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.