Sam Holmes Sailing · video

What this video covers

A custom catamaran relaunches after a boatyard haul-out, with Sam Holmes working through a sequence of pre-departure jobs in what appears to be Thailand before heading toward the Andaman Islands. A sunflower-yellow lazy bag for the mainsail initially jams on a non-standard track; soap, water, and a pressure washer fail to free it, so the bag goes back to the sail loft to be remade 1mm smaller — a perfect fit on the second attempt.0:25 The launch itself takes roughly 30 minutes at high tide, which required waiting several days.4:25 Post-launch work includes replacing a failing freezer seal, troubleshooting a dinghy outboard traced to a cracked fuel priming bulb with a failed check valve, and filling water tanks at a neighboring marina because the local water is too dirty for the onboard watermaker.4:45 Underway, Holmes lubricates Harken mainsail track cars with OneDrop McLube — confirming it lasts about two months versus two weeks for a generic PTFE dry lube — and tunes leeward shroud tension on a rotating mast while sailing in 6 knots.8:43 A squall prompts a full mainsail drop.12:44 Window sealing with Dow Corning 795 silicone is deferred to cooler weather to avoid polycarbonate thermal expansion problems.10:39

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.