Sam Holmes Sailing · video

What this video covers

Sam Holmes and his crew navigate a 450-nautical-mile upwind passage from the islands of Waigeo and Wayag toward Sorong, West Papua, Indonesia.0:05 The crew encounters challenging conditions, including strong currents and steep, short-period waves that necessitate frequent tacking and the use of the engine to maintain momentum.2:43 To manage the boat’s motion and reduce stress on the rigging, the crew employs a third reef in the mainsail and occasionally unfurls the jib for extra power.3:29 During the transit, the jib sustains a significant tear along a seam due to UV-damaged thread, which the owner repairs using a Singer sewing machine and Sunbrella fabric.37:42 The vessel successfully navigates the one-mile-long Kabui Strait by timing the transit with slack tide to avoid 5-knot currents.33:34 The journey concludes with a mechanical failure when a scuba tank’s burst disc ruptures, causing a loud explosion inside the cabin.1:04:34

More from Sam Holmes Sailing

Making big miles offshore sailing through IndonesiaSep 2026Orca sighting! we repair one daggerboard only to break another oneSep 2026Sailing to Maratua, a rarely visited Indonesian island Sep 2026We hit a log sailing by strange Indonesian sea platformsAug 2026

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