Trinity operates four traditional sailing vessels: Leader, Provident, Golden Vanity
and Spirit of Britannia. Leader, Provident and Golden Vanity were all built at
Galmpton Creek on the River Dart in South Devon, and Spirit of Britannia was built
in Boston. Leader and Provident are two of the last working sailing trawlers still
afloat.
Leader, at 105 feet and 110 tonnes
is the largest, and oldest, of the four boats. She was built in 1892
at A.W.Gibbs' yard at Galmpton. She fished in UK waters until 1907,
when she was sold to Swedish owners. She operated on Sweden's west
coast until 1970, when she became a sail training vessel for the Swedish
Cruising Club.
In 1985, she 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.
Provident is slightly
smaller, at 95 feet LOA and 85 tonnes. She was built in 1924, also
on the Dart, as a replacement for an earlier vessel of the same name,
sunk during the First World War. After a period in private ownership,
she arrived in Salcombe in 1951, where she became the founding vessel
of the Island Cruising Club.
In the late 1980's, Provident underwent a major refit, and was re-launched
in 1991. She continued to sail with the ICC until 1999, when she started
working from Brixham as part of the Trinity Sailing Foundation.
Golden Vanity is the smallest
of the four boats, at 53 feet and 20 tonnes. She was built as a yacht
for local artist Arthur Briscoe in 1908, at the same yard as Leader
and Provident, but followed almost exactly the same design of the
traditional working boats. She was bought and renovated in the early
1980's by the specially formed Golden Vanity Trust.
Her long and exciting history involves a variety of owners who used
her for cruising far and wide, including several transatlantic crossings.
Spirit of Britannia is
the newest addition to our fleet and at 70 feet and 40 tonnes. she
is mid-way between Provident and Golden Vanity in size.
She was built by the Worfolk Brothers in 1915; the largest gaff cutter
to have been built in Boston, and she fished for many years from her
home port of King's Lynn.
