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About Vigilance of Brixham
The prime objective of Vigilance of Brixham has been, and continues to be, the preservation of Vigilance for the enjoyment of as many Brixham residents and visitors as possible. The aim is to give people the opportunity to experience the unique delights of visiting and sailing this historic boat and in the process raise awareness of, and perpetuate, the skills and craftsmanship required to keep her ship-shape.
All aspects of the running of Vigilance, administrative, maintenance and sailing, are carried out by a team of volunteers, who all play a vital part in the continuing life of this historic vessel. In addition to regular visitors, the team run visits and sailings for local schools, and community organisations ranging from Girl Guides to local NHS staff. Residents and visitors alike value seeing the red sails of Vigilance crossing the bay. It is the Friends' intention that as many people as possible should be able to enhance that experience on board.
Vigilance of Brixham
Vigilance was the last sailing trawler built at Uphams Yard in Brixham, the birthplace of the trawling industry. Launched in 1926, she was owned by Brixham local George Foster and skippered by his brother Fred. Although perhaps an anachronism – by 1926 most owners were opting for steam rather than sail power - Vigilance did incorporate all the lessons learned from the building and use of her forerunners, such as the beautiful elliptical counter stern which made her dryer and more manageable when trawling in a following sea.
She had a relatively short career with the Fosters before bankruptcy forced her return to Uphams in 1933. During the war she protected Brixham and Teignmouth from aerial bombardment by serving as a “Barrage Balloon” mooring vessel.
After the war she was converted into a gentleman's yacht, but a fire in the early 1950s meant she lay unused until 1955 when she passed to Ken Harris in lieu of payment for work done to her. Ken spent the next 17 years restoring her. She was then used as a training ship, a film set and an Arctic survey ship before she was brought back to her birthplace in 1997 by a preservation company.
Now in the ownership of the charity “The Friends of the Vigilance CIO”, she has been used extensively for sailing trips for visitors to Brixham. Sailed and run entirely by volunteers, Vigilance is the only Sailing Trawler based all year round in Brixham.
Restoration
In common with all wooden boats there comes a time when major restoration is needed to keep sailing, and that stage has been reached by Vigilance. In 2022 the charity received a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund of £820,000 towards the total of £1,500,000 needed for the vital restoration work. In June 2022 sailing was stopped and the task of preparing her to go to Will Stirling and Son Boatyard commenced. Stirling and Son use No.1 covered slip in Plymouth, a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a heritage slipway in its own right. It is fitting that Vigilance, the last built of her line and a heritage asset, should be undergoing restoration in such a wonderful setting.
Funding remains a major issue for the Friends of the Vigilance, who still need to find about £400,000 to complete the project. As well as local fundraising events, a Sponsorship Packages brochure has been developed that enables potential donors to choose to support specific elements of the restoration, and details the benefits to sponsors.
The future for Vigilance
What does the future hold for this magnificent boat? Once restored and back home in Brixham, she will again be used to take visitors and locals out on sailing trips of 3 hours or more, with some overnight stops and the occasional voyage to heritage festivals.
During the preparation of Vigilance for her restoration, all of the “luxury” fittings were removed and down below she started to look more like the trawler she started out as. On her return, the Friends intend to make increased use of her as an educational resource showing what trawling was like in the early 1900s, working in collaboration with the local Museum and Seadream Education.
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