Sam Holmes Sailingvideo

Breaking stuff offshore

2 April 2026 · 19 min · 50K views · Telaga Harbor, Langkawi

What this video covers

Sam Holmes sails his catamaran through a rough overnight anchorage near an unnamed rock, then pushes upwind in 24 knots apparent wind with a second reef in, covering a passage toward Tulaga and Langkawi in Malaysia.0:26 Two gear failures occur offshore: an electric winch repair that lasted roughly 500 miles before failing again, forcing manual operation, and a whisker bowsprit support pad eye that came loose.3:20 A sail locker portlight broke open at sea, flooding the locker with two inches of water and soaking the headsail; Holmes dries the sail by hoisting it at anchor after hosing it down at a marina dock.5:22 At Langkawi he beaches the boat on a falling tide to scrub the waterline by hand.8:13 Maintenance work at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club includes replacing the flooded sail locker portlight using a 3D-printed router template and acrylic sheet, drilling drains into leaking side portlight water-catchment troughs using a custom drill jig and thickened epoxy, grinding off slippery non-skid on the coach roof ramp, and removing deck studs that caused soft spots in the cabin.10:32 He also 3D-prints a prototype headboard separator to detach the sail from the top cars, estimating the part costs $2–3 in plastic versus roughly $500–$1,000 from commercial suppliers including Harken.12:11

Watch on YouTube

More from Sam Holmes Sailing

Hundreds of miles of rough sailing only to be turned away from our dream destinationOct 2026Making big miles offshore sailing through IndonesiaSept 2026Orca sighting! we repair one daggerboard only to break another oneSept 2026Sailing to Maratua, a rarely visited Indonesian island Sept 2026

From Sam Holmes Sailing — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analysed video.

The Sailing Directory Newsletter

One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.

Report an issue