We are a charity and rely on support from our friends and volunteers.
There are many ways you can support us, and we’re always happy to talk to new supporters.

Financial support

Part of the remarkable story of staying afloat for 130 years is the changing on ongoing need for Pilgrim to earn enough to pay for operation and upkeep. From income from fishing to family support she managed to earn enough to keep sailing. Since her return to Brixham she’s relied on donations and heritage funding for major maintenance – proceeds from sailing adventures and charter has only ever earned enough to cover annual operations.

Now more than ever we need financial support, and there are many ways you can help:

Become a member

Most of our guests who have sailed on Pilgrim in the past, will have been added to our ‘supporters list’ and should be receiving newsletters and updates on all our activities and events. But the best way to support us, and be first to know about plans, events and any sailing programme, is to become a Pilgrim Foundation member.

Members of our Foundation are the very lifeblood of Pilgrim. Some support us from afar and some are local volunteers.

Pilgrim Volunteers

We rely on volunteers in a very wide range of jobs that are critical to keeping Pilgrim sailing and being preserved for the nation – see below. You don’t have to be local to Brixham to be involved as a volunteer.

Volunteers need to be members of the Foundation. If you are interested in joining us please complete the Joining Form here.

Card image cap
Volunteer: Sailing Crew

Our professional Skipper and seasonal mate are supported by a volunteer sailing crew. Our sailing volunteers need to be fit and agile. They do not necessarily require prior experience. Our sailing volunteers undergo an extensive training programme before being added to the crew list.

Card image cap
Volunteer: Maintenance Team

Pilgrim takes a lot of looking after and that goes on year-round. In the sailing season, its running repairs and regular maintenance, and in the winter it annual refit and replacement work. Our Volunteers have a broad range of specialist skills and there’s also plenty of jobs for people who just want to help out.

Card image cap
Volunteer: Events and Education

The Events team look after our public and private Open Days and host the school visits and take care of other pontoon based events. Some of these volunteers are more interested in history and heritage than sailing, and this and important part of our education and preservation activities.

Card image cap
Volunter: Administration and Fundraising

All of our Administration is done by volunteers. That includes dealing with sailing guest bookings, promotion, marketing, IT and fundraising work. We can always use volunteers who are handy with social media, photography and all sorts of other activities.