115 Years of History
The Story of Tally Ho
Designed by Albert Strange. Built in 1910. Winner of the 1927 Fastnet Race. Shipwrecked, forgotten, found, and rebuilt. Now sailing home.
1909–1910
Designed and Built
Albert Strange designs a 48-foot gaff cutter for Charles Hellyer of Brixham. Built by Stow & Son at Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, to Lloyd's highest class. Originally named Betty.
1913
Sold by Hellyer
Hellyer commissions the larger Betty II and sells Betty. She passes through two more owners.
1927
Fastnet Victory
Under Lord Stalbridge's ownership and renamed Tally Ho, she wins the Fastnet Race in storm conditions — one of only two finishers from fifteen starters. A contest described as the hardest fight between two yachts ever sailed in English waters.
1930s–1950s
Cruising Years
Based in Southampton. Multiple transatlantic crossings. The Clark family takes her on a year-long transatlantic cruise in 1958.
1967
Voyage to New Zealand
Jim Loudon departs England in Tally Ho, heading for New Zealand via the Panama Canal. He charters briefly in the Caribbean before sailing single-handed to Rarotonga.
1968
Shipwrecked at Manuae
While fetching copra from Manuae Island, Tally Ho drifts onto a coral reef, staving in her port side. Salvaged with oil drums, she rolls over and loses her mast, bowsprit, and rudder.
1970s–1987
Fishing Boat in Oregon
Renamed Escape, she works as a motor fishing vessel out of Brookings Harbor, Oregon, until 1987.
2010–2017
On the Hard
Stored on stands in Brookings-Harbor by the Albert Strange Association, who hoped to restore her but faced mounting difficulties. The hull rots further each year.
2017
Rescued by Leo
Leo Sampson Goolden buys Tally Ho from the Albert Strange Association for $1. He moves her 600 miles to Sequim, Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula, to begin the rebuild.
2017–2024
The Rebuild
Seven years of work, documented in 200+ YouTube episodes. New keel, frames, planking, deck, rig — rebuilt from the ground up with traditional methods and modern care. Funded entirely by community supporters.
April 2024
Launch Day
Tally Ho touches water for the first time since the 1990s. Thousands of supporters watch the live stream. She floats perfectly on her lines.
June 2024
First Sail
Under her full set of five sails, Tally Ho sails in the open water of Port Townsend Bay for the first time. The gaff rig works beautifully.
2024–2026
The Voyage South
Down the Pacific coast — Oregon, California, Mexico, Central America. Through the Panama Canal in February 2026 and into the Caribbean.
2026–2027
Atlantic Crossing
The planned route: through the Windward Islands, north to Bermuda and New England, then the great Atlantic crossing to the UK.
August 2027
The Fastnet Race
The goal: arrive in the UK in time to enter the 2027 Fastnet Race — the centenary of Tally Ho's original victory in 1927.
Vessel Specifications
Tally Ho — Technical Details
name
Tally Ho
designer
Albert Strange
builder
Stow & Son, Shoreham-by-Sea
year
1910
type
Gaff Cutter
loa
48 ft (14.6 m)
lwl
36 ft (11.0 m)
beam
11 ft 6 in (3.5 m)
draft
7 ft 6 in (2.3 m)
displacement
30 tons TM
rig
Gaff cutter with topsail
hull
Carvel planked — elm below waterline, teak above
keel
Teak
engine
Beta Marine 50hp diesel
registration
UK flag, MMSI 235093681