Sampson Boat Co

The next challenge...

A few days ago I shared a picture of the engine room, and many people were clever enough to recognise that I was working on the engine mounts!

The engine was vibrating more than I liked, so I was inserting hardwood shims under the engine-mounts to raise them closer to the engine itself, reducing the amount of threaded rod between them. This reduces the leverage and therefore the vibration.

I was doing this work while Tally Ho was at a marina, but yesterday I untied the mooring l...

Engine work...

Rainy dark days are perfect for getting on with jobs in the engine room! Are there any keen eyes out there who can figure out what I'm doing?

EP208. Hot-riveting Tally Ho’s Gaff Saddle in a Vintage British Car Shop.

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!

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Channels mentioned in this video;

https://www.youtube.com/@ShredPile

https://www.youtube.com/@RichardMichaelOwen

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New Gaff Saddle!

Do you remember the issue we were having with our gaff saddle working it's way off the mast? We've been working on getting it sorted, and here's the new larger gaff saddle under construction by our friend Jake Rosenfeld. I know it looks a bit industrial at this stage but hopefully once it is riveted and leathered this will solve the issue and let us sail regularly again!

I'm editing hard right now and aiming to get a video about this process finished for the weekend.

Happy new year!

Making friends out here in the Gulf Islands. Happy new year!

Princess Bay.

After our trip to Port Townsend we returned to Tally Ho and set off again into the Gulf Islands. This was one of our favourite anchorages - Princess Bay, on Portland Island. Although it can apparently get crowded in the summer, we had it all to ourselves, which we are starting to get used to!

The entirety of Portland Island is a protected park, and highlights include a beautiful 4 mile trail around the coastline, lots of marine- and bird-life, and a variety of interesting mushrooms for...

EP207. Thanks and farewell to friends and crew!

In this episode we travel back to Port Townsend to tie up some loose ends and say goodbye and thank you to the town and to our friends and colleagues who live there.

Music;

The Bywater - The Mini Vandals

Hold on a Second - John Deley and the 41 Players

Ando Triste Compa - Jovenes Viejos

Slack Lyfe - Ryan McCaffrey/Go By Ocean

Late-December sailing in the Gulf Islands, British Columbia.

Now that Tally Ho's anchor capstan is working so smoothly, we are able to move around a lot more freely again. Winter cruising means keeping a constant close eye on the weather, but this area is full of protected anchorages that we can hide away in. We've seen barely any other boats out here, apart from the occasional anchored cargo ship and the regular BC ferries - it really feels like we have the whole place to ourselves!

Rehoming Poncho.

Poncho the Macaw, star of the early Tally Ho videos, needs a new home!

Unfortunately her current owners aren't able to keep her, and although I love this bird, I am not able to have a pet like her on board Tally Ho.

So we are putting the word out to see if anyone from the Tally Ho community can provide a loving and stimulating home for her.

Poncho is a female Macaw. She is 32 years old, and may live another 30 years or more. She has a very playful personality, but requires...

EP206. Modifying the Capstan (with a Swiss machinist)

In this episode we arrive in Canada and begin our winter cruising. Before we get far though, we have to fix some issues with the chain stripper and the gypsy on the 114-year-old Capstan. I meet an amazing retired Swiss machinist who helps with some of the metalwork, and finish the installation of the new parts while Marit sails the PT11 dinghy in a protected anchorage.

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Music;

Guitar and whistle - Leo Goolden

Birdseye Blues - Chris Haugen

Rocking The Boat!

Have you heard of the nonprofit "Rocking The Boat"? They work hard to empower inner-city young people through building and rowing wooden boats, sailing, and restoring the Bronx River. I've collaborated with them before, and now I'm trying to help them find more boatbuilding educators to join their teams in New York and San Francisco!

The 3 boatbuilder job openings are;

Director of Boatbuilding (New York)

Boatbuilding Program Manager (New York)

Program Manager (San Fran...

Capstan work continues...

Part of the work on the capstan involves modifying the bolts that hold the gypsy on to the drum, so that the new chain stripper can work work more effectively.

The old bolts were vertical and passed through the space where the stripper should fit (at the blue circle). They have been cut at the red line, leaving the top part in place. The bottom part of the bolt was removed, and the lower part of the gypsy is being threaded for a thicker but shorter bolt. After the bolt is fitted the gy...

I've been working on the Capstan again!

In lieu of a massive bearing-puller to remove the top-cap from the tapered shaft, we had to improvise.... a car-jack and some dyneema line did the trick eventually!

This is obviously not ideal, so one of the improvements I'm making to the Capstan is to thread some small holes in the cap and to fabricate a much smaller custom "puller" that we can keep on board.

Leaving Port Townsend...

We left Port Townsend in a bit of a rush, to cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca during a short spell of pleasant weather. It was an emotional departure, and a shame to leave so abruptly, but we will be coming back to PT very soon - to tidy up loose ends, to catch up with crew and friends, and to say thanks properly to the town that was so good to me and Tally Ho!

EP205. Emptying my workshop and leaving town

Aiming for some winter cruising, we pack up the workshop in Port Townsend. Years of accumulated tools, timber, and other boatbuilding junk is packed up for storage, sold, or given away. Meanwhile, Bob rigs Ratlines on Tally Ho’s shrouds so that we can quickly and easily climb up into the rig.

Finally, after the huge ship saw and my trailer of tools are taken away to be safely stored for the next project, we take advantage of a calm day to leave Port Townsend aboard Tally Ho, headed N...

Oar Leathers

The leathering on my new oars - simple, satisfying work. I still have to make the "stops", to prevent the oars from sliding out into the water if you let go.

For those who commented on my last post, we were actually on the East coast of D'Arcy Island - the site of a former leper colony, and now a beautiful marine park.

Just a little winter cruising!

Any ideas where we are?

Moving out!

It's been such an amazing place for us and for the project, but it's time to clear out the workshop and move on! I'm so grateful for all the good times that were had in this building, and so excited for the next stages of this adventure.

EP204. Building oars and making plans.. (Cape Horn or Northwest Passage?)

In this episode, I try to figure out what’s next for Tally Ho - what to do over the winter, and which route to take for our first major voyage halfway around the world! In the meantime, I make some new oars for my PT11 rowing dinghy, using carbon fibre blades and Douglas Fir shafts.

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Music;

Valley Drive - The Whole Other

Hiiltop - Dan Lebowitz

Acid Jazz - Kevin MacLeod

Leslie's Strut - John Deley and the 41 Players

EP203. Back to the boatyard… lessons learned & things to fix

In this episode, after visiting another uncharted anchorage, we sail our longest passage yet - racing to arrive in Victoria in time for the Classic Boat Festival.

Finally, we complete our summer shakedown trip! …returning to the boatyard in Port Townsend, and considering all the things that have broken or didn’t work properly during the summer.

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Music;

Wayward Jane - Doucement

Morning Mandolin - Chris Haugen

Halo - Trüko

Waywar...

Yard sale!

It's time to give up my workshop for someone else to make use of it!

I'm keeping some of my tools for the next big project, but I don't know exactly where or when that will happen, and there's no reason to keep renting a building while we are out sailing.

If you're a local woodworker or boatbuilder, come on down to our shop / yard sale this Sunday, 10am - 3pm.

Port Townsend

Tally Ho sailing with the schooner Martha, back in Port Townsend after our big summer trip! I'm very grateful for this amazing area and all the incredible craftspeople who live and work here - so many skilled local folks have had a hand in getting Tally Ho sailing again.

Tally Ho's new pilot house?!

 ....alternative captions welcome.

Offshore at dusk.

Anticipation of the night ahead.

A calm evening.

The crew relax after a 3 day passage. This was one of our favourite anchorages - the Bunsby Islands, on the West coast Vancouver Island. Paddy, as usual, finds the best seat in the house!

EP202. Announcing a new mission - my biggest challenge yet.

In this episode, after a big announcement about the future of this project, we experience some really challenging and exciting sailing aboard Tally Ho. We navigate through an extremely narrow and shallow passage and out into the open Pacific Ocean where we are able to test Tally Ho in much harsher conditions. On the extremely remote West coast of Haida Gwaii, we sail very carefully into a completely uncharted bay - searching for safe anchorage.

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Music;

Ferr...

Making Oars!

First off, thank you all so much for so many great responses to my last post on Patreon. It was really useful to get so much feedback and really reassuring to hear that so many of you want to stick around and see the next stage of the adventure. I haven't had time to respond to each comment but I did read every one, and I really appreciate all of them, especially those from people who rarely comment.

While the videos are still catching up with the rest of our trip this summer, I am now...

A big update!

It’s time to talk about the next project! ...and, I want to ask your opinion about something important...

Firstly, the trip on Tally Ho this summer was incredible and life-changing. Hopefully the videos do it justice, but I know I didn’t record all the emotions I was feeling. Every morning I would pinch myself - am I really sailing on Tally Ho?! This monumental change, after 7 years of working towards it, is still sinking in. More than anything I’m incredibly grateful for ...

This was the view as we barrelled southward...

This was the view as we barrelled southward down the West coast of Haida Gwaii. I tried rotating this photo to straighten the horizon, but the original photo somehow gives a much more realistic portrayal of the feeling of standing on deck in these conditions. Tally Ho is fully powered-up and heeled over on a broad reach, rolling in the pacific swell. Imagine ~34 tons of boat wildly swinging from side to side under your feet - you have no choice but to keep both knees bent to absorb the moveme...

Aurora Borealis

Aurora Borealis behind Tally Ho's rig - Daajing Giids, Haida Gwaii - August 2024.