Nervous First Sail After 6 Month Refit in Thailand! - (Episode 385)

For blue-water voyagers and marine engineering purists, few vessels embody maritime resilience quite like the resurrected 2012 Lagoon 450 catamaran Parlay Revival. Originally declared a constructive total loss after Hurricane Irma devastated the British Virgin Islands with 180-knot winds, the multihull was rescued from the scrap heap by former superyacht chief engineer Colin MacRae. Over eight and a half years of circumnavigation, MacRae and his crew have documented their ambitious structural rebuilds and ocean crossings on Sailing Parlay Revival. Following an intensive six-month shipyard refit in Phuket, Thailand, the catamaran finally returns to offshore waters to undergo high-stakes sea trials across the Andaman Sea toward Malaysia.

Transitioning a 45-foot catamaran from months on the hard back to sea requires painstaking preparation. Before slipping their lines from Chalong Pier, MacRae provisioned four commercial flatbed carts of groceries at Makro to supply dual freezers and refrigerators for crew members Marty, Mike, Benji, Stephen, Brittany, and dog Lyndon. With outward clearance granted by Thai customs, immigration, and the harbor master under a ten-day daylight cruising window, the crew prepared to systematically evaluate their composite reinforcements, Yanmar diesels, Battle Born lithium bank, and downwind sail inventory.

The Six-Month Phuket Refit: Rebuilding Structural Bulkheads and Marine Systems

When Colin MacRae hauled the Lagoon 450 catamaran Parlay Revival into the shipyard in Phuket, Thailand, the Sailing Parlay Revival team commenced an exhaustive engineering overhaul to restore total monocoque rigidity. Addressing notorious Lagoon 450 bulkhead flex, MacRae tackled localized core degradation adjacent to the engine compartments and collision bulkheads with extensive fiberglass grinding, structural scarfing, and heavy biaxial resin tabbing.

Beyond structural composite laminations, the mechanical systems required extensive remediation. Microbial contamination from diesel bug had severely corroded the aluminum fuel tanks, pitting the metal and causing fuel leakage. MacRae extracted the tanks, welded custom reinforcement access hatches, acid-washed the internal baffles, and installed high-capacity polishing filtration. The renewed tanks feed dual Yanmar 4JH5E diesels coupled to SD50 saildrives. Concurrently, MacRae upgraded the house electrical system to a 2,160-amp-hour Battle Born LiFePO4 bank paired with an expanded aft solar array arch, custom dinghy davits, and a masthead lightning protection system.

Clearing Chalong Harbor: Gear Teething and Initial Drivetrain Sea Trials

Official departure day for Colin MacRae and Sailing Parlay Revival began at Chalong Pier in Phuket, Thailand, where the Lagoon 450 catamaran Parlay Revival cleared customs, immigration, and harbor master formalities. After paying 700 Thai baht in official clearance fees and securing a ten-day daylight passage window toward Malaysia, the crew prepared their renewed propulsion and steering systems for open-water trials.

Maneuvering out through the crowded Chalong mooring field, the vessel encountered an immediate operational hazard when an abandoned fishing line and heavy lure snarled in the port propeller. MacRae immediately killed the engine, preventing monofilament from wrapping tightly around the shaft and destroying the delicate saildrive lip seals. The crew quickly mobilized on the transom steps, slicing the tangled bird’s nest free and inspecting the folding propeller blades before motoring past the mountaintop Big Buddha into the open waters of the Andaman Sea.

Under Canvas in Phang Nga Bay: Structural Rigging Telemetry and Wing-on-Wing Cruising

Hoisting canvas in the open waters of Phang Nga Bay, Thailand, Colin MacRae guided the Lagoon 450 catamaran Parlay Revival into fifteen to twenty knots of true wind, marking the official sailing return for Sailing Parlay Revival. Bearing away to an apparent wind angle of 140 degrees wing-on-wing, the 45-foot multihull accelerated smoothly to 7 knots, allowing the crew to verify standing rigging tension and confirm that the reinforced bulkheads exhibited zero structural groan.

Under full reaching loads, MacRae inspected the mast step compression post, deck crossbeams, and chainplate alignments. The hulls moved through coastal swells as a rigid, monolithic platform without creaking or composite deflection. Aboard, the crew settled into offshore passage routines: Marty, returning to cruising after years ashore, steered at the helm while Mike absorbed sail-trim mechanics. To celebrate the multihull’s return to offshore performance, Benji landed a juvenile skipjack tuna on the stern trolling reel, carefully releasing the fish back into the turquoise bay.

Koh Phi Phi Husbandry and Shore Excursions: Hull Scraping and the Muay Thai Ring

Dropping anchor beneath the limestone karsts of Koh Phi Phi Don, Colin MacRae anchored the Lagoon 450 catamaran Parlay Revival after crossing from Phuket, Thailand, providing the Sailing Parlay Revival crew their first opportunity to perform vital hull husbandry. Six months in warm boatyard waters had fouled the running surfaces, prompting the crew to dive with scrapers to remove green slime and barnacles before heading ashore to test their mettle in an amateur Muay Thai arena.

Dividing the twin hulls into four quadrants, the crew scraped the antifouling clean to eliminate parasitic drag for the longer ocean passages ahead. That evening, the crew headed ashore into Phi Phi’s renowned nightlife, where Benji and Stephen volunteered for amateur boxing bouts in front of a spirited crowd. Benji fought three tactical rounds against an Israeli opponent, scoring a victory on points. Stephen stepped into the ring for the second bout, weathering fierce strikes with incredible tenacity before the crew celebrated their collective camaraderie on a mechanical bull.

Southward Passage to Koh Rok and Koh Lipe: Deep-Water Spinnaker Trials

Departing southward across the offshore waters of Thailand, Colin MacRae steered the Lagoon 450 catamaran Parlay Revival toward Koh Rok and Koh Lipe to test downwind rigging for Sailing Parlay Revival after their refit in Phuket. In rolling offshore swells, the crew landed a fresh albacore tuna, filleting it on the cockpit table into raw sashimi for the team while ship’s dog Lyndon enjoyed the offcuts.

Over the 45-nautical-mile passage from Koh Rok to Koh Lipe, light seven-knot winds prompted MacRae to deploy the catamaran’s massive downwind spinnaker directly off the starboard bow tack. In factory configurations, Lagoon 450 decks are merely glued to hull flanges with methacrylate adhesive—a design vulnerability that previously ripped the bow deck off during heavy sailing in New Zealand. Having rebuilt the bows with multi-axial fiberglass tabbing tied directly into the forward collision bulkhead, MacRae watched the catamaran glide at 6.2 knots in seven knots of breeze with zero bow deflection.

Koh Yang North Anchorage: Offshore Self-Sufficiency and Ocean Readiness

Navigating the pristine marine reserve waters surrounding Koh Lipe, Colin MacRae guided the Lagoon 450 catamaran Parlay Revival into a secluded anchorage at Koh Yang North, concluding the first offshore leg south of Phuket, Thailand, for Sailing Parlay Revival. In crystal-clear waters against powdery white sand, the crew verified the vessel’s complete off-grid autonomy, from solar-powered lithium cooking to masthead halyard swings and beachside campfire camaraderie.

Ashore on the deserted beach, the crew held a low-impact barbecue over a buried sand pit, adhering to leave-no-trace ethics while Stephen prepared a skillet of ‘marry me chicken’ with sun-dried tomatoes over open embers. As the sea trial concluded on the threshold of Malaysia, MacRae reflected on the catamaran’s complete metamorphosis: from a discarded storm wreck to an ocean-proven blue-water platform ready to take on the Indian Ocean.

Lagoon 450 Refit Specifications and Sea Trial Telemetry

During the rigorous offshore sea trials between Phuket and Koh Lipe in Thailand, Colin MacRae and the Sailing Parlay Revival team logged performance telemetry aboard the Lagoon 450 catamaran Parlay Revival. The following structured table summarizes the shipyard refit parameters, propulsion systems, structural composite reinforcements, and navigational data recorded during the voyage.

Frequently Asked Questions