Bank Holiday Devon Delights – Pilgrim

Vessel: Bank Holiday Devon Delights – Pilgrim
Where: Devon

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Make the most of your bank holiday with a 3 day cruise around Devon on the magnificent Pilgrim of Brixham.

This 3 day cruise offers a great introduction to sailing a traditional ship – and with her red sails, rich heritage and classic tiller, Pilgrim of Brixham is the perfect ship to do it on. You’ll be able to explore the South Devon coastline, with quintessential seaside towns such as Torbay, Dartmouth and Salcombe all on the list of potential stops. Whilst you’ll be able to explore land on this trip, you will develop your sea legs with a unique sailing experience. The crew will literally show you the ropes and encourage you to get stuck in and experience first hand traditional classic boat sailing.

Your voyage will leave from Pilgrim’s home port of Brixham, and while no two journeys on board any of our vessels are the same, the crew know the area really well and will do their best to show you the best bits! Brixham is a busy fishing port, so watch out for local vessels bringing in their catch, as well as other traditional vessels sailing past. After sailing out of Brixham, Pilgrim will take you around Berry Head towards Dartmouth and sail the coast to Slapton Sands, from where you’ll visit beautiful anchorages and their towns. Berry Head is a limestone headland, and this area of outstanding natural beauty is home to colonies of guillemots, black legged kittiwakes, kestrels and gulls. As you sail past the headland, keep your eyes peeled for porpoises and dolphins which will often join Pilgrim, playing in the wake of the bow.

You will be welcomed aboard with refreshments before the usual safety briefings and boat tour to allow you to settle in and find your way around. Once everyone is ready we will set sail and the adventure begins!

Points of Interest during your Devon Taster Sailing Experience:

As we leave Brixham,be sure to look back at the picture postcard fishing port with pretty colour-washed fishermens cottages rising up around the old harbour. You will also see other heritage vessels and classic sailing boats as well as fishing trawlers in and around the busy harbour. Pilgrim sets sail around Berry Head. This dramatic limestone headland is designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty. It is home to a sea bird colony of guillemots, black legged kittiwakes. Kestrels and gulls also make it their home. We are often accompanied by dolphins or porpoises here, so make sure you are up on deck with your camera to get some great shots of the amazing sea life.

There is plenty of history along this coastline too, from Berry Head being the site of a Napoleonic Fort, to the Slapton Sands site of the D Day Exercise Tiger – a fateful day for British Troops. If tides are with you, you may get as far as Slapton Ley, the largest freshwater lake in the South West (and a haven for bird spotters!), before turning back towards Brixham and setting the sails for home.

A ‘Day Mark’ built in 1864 on the eastern side of the estuary helps us identity the River Dart. We then pass the Mewstone rock just outside the mouth of the river. This is often another spot to see the occasional harbour porpoise, common grey seal as well as cormorants, guillemots, gannets and sea gulls. Dependant on the weather this is often our overnight port.

As we raise the anchor and sail on, the famous Slapton Sands stretch for 2 miles ahead. In 1944 this was the scene of the infamous Exercise Tiger, involving 30,000 troops, a D Day rehearsal that unfortunately went badly wrong. A combination of an attack by German E-boats and miss timed friendly fire resulted in the loss of 946 men.

Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve sits behind Slapton Sands and is the largest freshwater lake in the South West and home to both native and migrating birds. This will be the furthest point reachable on your Taster Cruise before we commence the sail home.