Crew on HIGH ALERT sailing through PIRATE WATERS in the Philippines! - (Episode 320)
July 6, 2025 · 23 min · 182K views
What this video covers
Parlay Revival, a Lagoon 450 catamaran, sails the Sulu Sea on a passage from the Philippines toward Indonesia, transiting two designated piracy zones associated with the Abu Sayyaf Group.0:04 Colin turns off AIS transmission and runs dark at night through the most exposed stretch, while reporting position to the Malaysian Navy twice daily by VHF.4:18 Two separate fishing boats (locally called bunkers) approach at sea, 100 miles from land; both prove to be fishermen, but the crew keeps the two women below and all men on deck until each encounter resolves.5:17 The Navy makes VHF contact that night and clears Parlay Revival into Malaysian waters the following morning, completing the first piracy zone.7:25 In Malaysian Borneo, the crew takes the catamaran 20 miles up the Kinabatangan River, timing the transit to ride the flood tide in and exit on the ebb, using a track shared by another cruiser and Navionics.13:20 At high tide they anchor in 25 feet of water with 115 feet of chain out.17:57 The outgoing current then drives a meter-thick accumulation of logs and debris onto the bows and under the rudders; the crew cannot enter the crocodile-infested water to clear it.20:37 Colin motors forward at full RPM and turns hard to use the current angle to shed logs, but debris rebuilds immediately and propellers strike submerged logs.21:49 A resort manager assists but the current repeatedly defeats him.21:32 Timing a river anchorage to the tidal cycle does not eliminate debris risk when the ebb current is strong enough to carry large floating logs.
Boats in this video
More from Sailing Parlay Revival
From Sailing Parlay Revival — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analyzed 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.