Sampson Boat Co

Asymmetric spinnaker experiment

A shot of our new (second hand) asymmetric spinnaker from the latest video. We learned a lot from flying this sail - firstly, we learned that it is definitely worth it to have a spinnaker (or 2) on board Tally Ho; it helped us gain about a knot of hull speed in light airs, but more importantly it made a perfect "bean-bag" seat on deck when not in use!

This experiment also really helped inform the geometry of Tally Ho's ideal spinnaker. The foot of this red sail is quite short compared t...

EP233. Slow sailing - our longest, most beautiful, voyage.

In early November 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...

High-res photo

Every day I'm blown away by the beauty of this place - it's really sometimes quite hard to take it all in!

This morning we motored past a rock formation known as the "Hand of God" - can you see it in this photo?

Download this photo for use as a background by clicking on it to open, and then right-click > save.

Meet one of our new crew - this is Joe!

Joe is a very old friend of mine - we went to school together in the UK, and travelled in India together as teenagers. He helped me with Tally Ho in Sequim for about a month back in 2019 (for one of the frame-raising parties), and he also came out to Port Townsend for the launch in 2024. Now he's sailing the Sea of Cortez with us for a few weeks before heading back to his usual life being a hot-shot journalist in Bristol, UK.

Views from the Sea of Cortez.

This place is so beautiful. I expected it to be somewhat barren and flat, but I was completely wrong - it's dramatic and absolutely full of life, both on land and at sea.

CAUTION - SCAM ALERT! *PLEASE READ*

The most important thing to know here is that I will NEVER ask any patrons to message me on Telegram, and I will certainly NEVER ask anybody for money on any kind of messaging app.

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This scam involves making a fake Patreon account that looks a lot like my real account (for example, this most recent one is called "Sampson Boat Co 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫") and also making a fake Telegram (messaging app) account that looks like it could be me.

They leave comments encourag...

Finally - beautiful, clear water!

It's so hot here that we have been swimming many times a day. It's great to be able to check on the anchor and the condition of the hull while cooling down... not to mention all the fish to look at!

A rare shot of a Red-footed Booby in conversation with a B&G wind instrument. What do you think they talked about?!

EP232. A nervous departure! …work on TALLY HO & starting a long voyage shorthanded.

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 ...

7 days & 850 miles later...

....an update from La Paz!

Woodwork under sail - two of my favourite things!

Last night we realised that as we had been sailing into warmer, humid air, some of our sole boards had swollen up to the point where we could barely lift them. That gave me a great excuse to pull out the vice and the block-plane and make some wood-shavings in the cockpit :)

Pop quiz (for NON-sailors only) - what is a "sole board"?

Sunset at Sea (high res download)

Current position N24°59', W112°39'.

A wonderful passage so far, with calm weather and easy downwind sailing.

We had a beautiful sunset last night. If you look closely you can see another hitchhiker on the very top of the topmast!

Open and right click to save.

New paint job!

Marit inspects the PT11's new paint-job. What do you think!?

I love it - the turquoise deck portion is non-skid paint, which will be really helpful, especially when sailing the dinghy. I'm also enjoying the little flash of Caribbean colour amongst all the varnished wood. The white should prevent the boat from getting too scorching hot in the tropical sun - a problem which can lead to burnt feet and even potential glue delamination issues!

Thanks to "Brothers Paint & Fibregla...

We finally left port!

Heading South, hoping for no hurricanes.

231. No drama - just working on a wooden boat and enjoying Mexico

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.

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Music;

Inaban / Nabani - Cuatro de Julio

Working aloft... again!

Now THAT is a sticky job, and not one that I had been looking forward too.

I would guess that most of you know what I'm doing here, with this fibreglass, up the mast? No prizes for guessing!

...the full story will be in the next video.

Humpback whales breaching off the coast of California

Footage from the previous episode!

Rub strips!

Recently I was cutting up some of the leftover brass strips, and there were some amazing guesses as to what I would use them for!

Some of my favourites guesses include; wind chimes, front door trim, fuses, sock suspenders, chopsticks, shoe horns, and a cribbage board.

I'm afraid the truth isn't as fun - there is a lot of surge / swell in this marina, and the snatching of the mooring lines was starting to wear grooves into the cap rail. These chafe strips will prevent that from ha...

PT11 maintenance (and paint?!)

It's time to overhaul this PT11 dinghy! It still looks great from a distance, but it's had a lot of wear - I've had this boat since 2022 and have done basically no serious maintenance to it. It has been bounced around in the back of my truck, dragged up rocky beaches, filled with firewood and sand and oysters, and left out in the sun and salt.

It needs some small repairs, and the varnish is now in terrible shape, so... ahem ...I've decided to get it fully painted, inside and o...

A snippet of Ensenada! (a trailer)

It's official - we are enjoying Mexico! So far we've been waiting in Ensenada for the end of Hurricane season, but we've been able to get a lot of work done on TALLY HO... and we've been having some fun too.
Here's a taste of some of what's coming up in the next full video.

Rocking the boat!

Every now and then I like to share projects that inspire me. Today I want to highlight ROCKING THE BOAT, a nonprofit based in the Bronx that empowers young people through boatbuilding, sailing, rowing, and restoring the Bronx River. Their goal is to keep kids in school while teaching technical and social skills that help them thrive in life. The results are measurable - 94% of Rocking the Boat students graduate from high school (compared to 57% in Hunts Point overall), and 92% go on to colleg...

A wonderful bird is the Pelican.

“A wonderful bird is the Pelican.

His beak can hold more than his belly can.

He can hold in his beak

Enough food for a week!

But I'll be darned if I know how the hellican?”

― Dixon Lanier Merritt

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A still from the previous video. I've never seen so many Pelicans in one place!

Brass Strips

I'm reusing some of the left-over brass strips. Any guesses what I'm using them for?

Also I just need to express some love for the humble flap-disk... what a game-changer! ❤️

San Simeon

Leaving San Simeon anchorage in the beautiful evening light. Have you ever sailed on the California coast?

This is a sequence from the last video, but edited with different music. If you've seen both, I'd love to know which you prefer!

EP230. Sailing to Mexico - a peaceful journey on the Californian coast

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.

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Music;

Mini Vandals - Tacklebox Blues

Dowally - Leith

http://www.dowally.com/

https://...

Big Machines!

This heavy industrial equipment in Moss Landing (see previous video) made us feel VERY small aboard Tally Ho. Does anyone know what they are doing? There was some serious dredging going on in the channel, but it looks more like they are constructing or adding to the breakwater here.

ps. after many opinions and a little research, I'm pretty sure the birds in my last post were Common Terns or Arctic Terns.

Can anyone identify these birds?

They were determined to land on top of Tally Ho's pennant-staff during our last passage!

Sunflower Sea Stars

Have you seen my latest full video yet? We met some amazing creatures - Sunflower Sea Stars - that perform a vital job balancing the ocean ecosystem on the Pacific Coast. Sadly, they’ve been almost wiped out by a vicious disease, and as a result, sea urchin populations have spiked (get it?), causing widespread destruction of kelp forests - the precious nurseries of the ocean.

The Sunflower Star Laboratory is doing amazing work breeding Sunflower Sea Stars, researching Sea Star Wasting...

Next stop, Mexico!

EP229. Ecological disaster on the Pacific Coast

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.

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SUNFLOWER STAR LAB

https://www.sunflowe...