Sailing to Bahamas on a 16ft boat 

Down to one rudder, sinking, lost the cargo net, join us next week as we sail around the Bahamas! By far the best sailing adventure channel on RU-vid.

That laugh saying the boat almost sunk because it had so much water in it's hulls really cracked me up. Sam is an absolute madlad lunatic. The chick seems to be the perfect match because she doesn't seem to give a shit either. Just don't die doing that stuff.

Yikes. Sketchy mast, hulls, rudder and cargo storage. Good thing you have a pool toy for a life raft. Glad you made it and love the optimism, but those are some pretty thin margins.

There's a fine line between having an adventure and toying with death. I'm not even sure which side of the line this was on. Glad you made it.

Your videos legit got me into sailing. This video felt like one of those ones you find on a gopro washed up on shore ten years later lol. Be safe my man.

As a former H16 owner I've got to say you folks have guts! That was a heck of a risk. The 16 just isn't made to carry any cargo weight, and water in the hulls is bad news in waves. Glad you made it.

Man that night departure had me feeling very nervous. Glad you guys made it safely!

I would add some lights somewhere and maybe a radar reflector. Looks like the hull has a max range of 75 miles. Keep the videos coming because when they stop we will worry.

I love your channel and you Sam seem like a nice person. That said I am happy Zoe is not my daughter. You are pushing things just a bit to much and I have done my share of reckless stuff. Please stay safe and take good care of Zoe she is someone’s daughter. Being a parent can be very stressful. This is coming from someone who traveled the West living in his tent rock climbing. Yeah I too am lucky to be alive. Take care Update, I just got back from eight days in Saint Lucia where I took a sailing lesson and sailed a 14 foot Hobbie and fell in love with sailing this small craft. This all said I now realize more than ever that was crazy what you two did. I am very happy it all worked out. These boats are very fun to sail but so easy to tip over. Good job.

Sam, I'm a big fan. You are somewhat mad, with trying to sail with no wind, in the dark. Best line was; ''we might be sinking, but we're halfway there, so might as well keep going!'' And then; ''WE lost half our rudder, but only 24 miles to go''. Genius!

You were blessed with the wind from the perfect direction, no only for your crossing of the Gulf Stream, but to shield the side of your boat with the compromised hull that was leaking so bad. Had you needed to tack any where but the final approach, it seems your would have been in over your head. You were protected by angels on that one. IF you make that passage again, perhaps you should use a Hobie that is not leaking. The remainder of the Bahamas should be comparatively simple. Abaco's , Berry's and Exuma are stellar for your simple set up. Excited to see your adventure unfold - after this miracle passage.

This is the most chaotic and chilled sailing video Ive ever seen.

Glad you guys made it! When I saw the dimples in the port hull I knew she was pretty compromised and would be under water most of your passage. I would have taken a hard pass on that crossing with a marginal H16 but you proved once again that sheer determination overcomes significant odds. You are a mad adventurer Sam and the world needs more like you. Nice you found a young lass to share your adventures. Cheers!

That was adventurous for sure. A 16' Hobie eh? Please Sam, your a good sailor and full of know-how but don't temp fate. Be safe my friend.

This is a great video for illustrating why a daysailer is not a good choice to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas from Miami, which is what new sailors often ask! Glad you made it!

It was a crazy adventure but Sam I feel like one of these days things will catch up to you and you won’t be so lucky. If you keep upping the ante and trying more difficult things eventually it won’t pay off. You still rock tho

Showed this to a friend who, after watching, said, "That dude crazy!" I told him it's adventure crazy, not mental crazy. Sailor Sam is the man!

I sailed my first boat to an island 25 miles out through a Chanel that I know now gets wicked. You got lucky. I liked your 24’ Hawaii trip; this one broke too many rules for someone with your level of experience.

I've been watching a long time. There's two things we can't live without. One is fire, and the other is water.... and both will kill you. I talk from experience. Stop pushing your luck

Sam, after watching both you and Zoe attempted this passage to the Bahamas which I thought was just not possible, it is my hopes that Hobie will sponsor your ventures around the Bahamas. My prayers are with the both of you and Be Safe. God Bless!

Not going to lie Sam, I was genuinely worried with how non-nonchalantly you said you'd be sailing from Miami to the Bahamas, and I've never sailed a day in my life* (YET!) So glad to hear you two made it!!

Having made this passage many times in sailing vessels i can tell you that crossing the Gulf Stream is no joke. It can be a treacherous body of water. A white squall can sneak up on you bringing 40 knot winds and huge waves in minutes. I have heard of others making that passage in razors and hobies over the years. The protocol is to leave at night from a southerly point. Many sail down to Fowey rock or Triumph light before pointing on a south easterly heading. The stream depending on its speed will sweep you north as you sail all night. At dawn Bimini will be on the horizon. Do not take the Gulf Stream for granted since you have made the passage safely. It can bite you!

This was, like you said, not one of your better decisions. I only watched because I figured you had to have survived to post the video here. I did the very same trip from Miami to West End in a 45'-er & we had to wait three days for a decent weather window yet even then crossing the gulf stream was seriously rough. Yikes. Sell the Hobie in Freeport & take a plane back.

I know "Sam Holmes Sailing" is all about embracing a bohemian approach to cruising. Usually I enjoy it. Your creative approach to establish systems and solving problems is remarkable. Even with your extensive offshore resume, this voyage showed a marked lapse uncharacteristic of your usual. I fear it might influence others with less experience to do the same. Those who have been in the thick of it off shore, know just how lucky you were this time. All that said, I am hoping for better presentations of responsible seamanship in the future so some who may be watching to learn from you see how to adventure using best practices that serve to establish greater margins of safety. I wish you the best in that endeavor. Cheers

This video without a doubt had me on the edge of my chair just like your first californa to hawaii video did! Bravo Sam and Zoe!

Wow! Congratulations on your crossing, and Zoe is one in a million. I planned this trip back in 2010 in a 19' cabin boat, but the right weather window never appeared. Doing it at night, without lights, on HobieCat without wearing life jackets is nuts. But, you accomplished what so many others have only dreamed.

jfc dood, this is more of a "getting away with it" situation than "completing it neatly" kind of thing.

Its refreshing to see someone turn around and bail on a passage attempt to gather your thoughts. Then go back to the passage and be successful. Not to many channels showing this type of saling life. As a professional pilot and sailor that just completed sailing from washington to cabo, you are an inspiration Sam.

that was awesome!! you're making some of the best content on youtube, my friend. just please don't kill yourself. that was a pretty sketchy situation.

I have never seen a guy with such a positive vibe. Half glass full kind of guy despite losing a rudder and almost sinking. You’re a legend bud. Keep up the videos. 👏🏽

Reminds me of the time in your hawaii video when you were talking to some other people about the crossing and they were talking about their 30+ foot boats and you said you did it in a Hunter 23. Their faces were priceless.

Sam, I love your approach to life. You live as if this will be your last day on this earth. You may never see your 40th birthday, but you will have lived a more fulfilling life than the vast majority of us meek sheep. And Zoe (Zoey) exhibits an admirable spirit for adventure as well. Kudos to both of you.

Wow. Nerves of steel. In about twenty years you will think about that trip and say, Wow.

Amazing courage Sam and Zoey and a good lesson in patience for all of us watching as you awaited for the right time to go for it. My 1974 Hobbie 16 leaks too and I did pitch pole when we hit a wave when buoyancy was low so great job handling your situation. So happy to see West End in good shape again! Looking forward to seeing more of your Bahamas trip! Dean

Unbelievable Sam and Zoe. What a great adventure. Thank you both.

I love this guy, he shows all the time you dont have to be some rich a hole on a 400k boat to sail. And enjoy an adventure

Tune in next week as Sam tries for the North Pole on a sled pulled by 20 fluffy hamsters.

Congrats and thanks for sharing the adventure! My first boat was a Hobie 16, and I had a lot of fun ripping that thing around (and flipping it!). Glad you guys made it safely across, and long live Hobie Wan Kenobi.

Oh my! What an adventuresome twosome! Thanks for bringing us along!

Wow! That was CRAZY! lol. Congratulations on making it to the Bahamas. You both are very brave! Thanks for sharing your videos.

Another great episode of Sam Holmes Sailing and special guest Zoe!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What an adventure for sure!. Well done on the safe arrival to the Bahamas. Thanks for sharing.

I was so nervous watching this and I loved it! You both rock!!

Sam’s next challenge: swimming to the Bahamas holding a sail

You are both so industrious and brave! Thank you for the videos!!

Sam Holmes,you are off the chain!

Holy shit, Sam, you are WAY too comfortable with a (nearly) rudderless sinking ship!

what an amazing trip!!! Hope you both enjoy the Bahamas. SMALL BOATS ROCK!

I feel obliged to donate just to keep you alive! This was exiting but obviously insane! No radar deflector or lantern that I could se. No PFD on, no drysuit, no manual bilge pump and a boat that is clearly not fit for this sort of adventure. Apart form that, great!!!

Looks like Neptune winked. Good to see you had the courage to try. But I think you should consider three suggestions: 1.) Add reef points to your mainsail. Multihulls can easily fail structurally before capsizing. Reefing the main is a way to reduce loads on the cross-beams. 2.) Add pump-out ports to both hulls. Have a fill-pipe extend from each deck to just below the trampoline. This is where you can insert the pump hose. This way, you have a means to get water out of the hulls while at sea. 3.) Consider getting a kayak or decked over canoe. You can place the heaviest items of your gear in it, and tow it with The Hobie Cat. It can also be used as a dinghy and, if worse comes to worse, as a life boat.

you're HUGE Sam the man ! Whew , glad you made it ! Now fix everything that broke BEFORE you head home

Love this guy. Always smiling and so positive. Wishing much luck and success

Your videos just keep getting better (don’t take that as a challenge to up the ante!) Most of all how you show honestly the trials and tribulations of your mad adventures. Makes me feel ok about the plans I make to do a passage and end up going for another day, again, and again! That’s life.

I'm glad you made it! I have to admit that from my comfortable seat taking a Hobie across the open ocean is nuts but you made it, you're both alive and had a great video/story to tell! We're looking forward to your exploring the Bahamas stories. FWIW I like having Zoe on the videos with you.

Definitely another chapter in the Life and Times of Adventurer Sam Holmes. Not gonna lie, My blood pressure was probably on the high side watching.

Wow! You have nerves of steel! And Zoey is fearless with complete trust in her Captain. Sail on Sam Holmes and crew!

Amazing stuff Sam. Mad respect you both.

MAD RESPECT to you two. You and Zoe are both amazing. Congratulations!

As a private pilot I always found flying small aircraft at night was always a calm pleasant adventure. Sailing at night is likewise much calmer as long as there is some wind.

This video made me so nervous. Can't believe you made it. Cheers to you and to Hobie! What a trek.

Replace those rudders with something more sturdy. You do not, i repeat do NOT ever want to lose steering on a sailing vessel of any type especially in rough conditions far offshore. I had it happen twice, once my rudder broke in half on my ODay 22, then again i lost steering on my Hunter 33 too, the cables came off, talk about hell trying to fix it offshore in bad conditions. That said...you are Sam Holmes so when things get bad, im very confident you can handle it.😎 Stay safe.

Great stuff. I had a Hobie once and ended up putting foot straps near the back of the tramp frame so you could hang out on trapeze and keep weight as far aft as possible. It helped avoid burying the leeward hull (and consequently pitchpoling).

This was nerve racking. Good job!

I watch this more eagerly and enjoy than any Hollywood movie!! Love your adventures, very inspiring and looking forward to sail to Bahamaa too on my small sailboat

This was an excellent video. Such a ballsy trip to make on a small Hobie. Makes me wish I had done it years ago. Enjoy your time there~

Knowing how much those hulls leak, I had my doubts about you guys making it. Congratulations !

Elephant BALLS for sure! Wow, GLAD you guys made it safely, that is a tough sail on a damn 21 footer and you did it on a Hobie 16 footer! Epic guys.

Hobies get a bit unstable when a hull is full of water glad you made it safe. We found a crack in our hull that let in a lot of water over an hour and it almost caused us to tip over backwards.

Wow just wow you guys pulled that off becareful out there will be waiting for the next video. ⛵❤️💯👍

Sam - This takes sailing around the world in questionable boats to a whole new level!Please, when you have the time it might be worth making a video about all the preparations and knowledge you needed to make this trip. Weather window, experience, safety gear on board, ect. This was fun to watch but It was dangerous even with all the prep an experienced sailor like you must have put into it. I can picture some inexperienced 16 year old deciding to head off into the sunrise because they saw you do it. I can see in my mind the devastated family - Not to mention all the lives/resources that will be at risk/spent trying to rescue them.

Glad you made it Be safe ok!

Congratulations to both of you for a great job! Another Great Sam Homes sailing video!! Sam you are unstoppable! Keep up the great sailing and pushing the boundaries of sailing! So glad that Zoe stayed around after the first 2 attempts. Most people would have left...lol. I can't wait until the next video.

I’m an inland guy, but you have inspired me to be more ambitious with my San Juan monohull! I have never stayed over night with it in my lakes and I want to do a weekend now! Great video! Glad you made it safe!

You guys are something else. Who else would have come up with such a crazy scheme. Awesome!!!

Suggestion: A spring-still leaf or sheet in thz core of the rudder. Also, fill the hulls with foam. Sprayed or otherwise. And cut two compartments dry sealed smooth flashed with top surface closing on the hulls midship a bit to stern. Weave the cargo net through center holes in the poles, but one over and one under alternatively. Improve the poles attachment manner. Epic voyage Sam. I'm thrilled. Get a survival surcase raft for backup... lol.

Awesome !!! Finally some seat of the pants sailing. I've been searching for a video of someone sailing a small vessel over to the Bahamas and this did not disappoint. Congratulations on that successful adventure. These videos also make for some great reading in the comments section...LOL.

Just awesome! Hoping you can find a rudder and fix some leaks before the return voyage. Can't wait for the next episode!

Sam, you are an absolute madlad!! Congrats to you and Zoe on the successful journey!!!

Get this man a sponsor. This was fabulous!!!

After you left, I suddenly thought of all the holes you drilled in the hulls and thought an emergency bilge pump might be a good idea! Too late, that was a good lesson!

Very adventurous! Can't wait to follow the journey!

A very amazing passage, one day you will be doing the Nor’west Passage! Zoe has a wonderful spirit to match yours. Good health on your Bahamas tripping.

The must improbable part of this is having found a girl willing to get on that boat again after having had to turn back twice.

Congratulations on your passage! Glad you two made it safe. RAM RAM!

Wow what a voyage in a such a small boat! Glad you made it safely

WOW Sam and Zoe! Congratulations! You chose one of the stongest, most durable, diy friendly beachcats in the world IMHO. I grew up sailing a Hobie 16 in the Gulf Coast where my father was a yachtbroker and I even had a Hobie 16 in Atlanta on Lake Lanier which I would sail at night due to a demanding corporate work schedule. Yet at no time did I consider oceanic voyages on my Hobie. Stay safe and stay strong Sam and Zoe because I can't wait for some more very interesting RU-vid content. Cheers to broad reaches in the future on high speed multihulls!

Sam - You’ve now set the high adrenaline bar for ‘sailing channels.’

That was pretty rad guys!! Cheers for doing this missions on a hobie, true escence of adventure!

On my way to being one of my favorite channels. Down to hard core basics. LOVE IT!

Norrington: You are without a doubt the worst pirate I’ve ever heard of. Sam: But you have heard of me.

Dude you and the first mate are legends in my book. Glad your safe. Cheers.

these videos have been making me want to get a hobbee 16. My Dad had one when I was a kid and it was so much fun good times

Very impressive! Love these adventure vids! Carry on, mate

Holy shit! I admire your adventurous spirit, but you guys are the definition of “ignorance is bliss”! One thing: where’s your jib? What you might not have realized is that on a Hobie 16 the jib halyard is what pulls the mast forward and tensions the shrouds (those wires on the sides that hold the mast up). It’s part of the integrity of the entire rig. And especially with an effed-up mast base, you need the rig tensioned. But what the hell, you did it, so kudos to you both.

Captain Bligh of the HMS Bounty and 8-10 men made a 2,000 mile open ocean voyage on a light row/sail boat in the 1700’s with little in the way of provisions.

your sailing show is the only one that makes me NERVOUS

All these comments calling you gutsy, but to be real frank, you are damn lucky to survive! It’s astonishing that so many elements conspired to your survivability! How can a rudder break in the open water, unless it was broken long before and just finally dropped into the abyss! Compromised or not, you should never have traveled with the hulls riding underwater the way you did; too much weight almost did you in! No navigation lights, no transponder, you buy I compass as an afterthought? So many fails, such incredible luck!

16:10 “help me hobie one kenobi, you’re my only hope”

Crazy. She trusts you big time

UN-freaking-BELIEVABLE. I gotta say, I did not think this rig was safe to attempt this. Rescue in the waiting. BUT- Hella-good story to tell your grandkids. THANK YOU for this adventure. Your fearless optimism for adventure is inspiring. Love your channel!

Love this, reminds me when I was younger. This is FANTASTIC!!!!! Nobody sails the world like you ,on the cheap--- minimalist maximus Love it!!! Did that trip on a 23ft O'Day . This one IS bar- none the best sailing video I've ever seen/ best trip too Ha Ha amazing!!! You two grinning nonstop is the icing 😍