Yacht Tally Ho: Seven Years of Labor and £1

This article is adapted from "How this boatbuilder and Youtuber restored the 1910 £1 wreck 'Tally Ho'" from YachtingWorld.com.

Meet Tally Ho

It’s a fine Saturday in mid-August. There’s a nice light breeze blowing across the Solent. A flotilla of yachts are slowly making their way upstream, waiting for the starting signal. There are no flashy spinnakers, carbon fibre hulls or GPS here – it’s 1927, after all.

Cotton sails flutter on wooden spars and all the competitors eagerly await the start of the Fastnet Race, which was first held two years earlier. There were no signs of trouble, but nature had other plans.

Tally Ho in 1927. Source: sampsonboat.co.uk

The weather deteriorated quickly almost immediately after the start. Most of the 15-boat fleet would soon be abandoned by strong squalls. But two notable yachts fought on against the odds. Two contenders remained on the course: La Goleta and Tally Ho.

Over the past six days, the teams have endured inhumane sailing conditions, but have finally reached the finish line. The actual victory went to La Goleta, which came first, but the winner in time is the heroine of today's article, Tally Ho. The 1927 race was described at the time as nothing less than "the hardest fight between two yachts that has ever taken place in English waters over such a long distance and in such difficult weather conditions."

Tally Ho was designed by designer and artist Albert Strange as a “sea fishing yacht.” Initially, the boat bore the modest name Betty and was launched in 1910. Even after an eventful racing career, the boat continued to serve its owners faithfully, taking the owner’s family to and from the Caribbean until the 1950s. In the 1960s, Tally Ho was washed up on a reef in the South Pacific. The story could have ended there, but…

The Further Adventures of Tally Ho

But fate was kind. The boat was patched up and Tally Ho was back in service. Now she served as a fishing yacht. There was a lot of fishing equipment on board and for almost 20 years Tally Ho continued to faithfully serve her new owners, who apparently did not appreciate the boat.

Tally Ho on the reef. Source: sampsonboat.co.uk

In the late 1980s, Tally Ho was abandoned and left to rot on the West Coast of the United States. There, the boat would likely have lived out its days if not for a local artist who saw something special in the former racing champion's dilapidated hull. With a new owner, the yacht was protected, but human life is short-lived - and after the death of its savior, Tally Ho was once again under threat.

Luckily, the Albert Strange Association (ASA), the creator of Tally Ho, stepped in. The association bought the boat and began posting ads looking for a new owner to take the yacht under their wing.

Tally Ho: A Yacht for £1

Leo Golden came across an ad for the Tally Ho while working on large classic yachts in the Caribbean. Like any other story about restoring a boat that has been battered by time, the idea of restoring the Tally Ho seemed crazy to Leo. However, he became interested in the project after seeing photographs from 1927 that showed the yacht at its best.

Leo contacted the ASA. The guy proposed a seemingly crazy idea: to buy a boat for a symbolic £1 instead of the requested £25,000. Much to Leo’s surprise, the ASA showed interest – their main priority was not making money, but saving the boat.

Golden recalls: "It was the first of several events that seemed like happy accidents, each of which would lead me toward Tally Ho, despite the protests of the logical part of my brain. I knew that the attempt at rebuilding would be very ambitious, bordering on just plain stupid."

Realization and horror

Leo couldn't afford a spot at the shipyard, but, as he says, providence or fate intervened again. A friend of a friend offered a spot in his backyard where he could begin work. At that point, Leo says, he "ran out of excuses not to take on the project."

Source: sampsonboat.co.uk

The fun begins on my first visit to Tally Ho. Leo recalls: “When I saw the boat in person, the first thing I noticed was that it was in truly terrible condition. It was much worse than the pictures suggested, and I literally pulled out chunks of timber and deck planks with my bare hands. But as my companions left me to ponder the folly of my undertaking, I saw something else: a well-thought-out character and solid elegance in the beautiful lines of the hull. At that moment, I decided to take the risk. Whatever followed, I knew it would be a great adventure!”

Work on Tally Ho has begun

The first major milestone was transporting the boat to a friend’s backyard. ASA covered the cost of shipping the boat, and in April 2017, after 600 miles of travel, Tally Ho finally arrived on a hydraulic trailer in Sequim, Washington.

The boat seemed to dwarf even the single-story home of Raul and Darlene, peeking majestically over the roof. Leo says, “I nervously wondered if my owners realized what they were getting into.” To fit Tally Ho into the yard, they had to cut down a large tree in the yard and remove the gate supports of the house.

Source: sampsonboat.co.uk

Once the boat was finally on the makeshift slipway, the question of long-term funding for the project arose. Leo recalls: “I thought a lot about how I could finance this project, and fate once again seemed to give me a push in the right direction. I met a film producer in Antigua shortly before meeting Tally Ho, and he gave me some good advice: ‘If you think this could be a good story, make sure you film it from the start.’ He even lent me his camera for a week.”

Adventures captured on camera

Golden had to master at least the basics of video editing at a breakneck pace and soon the guy published his first video on YouTube. To Leo's surprise, several people watched the video. Over time, more and more comments were collected under the video about how the idea was simply terrible and the guy would simply squander the money. 

Leo recalls: “They were right, of course, but their comments spurred me on. I realized that as long as the project seemed optimistic and challenging, people would follow it, and I would have a chance to raise some money by documenting it.”

Golden started by building a large shed over the boat, then work on the Tally Ho hull began in earnest. Leo cleaned the frame, used a jackhammer to remove hardened concrete (!) from the hold, knocked out the keel base and lifted the boat on jacks. At this stage, the second disappointment occurred: Leo believed that he would be able to save the keel core in its original form, but it was too damaged. 

Source: sampsonboat.co.uk

In fact, the guy had to restore almost the entire frame, but, fortunately, not from scratch. What structural elements were brought to a divine appearance, some had to be made anew.

The scale of the woodworking attracted many new viewers. Gradually, the audience grew, and offers of help began to pour in. Some regular viewers became volunteers, while others became patrons, supporting the construction. Lego says, “Since then, to my pleasant surprise, the work on Tally Ho has been supported by the generosity of viewers.”

Seven years of assembly and… launching

Months passed, then years. Old bulkheads were replaced with new ones, the planking was gradually replaced, the YouTube channel grew, and new people joined the team. One of the biggest obstacles in Leo's path was another move. The local government voiced its complaints about the work on the boat, which is why the guy had to move the yacht to another location again. 

Leo notes that Raul and Darlene, who have adopted Tally Ho as their backyard home, have probably made the biggest contribution to the project. According to him, they have stoically endured several years of “boat-carpentry” and have become part of the family.

Source: sampsonboat.co.uk

Tally Ho was moved to Port Townsend, a recognized center for marine crafts. By this time, Leo was making enough money from his YouTube videos to rent indoor boat storage at a shipyard. He also began hiring skilled laborers to help with specialized work. This sped up the process, but he found himself juggling a lot more projects.

In combination with filming and editing videos, Leo struggled to find time to do woodworking as much as he wanted. The guy worked almost all the time available to him, which could not but affect his health. According to Leo, he was as close as possible to burnout, but the positivity and feedback from the community on YouTube and social media helped him during this period.

Work on the keel of Tally Ho

One of the key stages of the work was the reworking of the keel. The first attempt to repair the original keel ended in spectacular failure: the molten lead literally tore a hole in the dilapidated wood. The next attempt took weeks of preparation: Leo and his team carefully created a mold for the ballast, and then gradually melted 7.5 tons of lead in a huge boiler.

Fortunately, the mold was strong enough and the pouring was successful. However, removing the mold from the keel after installation was quite a challenge.

Team development and personal growth

Source: sampsonboat.co.uk

The restoration team, led by Leo, gradually grew and learned over time. Once enthusiasts and volunteers, after five years of work they became true professionals. Over the years, the team worked tirelessly on an endless list of jobs, restoring the deck, bulwarks, cockpit, wheelhouse, interior, painting, installing electronics, adjusting rigging and sails.

Was there a boat?

As Leo himself admits, there is depressingly little left of the original Tally Ho: the original transom, some deck fittings, lead in the keel, some hull planking and the capstan. Leo says, “Comparisons with the famous paradox of Theseus’ ship are inevitable, but my goal was to restore an ocean-going yacht, not a museum piece.”

Source: sampsonboat.co.uk

In April 2024, after 7 years of work, Leo Golden and his team ceremoniously launched Tally Ho. That day, as Leo recalls, was beautiful, although overshadowed by a little sadness - not only because the project was finally completed, but also because Darlene, Raul's wife, did not live to see this day. Leo dedicated the launch of Tally Ho to the owner of the house, which became a haven for the old boat for the most difficult first few years.

The Further Adventures of Tally Ho

There was still a lot of work to do to perfect the yacht, but on launch day, Tally Ho spread her wings for the first time in almost 20 years. After tightening the two halyards that control the wooden gaff, Leo and the crew watched as the mainsail rose majestically up the mast. As the wind filled Tally Ho’s sails, Golden knew that another important stage of the build had finally been completed.

Photo: Neil Rabinowitz Photography

After a few short sea trials in Port Townsend Bay, Leo's crew set out on a more serious voyage. The team's route took them far north to the islands of Haida Gwaii, a distance of almost 1,500 nautical miles. 

Interesting technical features of Tally Ho

During the test cruise, Leo checked the equipment on board. By the way, despite the classic appearance, the boat is equipped with interesting devices. Thus, a Beta 85T engine is installed on board, but not a simple one, but integrated into a hybrid system paired with two 10 kW electric motors. The electric motors are powered by a large battery pack on LiFePO4 batteries.

Photo: Neil Rabinowitz Photography

The rigging also uses modern technology. The standing rigging is made from modern high-strength carbon fibre, which is UV and abrasion resistant. The Dacron sails (Ratsey & Lapthorn/NW Sails) are made from Contender's Fibrecon Classic Cream Fabric, which gives them the look of traditional cotton.

Conclusion (on behalf of Leo)

Sometimes I get asked how I managed to get so many people to watch and support this project (the Tally Ho reconstruction has garnered 120 million views)? I have to be honest, I don’t know. Maybe it’s a mix of luck and determination with an element of risk and… just a good story documented on camera?

Photo: Neil Rabinowitz Photography

But whatever it was that caught people's attention, the real magic ingredient was the kindness and generosity shown by so many people both locally and around the world, and for that I am so grateful.

Tally Ho's adventures (and YouTube videos!) continue - now the challenge is to return to the UK and compete in the Fastnet Race 100 years after her victory. 

So, imagine another summer's day in the Solent, but this time not 15, but hundreds of yachts are lined up on the starting line. The year is 2027, and among the colourful spinnakers and carbon sails, there is one gaff-rigged yacht in particular. A yacht that has already conquered one of the toughest races in yachting.

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19.04.2025