Rebuilding Tally Ho

In this episode we rivet and leather our new gaff saddle, anchor through a storm, drive a classic jag, visit some beautiful islands, and finally test the new gaff saddle under sail!

MANY THANKS!

In this episode I attempt to sail Tally Ho singlehanded. Hoisting the mainsail is the first big challenge - that thing is heavy! I navigate through the Gulf Islands, dodging ferries and buoys, and then get myself in a tangle when I have to drop all the sails.

In this episode Leo, Marit, Bob and Patrick all travel to Tasmania to visit the Australian Wooden Boat Festival. We meet lots of interesting characters, sail on some beautiful vessels, visit an inspiring project, and of course… search for wombats.

In this episode we haul Tally Ho out of the water to try and fix the rudder.

In this bonus episode I address some questions which have been asked a lot recently; What exactly is left of the original Tally Ho? Why didn’t I just build a new boat - and wouldn’t that have been easier?

In this episode we identify and fix the problem that led to a binding rudder, although we are left with some unanswered questions about corrosion. We also scrape, sand, and paint the bottom of the boat to get her ready to re-launch, and re-varnish the transom… phew!

In this episode I attempt to explain Galvanic Corrosion, as I need to add another Zinc Anode to fully protect the bronze propeller. After more antifouling paint we enjoy some extremely satisfying tape-peeling, and finally we relaunch Tally Ho and do some maneuvering to test how the boat handles with a freely moving rudder

In this episode I am invited to give a talk at the Classic Yacht Symposium in Helsinki, Finland. First I talk about the Tally Ho story - how I started the project and how we rebuilt the boat, including some details that have never been shared before. In the second part of the talk, I discuss the stories that inspired me to start boatbuilding and sailing in the first place, and the importance of risk and adventure in storytelling and life in general.

In this episode we talk about various tricks that can help when manoeuvring heavy vessels under power - particularly long-keel, single-screw sailboats like Tally Ho. At the beginning of the episode I find myself losing all my crew, and having to pick up the anchor and move the boat alone. Once I find a sheltered anchorage, I am met by a huge group of seals… shortly followed by a pod of Orcas (killer whales)! The next leg of the journey takes me to a marina where I have to manoeuvre Tally Ho backwards into a really tight berth. I use some tricks to help overcome the prop-walk and get the boat secure.

In this episode we reveal which route we will be taking from the Pacific Ocean to the UK - a journey we are trying to make in time for the 2027 Fastnet race. We also test the autopilot and trim-tab, now that the rudder is swinging freely - and race a friendly Yawl around the Gulf Islands.

We start this episode by anchoring our dinghy off a rocky island to search for some special wildflowers. We are given a fish, cross paths with Orca Whales, ghost underneath some huge cliffs, and arrive in a secluded anchorage where we tour another wooden boat - a beautiful 1930s Yawl. Meanwhile, I work through the job-list on board Tally Ho - servicing the heater, mounting a vice in the forepeak, and attempting to fix a water pump.

The last two weeks have been a little bit odd, and things have changed a little bit!

In this video, after getting up, making tea, and watching the ferry come and go, I try to fix a stuck bow-roller - while the anchor is in use, I’m balancing on a chain over the ocean, and it’s pouring with rain. If you think that sounds silly, you’d be right.

In which I attempt to adjust the valve clearances, and do some laundry.

In which I have to repair the hybrid-drive, Marit returns to the boat, and we sail (with topsails!) into the beauty of Desolation Sound.

In which I mount a Starlink dish on top of a radar (against everybody’s advice), we sail off the anchor and all the way to Gabriola, and Tally Ho gets new hatch covers made by our friend Simon.

In which we are joined by our new crew members (including some familiar faces), we leather the mast hoops and blocks, we upgrade the watermaker and fill the boat with provisions, we visit a beautiful wooden boat under construction, avoid a tsunami, and more - all in an effort to get Tally Ho ready for the upcoming ocean passage from Canada to San Francisco.

In this video we sail into San Francisco Bay, under the Golden Gate Bridge, and are hosted at the amazing Spaulding Marine Center. We use their machine-shop for some metalwork - to prepare brass strips which we then install on the mast to help prevent chafe.

In this video we sail to the industrial port of Moss Landing, arriving in thick fog, to visit a very special boat that has a deep history in the area. Then we learn about the plague that is destroying Sunflower Stars and the subsequent ecological disaster that has been occurring on the Pacific coast - and we meet the group of young scientists trying to fix it.

In this video we sail to Mexico! Along the way we see humpback whales breaching right next to the boat, we navigate strong winds on a challenging overnight passage, and we visit the beautiful Channel Islands.

In this video we get a lot of work done on Tally Ho, but also find time to explore Ensenada and get a taste of the local culture. On board, we use brass, varnish, paint, and fibreglass - adding lots of chafe and UV protection ahead of our voyage into the tropics.

In this video we get ready to leave Ensenada and head South - onwards towards the Panama Canal and our goal of eventually taking part in the Fastnet Race 2027. For this next leg down the coast of Baja California we have decided to travel with just 2 people on board, and we face some nerves about if we handle the boat on our own and get enough sleep! Before we set sail, we get our dinghy back and check out the new paintjob, we work on the deck, we rig up a new spinnaker, and we even get out to see some Mexican Wrestling!

In early November 2025 we sailed Tally Ho from Ensenada down the west coast of Baja California to La Paz, around 850 nautical miles. It was our first passage with just 2 people on board, and we were initially nervous if we would be able to handle the boat and get enough rest. This video is an attempt to bring you along for the journey - for a change, I decided not to use any music or voiceovers, relying on the sounds of the sea and hoping for a more immersive experience. Some shots are long - the editing is slower than usual, reflective of the pace of life on a voyage like this. When sailing, you are forced to be patient, and the wandering of the mind is its own reward. There is no high drama in this chapter of the story - we had good weather and a pleasant trip. We flew various different sails, including our new (second hand) spinnaker, and I had to do some woodworking in the cockpit.