of 2024 on board. Our skipper Richard and crew are looking forward to having you on board for some new adventures!  You can find all our sailing experiences on our sailing page - from day sails to sunset cruises, overnighters to multi-day trips. Whether you are a solo sailor, a couple, family or group, there is something for everyone!