A historic sailing vessel will be celebrating a major milestone this spring with a special celebratory anniversary voyage across Devon and Cornwall.

Brixham Trawler Leader is turning 125 this year and, to mark the occasion, her current owners — the Trinity Sailing Foundation — are putting on a special trip to mark the occasion.

The 1892-built vessel — which forms part of UK National Historic Fleet, a status which ranks her alongside the likes of HMS Victory and the Cutty Sark — will be heading up the River Dart to sail past the site where she was built at W. A. Gibbs’ yard, Galmpton.

Those on board will be having a champagne toast to the iconic vessel; there will be a talk about her history and a special birthday cake. After which Leader will spend several days sailing along the Devon and Cornwall coast calling in at a host of ports where she is well known.

Harry Gottschalk, Trinity Sailing’s Marketing & Sales Manager, said: “We thought it would be criminal if we didn’t celebrate the old girl’s birthday milestone in style.

“We will be joined by a her regular crew, our Operations’ Director Ben, plus many guests who have a special place in their hearts for Leader as we look at her history through the decades during a what is shaping up to be a memorable evening.

“Over the course of the week she will sailing along the Devon and Cornwall coast, stopping off at host of ports along the way where the vessel has regularly called in over the years. We will also be handing everyone on board a special limited-edition T-shirt for guests to take home as a memento from the week.”

Leader fished in UK waters until 1907, when she was sold to new owners in Sweden. She operated on the west coast there until 1970, when she became a sail training vessel for the Swedish Cruising Club. At the time she was one of the largest of the Brixham sailing trawlers, known, despite their Ketch rig, as the ‘Big Sloops’.

In 1985 she moved to the west coast of Scotland where, as ‘Lorne Leader’, she was used for sailing holidays and charter for 10 years. In 1996 she was brought home to South Devon, and operated from Dartmouth until 1999, when she became part of the Trinity fleet, based in Brixham.

There are a small handful of berths remaining for Leader’s 125th Anniversary Cruise which will be sailing from Brixham to Falmouth between May 13 and May 19. For more information call 01803 88 33 55, email team@trinitysailing.org, or visit www.trinitysailing.org

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