History of Vigilance

BRIEF HISTORY

Vigilance BM76 is a piece of floating history. She’s one of only seven surviving sailing trawlers built in Brixham. When she was launched in 1926, she represented the pinnacle of trawler design and proved it with her record-breaking speed and by winning Brixham’s coveted George V Cup in the annual Trawler Race. But, sadly, she was moth-balled after just eleven years when steam-power took over from sail, and during WWII – little more than a hulk – she was used as a platform for tethering barrage balloons.

Following the war, she escaped being broken up for scrap and was refitted as a gentleman’s yacht. Vigilance then survived an attempted arson attack and several more years of neglect before enjoying yet another career as a sail training craft and an Arctic Survey Vessel.

In 1997 she was ‘rediscovered’ moored up on the Isle of Man and sailed back home to Brixham by a group of local enthusiasts to be restored. It was a precarious voyage; the bilge pumps were working overtime the whole way! But her arrival back in the bay marked the first step in establishing Brixham’s present day Heritage Fleet and Vigilance is now enjoying yet another new lease of life as a floating and working reminder of the port’s role in international fishing history.

PRESERVATION

Since her return home in 1997 Vigilance has been proudly owned, maintained and crewed by Brixham people. She is the only boat in the Heritage Fleet currently relying entirely on voluntary support. The owners are Friends of the Vigilance CIO.

From the outset, our aim has been to preserve Vigilance for the enjoyment of as many Brixham residents and visitors as possible. Thanks to the skill and craftsmanship of our dedicated team of maintenance volunteers Vigilance sailed on for another 25 years, allowing hundreds of people to experience the unique delights of sailing this classic boat every summer from Torbay, to Cornwall and the north coast of France.

But in the summer of 2022 it became obvious that much more serious work needed doing below the waterline beyond the scope of our volunteers.

After an initial set-back we were incredibly fortunate to win a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Memorial Fund which meant Vigilance could afford to undergo a major refit at one of the country’s finest traditional boatbuilders, Stirling and Son, in Plymouth.

MAINTENANCE

Even if you’re not a sailor, there is an opportunity to get involved in keeping Vigilance afloat.

When Vigilance returns from her refit it’s going to take a lot of work to replace internal woodwork and complete the necessary plumbing and electrical systems. All year round there are weekly maintenance mornings, usually on a Tuesday, when enthusiasts can come aboard to help. Lack of expertise is no barrier as there is always painting and polishing to be done!

Her mast and spars and her rigging are frequently overhauled. (Fitting the new mast in the winter of 2012 was quite a spectator sport as it was fashioned from a tree in the Old Fish Market).

Visit the National Historic Ships website to learn more about Vigilance

BRIXHAM TRAWLERS

Brixham Sailing Trawlers, even in their heyday, were not built to last.

Many were launched, worked pretty much to destruction for 10 or 15 years and then scrapped. In some cases, they were sold on by less-than-scrupulous owners who knew that they were soon to become an expensive liability. So it is little short of a miracle that Vigilance, the last of the surviving sailing trawlers built in the port, is still afloat today -nearly 100 years on.

Her restoration marked the first step in establishing Brixham’s present-day Heritage Fleet. She is the only trawler maintained and crewed entirely by volunteers whose dearest wish is to see her sail serenely on into her centenary year.

Welcome Aboard

VIGILANCE of BRIXHAM IS PART OF THE U.K. HISTORIC FLEET

78FT BRIXHAM BUILT SAILING TRAWLER
BEING NEWLY-REFITTED BY EXPERT SHIPWRIGHTS

THANKS TO THE NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE MEMORIAL FUND