Brixham Inner harbour in South Devon in the UK with the preserved Brixham trawler Leader moored by the quay.
Brixham at one time had one of the largest fishing fleets in Britain. Now only five Brixham sailing trawlers exist in Britain; VIGILANCE; LEADER; PILGRIM; PROVIDENT and REGARD. Brixham was the birthplace of the sailing trawler, a design that formed the backbone of the British fishing industry in the days of sail. Their graceful lines, strength and speed made them unique. No other type of vessel was capable of towing the heavy trawl gear in all conditions, or was capable of carrying the catch as swiftly to market. The ‘Leader' is one of the last of the legendary Brixham sailing trawlers. More than a century after she first set sail as a working fishing vessel, Leader nowadays cruises along the southern coasts of Devon and Cornwall, and is available for private hire and charter, or just for couples, singles, friends and families. Leader was built by the yard of AW Gibbs at Galmpton Creek. Built in 1892 in the parish of Brixham, Leader is the oldest and largest of the nine Brixham trawlers to survive in the UK. Having been brought back to Devon in 1996, Leader is now used by the Trinity Sailing Foundation to provide life skills training and hands-on experience of sailing for young people. Leader fished in UK waters until 1907, when she was sold to Swedish owners. Leader then operated on Sweden's west coast until 1970, when she became a sail training vessel for the Swedish Cruising Club. In 1985, Leader moved to the west coast of Scotland, where as Lorne Leader she was used for sailing holidays and charter for ten years. In 1996 she was brought home to South Devon, and operated from Dartmouth until 1999, when she became part of the Trinity fleet, and returned to Brixham.
Size: 3872px × 2592px
Photo credit: © Trevor Boston / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: beaches, british, brixham, devon, fishing, holiday, leader, seaside, torbay, trawler, uk
