Scoring a Free Catamaran 

Dodged a bullet on the ketch…laughing out loud when you said’ things take longer than you think’ …that was a bottomless pit!

I like this fast cat! Best boat ride you've ever given me so far. -the mama

That frog 🐸 was hilarious. Little guy was like “Sup, I hope you don’t mind I was just having a lil nap in your fine vessel Captain”

Sitting in cold rainy N.Ireland with a cold beer in a warm heated home, feet up watching some dude sailing a cat in the USA. Can't beat life sometimes. Thanks for the 23 minutes of me feeling jealous ; }

Hey I know John! Lol what a small world. John is about the nicest guy out there. He's a charter captain and EMT and would have taken the shirt off his back if you needed it. Stoked to see you get that cat back under sail!!

Thank you for drilling at least one hole in that Cat. I almost panicked

This is the best sailing channel on RU-vid.

God bless that man that gave you the boat Not all people are in love with money He just knew you would enjoy life with it! Good on that man!

GREAT Buy... The seller clearly knew his shit, and likely had a great time with it in the day... Sad, but good to see it passed on for more life. 💪

CaptainJJswfl (John) glad to help! Ha! I had a buddy see this and noticed me. How cool. Glad you got her out Sam! Be safe my friend!

Really cool of that guy to give you the boat! It’s refreshing to hear about nice people as sometimes I wonder if there are many left these days.

At this point, the drilling hole sections are pure gold.

Return with a bottle of Rum to the previous owner. Would be a suitable gift.

Good to see some rapid fire hole drilling once again. I love the no nonsense get it done approach to fixing stuff, some people spend more time fixing stuff than sailing.

The excitement in your voice after getting the boat is awesome to hear!

Only you Sam could score a free catamaran! Well done!

Sam Holmes Freegan Sailing! Free is always the best price! This takes me back to my teen years, mid-1960s, when I taught myself to sail in rented beach cats off Fort Lauderdale Beach. Good times!

I think it is awesome how you just sail to a random beach before doing repairs. Dont fix it until you know it needs fixed

You should totally upload that pressure water footage from start to finish. So satisfying to watch

This is what I love about you Sam. From buying to sailing the boat in one video, other channels would have hung this out over 10 videos 😊

my fishing days long ago off the west coast of Ireland we kept two things under our hands ,a good sharp hatchet,and a good hand pump , now here in FL looking out on the ocean , I dream about hard ,cold days long ago and far away... Good luck Sam..keep dreaming the dream.

Sam, you are a breath of fresh air.....cool and calm just like a gentle sea breeze. A beautiful human being.

Adventures like this is where you shine Sam !

Sam Holmes, The Charmismatic (free stuff for a smile) Sailing Magician

She was cruising. Awesome that you got her for free. Even at 500 she was a great deal. Looking forward to watching you sail her around. Hope all is well with you and the family rebuilding from the hurricane. Cheers.

Sam stop by good old St. Augustine to catch the lights at night downtown near the lions bridge. I'll grab ya a drink and some food man!

You were driving next me on Glades Rd because being a boater, you look at any boat being pulled on the road when you see any and one would remember anyone pulling a boat with a Prius! I was like dam that's buck ass crazy and then to see this a few weeks later on your channel, I was like, dam that was Sam?!? WTF?

I have singlehanded Nacra 17 alot and I recommend you practice righting it a bit, also you should consider having righting ropes on each side to provide additional moment arm.

Hey Sam! Hope you’re enjoying your new catamaran! I just wanted to say thank you for being you and uploading your videos to take us along on your journeys! You’ve been an inspiration to me for a couple years now, and I wouldn’t have ever got motivated to be a sailor if it wasn’t for you! I remember when you were still uploading videos of Pickled Herring dry docked before your Atlantic crossing, and you took out the small sailboat Santibel for a weekend cruise. I’ve now got my own small sailboat for coastal cruising, and eventually I want to get a bigger boat for bluewater cruising to go to the Caribbean. Thank you, a million times, thank you for being you! I can’t support much financially right now, but if you ever need anything, don’t be afraid to ask. Fair winds and following seas, Sam! Many thanks, Captain Alex. ⛵️

7:26 i cannot explain it but i am fascinated by all the different versions of the small stainless shackle. Have a great day

Sam is always, always positive. Seems genuine. I don’t know how he does it!

Hah! I've been making several trips to Ft. Myers to support our company's tug and barge operations. We were originally helping ferry vehicles and equipment across the strait until the Sanibel bridge was reopened. Just last week we were contracted to bring the Ella Beyel back to its home port on the East coast and at one leg of the journey I got to help bring it through the locks. Always cool to see a common point of reference pop up while I'm watching the RU-vids! Godspeed, Sam Holmes!

Sweet score! That thing is super cool, I can't wait to see your adventures on it. Free boat, free cooler, free sleeping bag...that's what happens when you're a good guy. 👍

Been watching your posts for 2/3 years now You make everything look so easy Your truly a gifted sailor If only I had 10% of your abilities Really enjoy watching your adventures Well done man Respect

You are an amazingly ingenuitive dude with an adventurous spirit to match.

Proves if you have the will you can make something out of very little and turn it into an adventure. Full of admiration for your spirit of just do it and go .

Great new old boat! Perfect for warm and shallow waters. Kudos to the generous guy who gave you the cat. Thanks to you for taking us along for the ride.

The pressure wash was incredibly satisfying to watch.

looks like your tramp is on backwards, most cats ive been on have pockets at the front crossbar to stow the main halyard, but it looks like yours is at the rear crossbar. she will sail sweetly for you once you get it all dialed in. I love my cat will let me go sailing with the slightest breeze. with the main halyard its a little confusing to figure out but you really should mess with it when the boat is in irons, usually i rotate the mast to get the hook to latch the main. Keep having a blast with it :D

Sam is going to get back to some bare bones sailing again and I'm glad to see it. Drill, baby, Drill!!

I am psyched for your next adventure Sam, I always enjoy your videos!

Nice to see an older boat get a new lease on life. All she needs is a main sail that fits and she will be good to go!

Very cool boat! I see that you have a trapeze as well. More fun to come! That frog looked like a Cuban tree frog. An invasive frog from the islands. I bet that it did not like the salt water.

You make the most of so little! Thanks for taking us along!

What a find-those are rare. She cleaned up nicely. Definitely worth a few grand now.

Great find Sam, and free is even better. Great powerful cat and should be lots of fun. Stay safe. Andy UK

I'm from Pine Island but live in Naples now. I like that Sam is from my area.

You are an inspiration! So full of energy and confidence, really enjoy your videos.

Great to see you back out on the water.

Damn Sam, I hadn’t watched a vid for a while. I know you’ve been about, but your enthusiasm and adventurism is so cool! Bless your spirit! I just had a starfish, but even doing a knot in no wind is purifying.

You are supposed to twist the mast to port while the sail is on the starboard side and then pull the halyard. It should release at that point. You should put some calking in those screw holes that you drilled to prevent water from coming in.

Can’t wait for the new adventure!

Sam, great to see you christen the boat by drilling the first new hole in the hull ! Best of luck with the new rig !

Super fun boat with a ton of performance once you get her sorted. Do get those hulls fully water tight before your next crossing so we don’t lose our minds out here. A car top weather proof bag lashed to the tramp just aft of the mast makes for a good place to haul camping gear out of the way of sailing duties. Have fun!

Hey Sam, that was cool, you sailed right by my Dad's condo near Sanibel Bridge. Looks like fun.

Dude, you're so bad ass! I love watching your videos. Keep em up! Thanks for the help John

Awesome video. A mate and I sailed the Whitsunday Islands on a Cobra Cat, which is a similar design, back in 1991!! No mobile phones back then. It was a trip down memory lane, thank you. I got pretty tired of getting gear out of bung holes. With 20/20 hindsight, I would have made the bung holes bigger, or even built a rectangular hatch lid. Sleeping at anchor worked well, and got us a bit away from the sandflies and mosquitoes. A boom tent from a cheap tarp is also great for weather/sun protection. Looking forward to vicariously joining your adventure.

I just found your channel by chance. I love how you make it look easy and affordable. I just got a 23 foot sailboat and will be learning how to sail with my 2 boys after our Canadian winter is finished. Cheers

possibly to late by the time you read this but you can get inspection hatches with bags connected to them so you can store stuff safely and easy to get to. Good for storing stuff like car keys, wallets, cell phones, back up GPS /epirbs I used to sail a cat (nacra 5.2) around the Great barrier reef and camp off it

Hi Sam, super nice catamaran and it was built in Canada, province of Quebec. Have fun and take care.

Good job, Mr Holmes. I'm impressed. I have sailed small cats more than 50 years. You make this more than a sport - you make sailing come alive. Fair winds, young sailor man - you rock! (or is it 'mind the rock' - I don't remember) 🤓

That first boat looked at tad sketchy from the maintenance perspective. Cool.seeimg a Prius towing the cat. Poor frog - hope it be equipped for salt water.

Am I bad, I waited and waited for the first holes drilled in the new boat- then Joy!!! Excellent choice on the floaty, super nice sail, this should be fun. Wondering if a small jet ski, or some small powered water device could be hacked on the cat to make her fly in no/low windage. Also for use as tender, perhaps partially inflated like a rib.... Never seen anything like that, but might be fun to make a cat tender aux drive...

Your positive attitude is what I enjoy most. Happy thanksgiving Sam!

Hi Sam , you need to use the cunningham to control the shape of the mainsail and get even more speed out of it👍

Very cool to see you get that sweet catamaran for free! Hobiewan Kenobi was a great little adventure and this mini catamaran looks even better. Another great SHS update. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you Sam! I can relate to the other comments; sitting here in Helsinki, in my boat, surrounded by snow and ice. Waiting for the haul out, before the whole place gets frozen. Thank you for the escape, even only for 23 minutes 😀🙏

Yo Ho Sam, I watched all your antics on the Hobie. I've sailed one myself. This newest acquisition of yours really is a step up in accommodation and performance. That rig carries about as much canvas as the laws of physics allow. That thing will fly when you get the rigging tuned and a spinnaker hoisted. Hey Sam, try making one of those hydrofoils that go between the hulls and make the cat get up into a near plane. The foils are a real commercial product, sold as an add-on...there are ads to view for an example to see. It would work well with the dagger boards. All that extra stuff. He must have seen your videos. He knew you were a deserving soul. God bless you and your crew.

You are one crazy adventurous dude!! Go for it!

Shape not great on the main because no good way to tension the luff. Think about a attaching a cunningham to a cringle about a foot and a half above the gooseneck. Tension with a simple block and tackle.

I'm looking forward to your Winter adventures Sam. This is the first time I'll be seeing them as you post them. Happy Sailing! Great to see Mama Holmes out there with you too!

I'm eventually will find a live aboard sailboat again. Lost mine from the hurricane that hit Louisiana 2021. Enjoy your videos thank you for sharing be safe

Thanks for video. Nice cat, I think she is quite similar us olimpic class TORNADO. I also like cat to much , acceleration is immediately, and fast, filling is amazing.

I had a Hobie 18 and the ring needs to be spun four or five times so that as it catches on the parrots beak… before attaching the halyard.. cheers

Cool beard Sam! You look like a Captain. Glad you're doing well can't wait for new adventure! ⛵

Impressive tacking upwind, great video. Congratulations on the new boat. Looking forward to what is coming next. Fair winds

FFS.....5 bags of sand for that piece of floating junk..that guy even had a straight face when he was showing you around. Glad you went with that cat.

Didn’t pay attention to the title and started watching that first boat thinking, “Sometimes free is…overpriced.” Enjoy the cat!

Nice score. I seen at first no rotator hooked up, then later it was, good job. I just set up my h18 with an 8:1 downhaul led to outside, works like a champ hitting big gust. Thanks for promoting beach cats!

Sam, don't tell me that you can not afford a sleeping bag...but taking it from the Donation pile...that's wrong and you know that! One thing I have learnt about you is that that you are very frugal. Those donation drop off areas are for those who lost everything due to the hurricane!!

Beautiful looks like it hasn't been on the sea in ages fast too it looks Sam 🙂😁🍾

Only you finds a Yeti and ends up with the owner giving it to you! I had a Hobi that was a 21 that I kept in Destin when I started college, but that one you have is going to be even more fun & exciting, I can already tell. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy about anything before, you were smiling in every shot. I hope you’re planning on doing another video in a few weeks after you get used to it & going fast….

Awesome score Sam. I love sailing beach cats. They are fast and fun.

Wow Sam I think you like the cat. Nice guy good deal you made. He couldn't have given it to a nicer guy. Can't wait till your next adventure. How's Gma doing with the hurricane mess?

I admire you Sam, you are always up for an adventure 24/7. Where is Zoey ? She is a cool sailing mate.

Dig the new used catamaran… Looks like a good one for where we live on Barkley Lake, Cumberland River… Two minutes to water end of road… Perfect for some grandchildren to enjoy… Smooth sails Sam…

Cool to watch your crazy adventures! You can get a tiny outboard, and a bailing pump, we wouldn’t judge you for it😉

Good to see you back on the water Sam, looking forward for more. Steve from Kent England

Sam Holmes, coolest dude on the ‘net.

Thanks!

Nice score on that cat. I know when you're ready to go it will be set up SWEET. Looking forward to the next video.

Good going Sam, I bet you will really like the speed, I do .

Hell Yes, Sam. I Love It! You Will Dig that it Will Get to Your Destination Super Quick. Super Long Story Time Forthcoming: I was gifted a ‘70s Prindle 18 (with BadAss Pattison Sails from Laguna, CA in a galvanized steel trailer) by a dude that moved to GA from SoCal in the mid ‘90s. I taught myself how to sail it in my teens on local reservoirs. in 1993, I sailed it with a buddy, that had never sailed before, down the gulf coast from Fort Morgan, AL to Naples, FL. we were 15 (way before mobile phones), but had a saltwater ice chest full of sandwiches & water, and a tent that we could set up if it rained at night. many times, we got kicked off the beach by resort/condo security at sunup, but we sailed out of sight in no time. we’d beach it every morning to look for a ‘Tom Thumb’ convenience store, where I’d call my folk’s beach home on Ono Island, to check in for only 25¢. for some reason we made it mandatory that it had to be a ‘Tom Thumb’ store. we stayed fairly close to shore for most of the trip, but ventured pretty far offshore on the leg from Panama City Beach to Tampa. we had a handheld VHF radio, flares, PFDs, a nickel-plated Remington .45ACP 1911 and a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum, proper fishing & proper camping gear. we caught King & Spanish Macs on planers tied to the aft beam frame, sight-casted Cobia & trolled up a few Bull Reds from sandbars. we’d grill’em up at night. that’s how we met many cool vacationing families out flashlighting crabs with their little ones. they’d smell & checkout our dinner, hear what we were up to & hang out to chat for a while…letting us know that we were doing something special, and that time flies by, so we should soak up every minute. on one of our last beach crashing nights, we had THE most perfect & unforgettable encounter with 2 girls our age in Sarasota. they had a house to themselves just 200 feet away from my Prindle 18. it was straight out of a novel. they cooked us dinner AND breakfast. also, another lifetime 1st came when we smoked a little something with a 17 year old dude named Jimmy Hendricks (not Jimi Hendrix) on Captiva. we made that 500+ mile trip to Grandma’s house in under 14 days & never got sick of each other. Vic & I still consider it the most BadAss thing we ever did as “kids”…that plus visiting the two super hot cousins in Ohio from Atlanta, twice (as soon as we turned 16) in ‘94 in my Blue ‘75 Porsche 914 we were on top of the world & get right back up there when we remember that summer & the one after. now Vic has no hair à over his shoulders, but plenty on his back & we both have kids that don’t give a damn about catamarans. if you stayed here long enough tj read this, then I appreciate letting me share this memory & hope you had or make an Epic Experience for you or others ASAP…we’re not here long. though, I’m chasing half a month from 28 years ago.

Good deal on the Cat, Sam. Looked like it was moving faster than what you said. Awesome find.

Very nice! Can’t wait to see your next trip!

That's an awesome boat. You should wear a pastel t-shirt and a white linen sportcoat while you sail it. Maybe get a nice stereo system for it, and play Jan Hammer on repeat too. If you decide to sell it after the winter season, hit me up! I'd drive down from NY for that for sure!

I live off McGregor, and it's so weird watching all this happened a stone's throw from my house. The first boat may have even been in my neighborhood.

lord, lord sam that first boat was rough ! the catmaran is kool

wow i've really missed sailing .....Thanks.

Really looking forward to seeing what you do with this one. What a nice guy.