Rebuilding Tally Ho

In this episode we visit the Brion Toss Rigging workshop and go through the steps involved in building Tally Ho’s standing rig. We see leatherwork, splicing, serving (including “throwing” the serving mallet), and setting the splice using a hydraulic ram.

In this episode Nic build the chart table, and the nav area takes shape!

In this episode we catch up more thoroughly with progress on restoring Tally Ho’s capstan, and we also check out a fancy new cabinet installed in the head.

In this episode we start turning on systems in the boat - starting with the diesel-heating system. We also turn on the fridge and freezer, and the galley lighting! Nic fits handles and locks in the doors, Patty cuts another hole in the deck, and Leo fits a large monitor in the Nav station.

In this episode we get ready to run out the Bowsprit! That means catching up with a lot of work that Bob has been doing modifying and adding to the “bitts” or the “samson posts”. We also catch up with the rest of the team and their various jobs, and even take a glimpse into the world of the duchess.

In this episode we attempt to run out the bowsprit… several times! But things do not go quite as planned.

In this episode we take a look at lots of ongoing and completed projects inside the boat. Leather upholstery, mirrors, lamps, and a liquor cabinet with backlit stained glass! Finally we remove all the covers and tape to get a real look at the progress in the interior of the boat so far.

In this episode we raise the topmast - this is an interesting operation because we are raising the top of the spar much higher than any of our hoisting points. I explain how it’s done and then we get on with it! After that Bob and I climb the rig to take a closer look and install the wind instrument.

In this episode we start with some tiling around the Woodburner. After lighting the fire, we follow the making of mast wedges, carving in the deck beam, a very fancy engine-room cabinet, and finally the installation of the cockpit winches!

EPISODE 185

It’s time! We have an imminent launch date! There is a heavy buzz of excitement in the yard, but the clock is ticking fast and there are some really big jobs still on the list. We cast lead ingots to stow in the bilge, paint the hull with green antifoul, hoist the gaff on board, hoist the topmast, and a million other jobs.

A huge thank-you to everyone who has supported and watched this project!

Tally Ho has launched, but there’s still a huge amount of work to do. The first job is to move the boat to a longer-term berth, which means starting the engine and driving around the marina - a terrifying prospect! Later on we visit Ratsey & Lapthorne - the oldest sail-makers in the world. The beautiful mainsail that they built for Tally Ho is bent to the spars and hoisted for the first time!

After 7 long years of work, and several decades on dry land, Tally Ho finally leaves harbour again.

In this episode; After talking about our propeller pitch issues we go out for a second sea trial, and Tally Ho runs aground at low tide. Later, after some other work, we discover that our prop issue is a deeper problem that we thought, and could require changing our gearbox or hauling Tally Ho out of the water again.

After 7 years of hard work, we hoist Tally Ho's new sails!

In this episode we finally make a decision about how to fix our gearbox / propeller issue, and we haul Tally Ho out of the water for a few days to get it sorted! Meanwhile, Tally Ho’s original capstan arrives back at the boat, having been rebuilt by Keith Rucker and motorised by Webster’s Boat Machinery.

In this episode we start installing the Capstan, after sending it off to be coating with zinc and painted. We also take Tally Ho our for another sail, and this time hoist all of our light-weather sails - the topsails!

A short, bonus episode! This video is a bit different from normal, but I’m excited to give a very quick real-time update to explain what is happening right now, and to talk about what’s going to be next for Tally Ho.

In this video we finish installing Tally Ho’s original capstan, which was on the boat when it first launched in 1910.

In this video we finish the work on the capstan, provision the boat for a big trip, and depart Port Townsend heading North to the San Juan Islands - the first stop on our big summer trip.

In this video we finally get to enjoy sailing Tally Ho after 7 years of work! We meet the whole crew - familiar faces, and a few new ones. We travel with a historic 1922 motor-yacht, we crash our drone in the woods, we make fresh pasta, and some of us say goodbye - for now.

In this video we sail TALLY HO North, all the way up the inside coast of Vancouver Island, BC. We hoist our Jackyard Topsail for the first time (with a small snag!), we test our Autopilot / Self-steering gear, and we transit some crazy rapids. We also run into some dolphins, say goodbye to some friends, and swim in a glorious lake. Oh… and we also find the "largest burl in the world"!

In this video we continue to sail North, doing some metalworking repairs and modifications on the way (after we luckily come across a metal-lathe!) We visit the huge abandoned cannery at Namu, and discover layers of history under the detritus of industry. Nick shows us how to start the amazing 1941 6-cylinder Gardner diesel engine that powers Argonaut II, before we set sail across the notorious Hecate Strait.

In this episode we take a break from our big shakedown cruise for a special full-boat tour around Tally Ho, at sea! What is it like to live on the boat? Which parts work, which parts don’t work? Where do we all sleep? Why don’t we wear shoes!? We also see the construction of our Saloon bench, which was built out of Cherry in Port Townsend before we left, AND we hoist our jackyard tops’l and see a lot of humpback whales.

In this episode we pick up where we left off a few weeks ago as we arrive in the archipelago of Haida Gwaii.

In this episode, after a big announcement about the future of this project, we experience some really challenging and exciting sailing aboard Tally Ho. We navigate through an extremely narrow and shallow passage and out into the open Pacific Ocean where we are able to test Tally Ho in much harsher conditions. On the extremely remote West coast of Haida Gwaii, we sail very carefully into a completely uncharted bay - searching for safe anchorage.

In this episode, after visiting another uncharted anchorage, we sail our longest passage yet - racing to arrive in Victoria in time for the Classic Boat Festival. Finally, we complete our summer shakedown trip! …returning to the boatyard in Port Townsend, and considering all the things that have broken or didn’t work properly during the summer.

In this episode, I try to figure out what’s next for Tally Ho - what to do over the winter, and which route to take for our first major voyage halfway around the world! In the meantime, I make some new oars for my PT11 rowing dinghy, using carbon fibre blades and Douglas Fir shafts.

Aiming for some winter cruising, we pack up the workshop in Port Townsend. Years of accumulated tools, timber, and other boatbuilding junk is packed up for storage, sold, or given away. Meanwhile, Bob rigs Ratlines on Tally Ho’s shrouds so that we can quickly and easily climb up into the rig. Finally, after the huge ship saw and my trailer of tools are taken away to be safely stored for the next project, we take advantage of a calm day to leave Port Townsend aboard Tally Ho, headed North.

In this episode we arrive in Canada and begin our winter cruising. But before we get far, we have to fix some issues with the chain stripper and the gypsy on the 114-year-old Capstan. I meet an amazing retired Swiss machinist who helps with some of the metalwork, and finish the installation of the new parts while Marit sails the PT11 dinghy in a protected anchorage.

In this episode we travel back to Port Townsend to tie up some loose ends and say goodbye and thank you to the town and to our friends and colleagues who live there.