History of the Brixham Heritage Sailing Regatta
Working trawler races have been sailed off Brixham since the early 1800’s.
They were always fiercely competitive, and the boats were driven extremely hard. In strong winds in 1927, the winning trawler Valerian, averaged over 12 knots around the course!
In 1914, King George V donated the ‘Perpetual Challenge Cup’ also known as the ‘King George V Cup’ or the ‘Kings Cup’.
Brixham registered sailing trawlers over 40 tons were eligible to take part. The trophy, however, was not presented until 1919 due to the Great War. Sunny Isle was the first winner.
Lord Churston, presided over the earlier events. In his letter to King George V, he sent the good wishes of the fishermen of Brixham and personal reassurance that ‘The gift will ever be held as a link between the Port of Brixham and the Throne’.
The original title of the Regatta was the ‘Port of Brixham, Torbay, Royal Regatta’.
Boats competed for the cup annually from 1919 until the advent of the Second World War in 1939.
Valerian (of which there is a model in Brixham Yacht Club) was particularly successful. Vigilance (winner 1933 – currently having a major refit), and Torbay Lass (winner 1936) were also successful in this racing event.
During the heyday in the 1920s and 30s, the racing was an incredible spectacle. There were not only a large fleet of big ketches, but also a fleet of the great classic yachts. These included King George’s yacht Britannia and several of the famous J-Class yachts.
The Modern Regatta
Racing lapsed after the war and, as sailing trawlers became commercially outdated, the fleet slowly disappeared. However, local skipper Toni Knights, the Devon Gaffers and several local restoration projects, made efforts to resurrect the event. The Vigilance Preservation Society, Trinity Sailing Foundation and the Pilgrim Trust were instrumental in this endeavour. As a result, the remaining Brixham trawler fleet re-emerged from 1997 onwards to sail once again for the Perpetual Challenge Cup ( King George V Cup ).
The modern event has had racing in multiple classes, allowing traditional sailing vessels of all types, shapes and sizes to take part. Since 2011, the Regatta has an extra class for yachts of any type of construction or rig which are over 30 years old.
The event is now a highlight of the traditional sailing calendar.
A dedicated team of volunteers, many with nautical experience of both modern and classic boats, organise The Heritage Regatta.