Sam Holmes Sailingvideo
Island hopping our way to Langkawi and a new chartplotter
February 15, 2026 · 23 min · 40K views · Langkawi
Sailboat sails toward distant islands with parasailor aloft
What this video covers
Sam Holmes sails his catamaran through a chain of Malaysian islands toward Langkawi, managing several mechanical problems along the way. A stuck anchor requires motoring forward to relieve windlass strain while monitoring via GoPro from the helm.▶ 0:00 The port throttle sticks in reverse, forcing heavier reliance on the starboard engine; that engine overheats on arrival at Langkawi but clears after what Holmes suspects was a jellyfish blocking the intake.▶ 17:35 In Langkawi he changes oil and retightens belts on both engines, swaps a chafed davit line end-for-end, replaces a rusty davit pulley, and trims excess line from the cockpit.▶ 17:31 He also troubleshoots an air conditioning pump priming failure, tracing it to too many through-hull tees, and documents a rainwater collection system used to avoid running the watermaker in dirty anchorage water.▶ 12:34 The main upgrade is a B&G Zeus 3S chartplotter replacing a Zeus 2 with a failed touchscreen; B&G supplied the replacement, but the newer SR model was rejected because it lacked Navionics chart support and required a Windows laptop for updates.▶ 20:54 The Zeus 3S fits the existing hole with minor persuasion and supports Navionics, the existing autopilot, and radar.▶ 22:44 Holmes also flies a parasailor for the first time with growing confidence, deploying it in under five minutes.▶ 8:54 Customs check-in at Langkawi took under 30 minutes on his fourth visit.▶ 11:05
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