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 for volunteers to join our charitable Foundation and we need help with maintenance, marketing, fundraising and administration. Pilgrim with her red sails is an icon of Brixham and Torbay and we rely on the goodwill and hard work of our community to keep her preserved for future generations to curate and sail her over the years ahead. Please get in touch if you would like to help or visit our website for more information.