A couple of weeks ago we posted a video about an organization that’s building a replica of an 1852 Falmouth Pilot Cutter named Vincent. The group, called Working Sail, is using traditional methods and materials to craft the 68-footer, which will be launched as Pellew in spring 2019.
This weekend we found a more complete video about the project filmed by none other than Leo Goolden, who in the November 2017 Soundings wrote Tally Ho, Adventure. The story is about his quest to rebuild 1927 Fastnet winner Tally Ho, a 47-foot, Albert Strange-designed, gaff-rigged cutter that had been dying a slow death in a Washington state boatyard.
The video finds Goolden catching up with the leader of the project, shipwright Luke Powell, who says the project is about more than preserving history. “It’s all about sustainability,” Powell says. “We want to create the next generation of shipwrights.” The full 20-minute video has some unique insights into traditional boatbuilding methods and how young people are coming into the wooden boat fold. If you’ve got some extra time, you can also stick around for a tutorial in planking toward the end.
Powell already has his sights set on his next project, a Falmouth Freight Schooner he will begin once Pellew launches early next year. You can keep track of Pellew’s progress by visiting the organization’s webpage.
