1927 Fastnet winner and legendary Albert Strange-designed cutter yacht Tally Ho is in need of help.
She’s lying at Brookings Harbor, Oregon where the harbour authorities have decided that if she isn’t taken up by a new owner intent on bringing her back to life by June, she will be destroyed.
The aim of the Albert Strange Association is to bring her back to the UK for repair and restoration, and hopefully back to racing. Historic and beautiful as she is, she would be a wonderful project for someone with the right resources and interest.
Designed in 1909 and built for the owner of an early British Isles steam trawler fleet, she was built by Stow & Son of Shoreham for cruising in comfort while indulging in deep-sea fishing.
The yacht is said to have all the beauty associated with an Albert Strange design, but withthe power and seaworthiness of a pilot cutter. She won the 1927 Fastnet race in near storm conditions, and only two yachts of the whole fleet managed to complete the course. Read some terrific descriptions of the race.
See also the Save Tally Ho Facebook page and the Wikipedia and National Historic Ships entries for Tally Ho.
People feel strongly about this vessel. Here’s an appeal from the Council of American Maritime Museums.
PS – The magazine Classic Sailor has just published this nice piece about Tally Ho. Let’s hope there is good news soon.
What a great story, let’s hope she’s rescued. I like the idea of racing with a paid cook and steward although I wonder if that was a way of getting round limits on paid hands. Does anybody know? The cook stood watches with Hugh Grosvenor. The paid hand and the steward were on call. (I can’t imagine someone like Jeeves being happy about having to go on deck in the middle of the night.) Anchoring for the night over a foul tide before continuing the race was probably a good plan too. ‘Yet we had to drive her along for all we were worth, not only to beat ‘La Goleta’, but to get sea room. And drive her we did, more under water than over I fear, but by 4am it had got too bad and we had to heave-to and reef again.’ Stirring stuff!