Brixham Trawler Event
The Brixham Trawler Race is now known as the Brixham Trawler Event to reflect changes in how it is run today. While no longer a race in the traditional sense, the event continues to celebrate Brixham’s fishing heritage and bring the community together.
The Brixham Trawler Event celebrates Brixham’s rich fishing heritage and maritime tradition. Taking place on the waters of the bay, it brings working trawlers and the local community together for a safe, well-managed on-water event, followed by quayside celebrations.
The event honours the town’s historic fishing fleet, supports local charities, and provides a spectacular day for residents and visitors alike - keeping a much-loved Brixham tradition alive for future generations.
The Port of Brixham Trawler Event
A note for visitors: The information below reflects how the event was run up until 2019. Since then, it has been renamed and rebranded as the Brixham Trawler Event and is now delivered in a different way.
The gun fires from Battery Gardens to start the race and the trawlers are off and racing. This is an exhilarating experience for all those fortunate enough to get aboard a boat. It is also an amazing spectacle from the coast line where hundreds of spectators watch the race. After the race most of the boats have private parties for family and friends to enjoy with all the owners, skippers and crew.
Brixham is proud of its close ties with Maaskant boat builders in the Netherlands and every year a Dutch boat sails over to join the race with Dutch visitors. Maaskant very generously present a boat bell to the winner.
The prizegiving for the Trawler Race winners takes place in the afternoon with categories for ‘Beamers’, ‘Scallopers’, ‘Day boats’ and ‘Crabbers’ as well as ‘Best start’, ‘Best dressed beamer’, ‘Best dressed day boat’, ‘Best finish’ and newly introduced in 2018 ‘Best kept engine room.’
The Brixham Trawler Race generates a large amount of money from a raffle, a fish auction, adverts in the race program, program sales, and gate entrance fees. Money is also collected from a very popular coffee morning that precedes the race.
Helping the Community
The Race Committee then invites applications from local groups and organisations to bid for a share of the funds raised. This is the key highlight for the Trawler Race Committee who sees this as a reward for all of the hours of voluntary time they give up in order to make the event a safe and fun time for all involved.
In 2018, the Committee raised over £20,000 and a new decision was that out of that money, each Primary School in Brixham would receive £500. The Fishermen are very much an integral part of the community of Brixham and the Trawler Race enables the town to benefit greatly from its generosity.
"Having access to some of the world’s best fish is paramount to my business and having Brixham fish market on my doorstep puts me head and shoulders above other establishments in the country from the very get go. The work ethic and quality of the team at Brixham Trawler Agents ensures I am consistently supplied with world class produce on a daily basis."
