A world-famous sailing yacht drops anchor in West Cork this weekend
Need an excuse for a seaside spin?
A legendary yacht that’s captured the imagination of hundreds of thousands of fans online is making a special stop in Baltimore, West Cork, this weekend.
Tally Ho, the beautifully restored 48-foot gaff-rigged cutter that famously won the 1927 Fastnet Race, is expected to arrive on Friday, July 31st, where she’ll receive a proper West Cork welcome before departing on Monday.
And it won’t be a quiet arrival.
Renowned boatbuilder Liam Hegarty plans to meet Tally Ho at the entrance to Baltimore Harbour aboard Saoirse, the faithful replica of one of Ireland’s most iconic yachts. Members of Baltimore Sailing Club, the local wooden boat community and, operationally permitting, the Baltimore RNLI lifeboat are also expected to join the welcoming flotilla.
From a $1 wreck to a global sensation
Tally Ho’s arrival in Cork is the latest chapter in one of the sailing world’s most remarkable comeback stories.
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Built in Sussex in 1910 to a design by celebrated yacht designer Albert Strange, the yacht etched her name into history by winning the 1927 Fastnet Race on corrected time after a dramatic duel with the schooner La Goleta.
But after decades of changing hands, Tally Ho eventually ended up abandoned and rotting away in Oregon.
That all changed in 2017, when British boatbuilder Leo Sampson Goolden bought the yacht for just $1.
Over the next seven years, Leo painstakingly restored her in Washington State, documenting every stage of the mammoth rebuild on YouTube, where the project attracted a huge international following.
Now fully restored, Tally Ho is sailing the 14,000-mile journey back to the UK with one goal in mind: competing in the 2027 Fastnet Race, exactly 100 years after her famous victory.
The visit also marks a meeting of two extraordinary vessels, with Hegarty greeting Tally Ho aboard Saoirse – the replica of Conor O’Brien’s trailblazing yacht, which became the first small yacht to circumnavigate the globe via the Three Great Capes under the Irish tricolour.
A lifelong passion made it happen
The stopover came about thanks to Bill Hillyard, co-owner of The Algiers in Baltimore.
A lifelong sailing enthusiast, Bill followed Tally Ho’s restoration online for years. Before entering the hospitality business, he spent time restoring traditional wooden boats in Hawaii and even crossed the Pacific aboard one, sparking a passion for classic yachts that has stayed with him ever since.
When he realised Tally Ho was sailing back across the Atlantic ahead of the Fastnet centenary, he reached out to Leo with an invitation to stop in Baltimore.
Thankfully, the answer was yes.
“I have wonderful memories of sailing into Baltimore many years ago.” said Goolden.
“I spent time sailing around Roaringwater Bay, visited the Ballydehob Wooden Boat Festival and made great friends at Hegarty’s Boatyard.
“When Bill invited us, it felt like the perfect opportunity to return. Tally Ho’s story has always been about the people who have helped bring her back to life, so being able to stop in a community with such strong maritime traditions and such close ties to the Fastnet makes this a very special part of the voyage.”
If you’re in West Cork this weekend, it’s a rare opportunity to see one of the world’s most celebrated classic yachts up close – and to witness a unique moment in Irish maritime history.
