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

For 2025 we’re focusing on major maintenance, so the usual sailing programme isn’t being offered summer of 2025, however normally Pilgrim would be out sailing the coasts of Devon and Cornwall and across to the Channel Islands, Brittany and out to the Isles of Scilly. Her programme includes day sailing experiences as well as weekend adventures, short breaks and complete holidays. Guests are always encouraged to get involved and help sail Pilgrim guided by our mixed professional and volunteer crew.

Our Volunteers

Our volunteer teams work hard, year round, to support the sailing and restoration programmes.

No matter what the task, the maintenance team are the people who keep Pilgrim in good repair. We make our own masts and spars in our Brixham workshop which we share with another heritage sailing trawler. The maintenance team also look after the rig, sails and all of the boats timbers, mechanical and electrical systems. We only use professional contractors when the skills required are unique to the requirement and not within our volunteer group.

The events team look after public access activities like Open Days, School Visits and Fundraising functions. Every year the Foundation stages a sequence of Open Days so Brixham locals and Torbay visitors can come aboard and learn about Pilgrim’s story and her capabilities. There is also an education programme working with local schools and colleges to create an understanding of Brixham’s fishing community heritage. Our charity is also an associate of the Torbay UNESCO Geopark.

Building community

Through or events, trips and volunteering Pilgrim plays a major role in the local community.

Locally we reach out to community groups and schools to share our heritage. Pilgrim maintenance volunteers share sailing, woodworking and rigging skills with young volunteers, many of whom go on to achieve qualifications such as Yachtmaster or woodworking/craft credentials. Our back office and volunteer administrators keep the Foundation running and manage the operations and fundraising to help keep Pilgrim sailing.

The Pilgrim Shanty Singers keep traditional songs alive and create new traditions with new songs about Pilgrim and her adventures, and we welcome members and supporters to join in with our events.