Tony Taft Reports.
Our speaker today was Peter Milligan and the title of his presentation was “ The history of the Vigilance in Brixham “ according to our program, but in his visual presentation it was “ The story of the Vigilance BM 76 part one “
We have all seen the Vigilance sailing around the bay over the years, and what a wonderful sight she was, the beauty and elegance of her in full sail was always a treat to see, but sadly missing for the last two years.
Peter explained the mystery why she has been missing, she is undergoing a major repair in Plymouth where they have the expertise to carry out this delicate operation.
Peter gave us a history of the Vigilance a sailing Trawler one of only seven still in existence, from when she was built in 1926 to 2022.
I have included some historical photos of Vigilance from that era including one of Brixham harbour full of a fleet of these wonderful vessels.
So the following information was not composed by me, but makes very interesting reading. Click here to read.
Peter told us that when the Vigilance re- appears in the bay she will be without her masts, this is because they are in storage locally.
One of the major repairs being carried out is giving her a new deck, Peter said it was pointless trying to make the old deck water tight because the leaks were being caused by water leaking through the porous wood used in the former restoration and not the gaps between the planks.
We were told that when the Vigilance returns fully restored, she will be insured so that she will be able to sail out of the bay, and not restricted to the bay, as was the case before restoration.
We all enjoyed Peter’s presentation and as usual many questions were asked by our members, we thank Peter and maybe in the not too distant future we will hear part two of his talk.
Sent from my iPhone
Paignton Probus Club 