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Wind in Their Sails: Death and Resurrection

A documentary by Vincent Casalaina

If you're interested in the documentary's full history, visit our website.

Greetings!

If you've never dropped anchor at the Master Mariners Wooden Boat Show at the Corinthian Yacht Club, make sure you leave room in your June 2026 calendar for the trip to Tiburon.

The Master Mariners Benevolent Foundation has been hosting this gathering every year since 1994 (although we were moored in 2020, due to Covid). It has become one of those rare chances to gaze at some remarkable vessels and hear stories firsthand from the people who keep them sailing.

Corinthian Yacht Club

The boats themselves tell the story of our Bay. You'll find classics like the 30-foot Bird boat—designed specifically for these waters back in 1924. That first Bird is still out there racing, and she's taking home trophies even against modern hulls. A fair handicap helps, naturally, but there's something about her lines that still works after all these years.

Photo courtesy of Bill Clausen

Then there are boats that found their way here, like Hurrica—a 60-foot Marconi ketch drawn by C. E. Nicholson in 1924. If she looks familiar, you might have spotted her in the 2013 "Great Gatsby" film. She's aged beautifully.

Photo courtesy of Sandman Yacht Company

Every owner you'll meet has a story worth hearing. Some will talk your ear off about their restoration work, others about where they've sailed—and there's usually a good yarn or two mixed in.

What strikes me most, though, is watching the younger crew when they're invited aboard. Something shifts when they step onto these decks. Maybe one of them will catch the bug.

This footage will appear in the rough cut of the documentary, Wind in Their Sails: Death and Resurrection.

The Show keeps its purpose simple: the donations at the door help keep sailing accessible on the Bay—whether that's getting a young sailor out with Call of the Sea or supporting VetsBoats in their work with veterans finding their bearings through time on the water.

Tally Ho in San Francisco—from Hulk to Sparkling Gaff Cutter

Eight years ago, Leo Sampson Goolden found both a boat with history and a goal to see this boat once again sail in the Fastnet race, which it won way back in 1927. This quest started with Leo buying what was essentially a hulk. He found others who would donate their time to bringing Tally Ho back to life. Soon the project had people working on the boat as well as helping to document the progress.

One thing all wooden boat owners face is how to fund the work needed to keep their boats alive and well. Leo discovered the crowdfunding website Patreon—and started a video blog telling the story of Tally Ho's restoration. Check out Episode 227, which documents the first leg of Tally Ho’s journey to the Isle of Wight and the Royal Ocean Racing Club—organizers of the 2027 Fastnet Race.

Lots of people who had been following Tally Ho’s journey came to meet Leo and see the boat last month when she reached the San Francisco Bay, at the Richmond Yacht Club. As you can see, below, it was an amazing turnout—every parking spot in the club was taken!

The Tally Ho was harbor-hopping down the West Coast. Last month and stopped at the Richmond Yacht Club for a well-attended San Francisco Bay Area meet-and-greet.

Leo gave a presentation to those who had come to learn more about the resurrection and what lies ahead, starting off with a video documenting what it took to get Tally Ho ready for her ocean voyaging.

Learn about Leo and view his videos, below:

Photos of Tally Ho by Vince Casalaina

It’s not an easy job doing the work up the mast. You have to get each strip in the right place, drill the pilot holes, add some bedding compound to make sure moisture does not find a way into the mast, and then firmly tighten enough screws to hold the strip in place—repeating those steps until all the strips are in place.

Leo up the mast on Tally Ho.

Leo up the mast applying bronze strips where the gaff saddle was rubbing.

Photos of Tally Ho by Vince Casalaina

I urge you to follow the saga of Tally Ho as she sails her way to history. If you are moved by the story of Tally Ho’s resurrection, you can donate via Leo's Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/sampsonboatco/about.

Visit the Documentary's Website

For those of you who have not yet ventured onto the Wind In Their Sails: Death and Resurrection website, there’s a lot there for you to explore. I urge you to take the plunge and find out for yourself why I’m so enthralled with classic wooden sailboats!