SHE NEEDED A MIRACLE - SwT 73 THE MOST EPIC REFIT EVER SEEN

She needed a miracle to complete the most epic refit ever seen!
My friend Kylie have done lot's of upgrades and refit's on her Benneteau 49 in just one week! Replacement of brand new Yanmar engine, Northern Light Generator, Raymarine, Solar controller, victron inverters, washer dryer, water maker, and lots of other things. Im pretty confident this is the best equipped and well maintained Benneteau floating.
This episode is not so much about BE FREE but I love to share my adventure and the story of other interesting people. So tag along while I am following this epic refit project.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WATCHING AND SUBSCRIBING!
You can also follow sailing with Thomas on other platforms for almost daily updated pics and videos:
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ABOUT THIS CHANNEL:
I`m sailing sailing around the world in my Bavaria 55 Cruiser, making videos whenever I have time for it. Most of the time I sail singlehanded but occasionally I do have sailing friends onboard. Still in the Caribbean due to Covid and was supposed to be in Asia by now.
Even though this is season 3 on youtube I have already sailed 4 seasons full time but did not make that many videos in the beginning. Before full-time sailing, I have sailed several seasons in the Med prior to this, and obviously also in Scandinavia. I have been traveling the world before and also been an active regatta sailor. I had my first sailboat at age 7 and been sailing ever since.
PLEASE BE KIND IN THE COMMENTS!
I'm just a normal person sharing my travel adventure through my eyes and experience from my perspective! Remember how I do things might work for me but not for you. It might even not be the correct way to do things, and I don't have the blueprint either. I'm not perfect and nobody is. The day I believe I know it all and don't think I can learn new things I should go ashore.

[@MichaelWilliams-in3iz]

Hi Thomas, I really enjoy your videos and your skills at maintaining your boat. You are one of the few you tubers that actually reply to comments and for that I thank you. You really make us feel as part of the Be Free family.

[@SailingwithThomas]

Hi Michael and thank you so much for your kind words🙏🏻 I’m happy you feel home here and enjoy this adventure. All the best and cheers from BE FREE 🍻

[@SailingSophisticatedLady]

Great video, my engine replacement is coming up soon!

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you my friend🙏🏻 Hopfully I will be around to give you a hand! See you soon! Cheers🍻

[@miketcq8]

Awesome to watch a plan come together. Two thumbs up!

[@sailingwithgeorge]

Wow, that's a lot of work and money. Looks like they knew what they were doing too, well done helping Kylie

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you 🙏🏻The guys in this video have done excellent work👌🏻 Unfortunately not always the case in the Caribbean. Seen some shocking rigg jobs.... So good references is more important here than any other places. Cheers 🍻

[@JD-qn3zf]

Loved the “black belt in Project management” 🤣 Skills!!! 💪🏽

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you 🙏🏻 She is the most efficient and hard working lady ever met. She reach any goals she put in front of her. Cheers 🍻

[@marius53891]

Great video Thomas, pretty good narration, as always! And... great project on Kylie's Benneteau!

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻 All the best and cheers 🍻

[@catwednesday]

Very cool! Would Kylie ever be willing to chat about her background? How she ended up sailing around solo and what her job is/was? So curious!

[@cnc75adventures49]

Me too👍👍

[@petercooke2115]

Me three 👍👍👍

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻 Some of the most interesting people I have med during my adventure all stay away from social media. It’s always a question of how much you should or want to share. But it’s also sometimes a question of what you wanna spend your time on. Running a KZbin channel today is time consuming and expensive with this lifestyle. So many other and more intelligent ways to make money if that’s the goal. I try to share my adventures as realistic and honest as possible. And sometimes I even manage to show persons like Kylie that normally don’t wanna be to exposed out there. However how much Kylie want to share is her choice and I will always respect this. Female sailors are more exposed than male solo sailors as a fact and smart girls know this. So what future brings and how much she will share here, or if she decide to share her own story will be something to wait for what the future brings/shows. Even I question myself now and then if it’s worth it. All the best 🍻

[@cnc75adventures49]

@@SailingwithThomas it’s very cool seeing her doing it like also your friend Holly and not at all do I think there’s any reason why they couldn’t but because of the smaller amount of ladies out there it does make it intriguing to hear there stories of course only if they choose too👍👍

[@robertscranton8293]

Thomas is a pretty cool guy. Not many like him around. So refreshing...can't wait for the Pacific crossing vids

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much for your kind words 🙏🏻 Can’t wait to share next chapters of this adventure. All the best 🍻

[@Tomm9y]

Great to see a local Grenada company have a skilled team and management to complete this work. Some You tubers would take months to do this, but then they are learning on the go. Kylie's project management skills are key, while she's smiling at the same time.

[@SailingwithThomas]

It’s definitely possible to get things done properly even in Grenada. However you need to know who you’re dealing with and stay on top of it. As I shared early in this video there is some that destroys more than they fix. I’m not so surprised anymore after three seasons in the Caribbean. It’s sometimes a challenge finding companies taking pride in what they deliver and what they do. I believe Kylie is doing the right things that’s why I’m sharing it. Some like to fix boat for years never leaving the marina. Other likes to actually be out there sailing spending a minimum of time on projects. All the best 🍻

[@billwilliams9527]

Thomas, you're a good sailor to help friends in need, kudos to you sir. You and Kylie seem to get along very well, a very capable lady for sure. Will your boats be sailing together when you leave Granada?

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻 Yeah we hope to cross the Pacific more or less at the same time. We are at least planning on this. Cheers 🍻

[@billwilliams9527]

Excellent choice.

[@dutchglobetrotter4513]

A like as always while the intro runs. Cheers!

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻 Cheers 🍻

[@ThoughtfulWander]

Nice job on that hinge, Thomas!! Excellent! Wow lots of fun work cool!! Nice project management! Well done indeed! 👍 Keep safe and have fun guys!

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you 🙏🏻It’s hands down the most impressive refit I ever seen. I knew this was going to be epic and just had to share it. All the best 🍻

[@benoitk8882]

very impressive work indeed. MAJOR refit 😮! thanks for sharing this adventure with us!

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you for your kind words! All the best 🍻

[@petercooke2115]

Well done Kylie!! You must be looking forward to pleasant Pacific cruise.Nice video Thomas,even though Be Free wasn’t the centre of attention for the boat love and $$$$ Thankyou

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you for watching 🍻 Im sharing my adventure and try to show things as real as possible. Sometimes it’s not much going on with my boat then it’s nice to share something interesting with content instead of just a blah blah episode. All the best and thank you for being here 🍻

[@manuelgarrido3087]

Hi Thomas! Always a pleasure watching your videos! In this one you were more a first mate than a captain but always cool. Good winds mate!

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻 I thought this was interesting to show as it’s a true story and reality. Also hopefully interesting for people dreaming about the same. It will be more sailing pretty soon, and more BE FREE flying low! All the best and thank you for being here 🍻

[@davidpearson8954]

Nice one. Really enjoy your videos. Totally agree about Kylie's impressive project management skills. I'd be hopeless at that. I'm an ideas guy. Finally, something I can admit to so I know when to work with someone else's skills. Collaboration is the key!

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you for watching and your kind words 🙏🏻 I don’t think there is many sailors that could match this amazing fast yet crazy big refit in such a short timeframe. Cheers 🍻

[@tomasseglaren4731]

Imponerande logistik av Kylie. Det skulle vara svårt nog att få ihop detta här hemma i Norden. Ha det nu så bra,och jag ser fram emot Panama kanalen. Med vänlig hälsning, Tomas

[@SailingwithThomas]

Ja det her har vært litt av et puslespill, og logistikk utfordringer i kø. Men hun fikset det. Takk for at du ser på videoene jeg legger ut. Cheers 🤣

[@biankakoettlitz6979]

I learned a lot from your videos, thank you. (Jeg lærte mye fra dine erfaringer, hjertelig takk 👍🙂🇳🇴)

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you for watching and for being here 🙏🏻 I’m happy you enjoyed this one as well. Cheers 🍻

[@ChiChi-dy9qi]

I've done some project management and am very impressed with Kylie's ability to get so many things coordinated, in such a small time window. Well done!

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻 It’s lots of challenges that was not even mentioned in this episode, like first ordered generator was flooded at the storage underway because of a hurricane. So had to get her hands on a new one. Shipping went wrong as they forgot to put it on the ship. So she put it on a flight instead to have it in time as she’s on a tight schedule. All the best 🍻

[@rabukan5842]

Great way to get an almost new boat at a low cost. As long as the hull is solid, everything is replaceable.

[@SailingwithThomas]

True words! Buying a new you would need at least 2 years of sailing close to where it’s purchased for easiest warranty work. Because there will be issues no matter what brand you buy. You would need to add generator, solar, lithium, watermaker etc on top of a new boat as well. Every 10-12 years full rig refit and lots of other things. So my experience is the best boat for cruising is the one you already have if you know it well. I should spent more time with mine in Europe before crossing the Atlantic. Would saved me lots of time and money. So if I ever would been asked a question about this topic I would not recommend to just buy a new boat and set off. Spend at least two years onboard close to home before you go. Then you know what you have and hopefully all things that will create trouble is addressed a place where you can have it sorted out easily. Cheers 🍻

[@rabukan5842]

@@SailingwithThomas Great advice for anyone wanting to sail. I spent 2 years restoring a 50' yacht; took my time to see what it needed. It is now like new, at a fraction of its original cost.

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thats awesome! Well dome 👍🏻

[@zaphodbeeblebrox1153]

Brilliant ! Thanks for another great episode 🖖

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻 All the best 🍻

[@MiQBohlin]

Wow! This was a real race. To be able to get stuff delivered in time is impossible, even in Europe, respect! Hope you take care and keep up your vids.

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻 I’m glad you enjoyed this video and also appreciate sharing the amazing refitting project even though it’s not BE FREE. Cheers 🍻

[@gefginn3699]

Cheers Thomas

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you 🙏🏻Cheers 🍻

[@riccardoarati]

another good one go guys

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you 🙏🏻Cheers 🍻

[@sirpardstv3985]

Napaka maginoo mo talaga Thomas! Waiting for your Pacific Ocean crossing with Kyle. Keep safe to both of you.

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻 Can’t wait for next chapter to start next year! Cheers 🍻

[@HasbaraBuster]

Houston Houston, we got a problem! 😂😂😂

[@SailingwithThomas]

Ha ha🤣 If you only knew how many times I used this frase last 4 weeks 🤣 Cheers 🍻

[@MoreSplit]

i am also very impressed with Kylie's ability do this job in time

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻 All the best 🍻

[@billhanna8838]

Dont underestimate a kiwi that knows what they want = Number 8 wire can do wonders . I would have thought 5000hrs for a Yammy wasn't over the top , 8 to 10 maybe

[@SailingwithThomas]

True words 💪🏻 If you enjoy fixing things and can carry lots of spare parts you could easily squeeze out 10K hours or even more. However if you look at all charters and even from pro users they all change engines at 5K hours for a reason. We always changed engines at same intervals at SAR back home. Cost and reliability versus trouble free engines is smart move towards the Pacific and remote places. All the best 🍻

[@billhanna8838]

@@SailingwithThomas Well one should have ample spear parts wene cruising , Maintenance on a regular bases is iv found to be the key to trouble free cruising . O & rum to . Fair winds to you both , Enjoy your posts ( I used to sail a Herroshoff 64 Ft singlehanded & Charter her in NZ) All ways think ahead .

[@mikebevers1606]

Wow what a refit job. Great and job well done! Thomas what are those sunglasses you have on at the end of the video? I like them a lot. Looks like great sun and wind protection.

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you for watching and your comment 🙏🏻 This sunglasses is actually among the best I ever had and I basically are not capable of destroying them🤣 It’s a certain consumption of sunglasses as sailor... either forget them somewhere, lose them overboard or they corrode and fall apart.... The one I use is a no brand costing whopping 2,95 US$ in a random mall in Panama🤣 Polaroid glasses and super comfy 👌🏻 Cheers 🍻

[@mikebevers1606]

Well they certainly look great. Always look forward to your videos. Thank you for sharing your adventures!

[@heywoodandco2751]

SwT; my happy place. :)

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻 All the best 🍻

[@mz2288]

The scope of these jobs are huge! Hats off to pulling that off in one week. How long was the planning for this? Fair winds and keep fingers crossed that no warranty work will be required!

[@SailingwithThomas]

I believe the planning was made during the last months but some challenges during the process as the first ordered generator was flooded because of the hurricane in US before it was supposed to be shipped.. By another miracle she managed to get her hands on another generator as the lead time now is 52 weeks... This video don’t even come close to justify the effort and management done to make this happen... Thank you for watching and for being here🍻

[@JagLite]

Amazing! Kylie is amazing to be able to get all that organized to be done in such a short time. A miracle indeed. Many of us have attempted to be as successful and think everything will go smoothly but of course things always go wrong. Oops! Dropped the new engine into the water, no problem we will just rinse it out and try again... Huh? The new generator doesn't fit in the space even though the measurements all showed it would, now what? Hmmm, the new engine rotates the opposite direction so now you need the matching gearbox too. Back ordered, sorry. New cushions! What's this? They are mirrored backwards? Ran out of foam so some are thicker than others... And so on.... Even if you have the cash and everyone is working hard things seem to always go wrong. We want to hire Kylie to organize our refits! With you as our entertainment host Thomas.

[@SailingwithThomas]

Sounds like you have experience and understand the amazing results of planning and staying on top of everything. Lead time on generators now is 52 weeks... Pandemic have not made logistics easier either. All the best 🍻

[@jimmybrokos4610]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 USA

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you for watching🙏🏻 Cheers 🍻

[@Mike7O7O]

How do you decide when to replace major items like engines, gen sets etc. Or, how do you know when items like these need replacing? Are you dependent on an expert to advise during a major service for example?

[@SailingwithThomas]

It really depends on your sailing schedule and where you are planning on going. If bouncing around the Caribbean or the med it’s not so critical as parts is pretty easy to get. However it’s a cost/time equation. Keeping an old engine running can soon become expensive and time consuming. And Murphy’s law is it will fail on you when it suits the least. It’s for a reason most charters and professionals change every 5K hours. Planning on the Pacific and quite remote places a good strategy is to make sure everything is top notch. Rigging and engines, navigation and all safety equipment as well. All the best 🍻

[@NoBullshitJustGaming]

Cheers

[@SailingwithThomas]

Cheers mate 🍻

[@kirk9671]

I am thinking of storing a boat I have not recieved yet in Clarks Court Marina , Grenada. Did she have to pay vat for all supplies she used on the boat? I was thinking of adding gear to my boat with every visit. But would like to avoid an extra 20% vat.

[@SailingwithThomas]

Grenada is a great place to store the boat as it’s mostly outside of the hurricanes blasting through the Caribbean. And the people there is super friendly. But it is an undeveloped nation with everything that comes with this. In risk of sounding negative I still wanna share the true experience. Regarding the VAT it feels a bit random, as it’s some rules but not very consequent. Lot’s of sailors bring things in with them in suitcases when flying in. Sometimes it’s all good and sometimes they confiscate if you can’t proof the value. And sometimes they even argue with proof of value. Yacht in transit is a term here and at the chandlers you will have things tax free if they have your ship documents. However everything is still apx 20-50% more expensive than even Martinique, so it’s definitely not a cheap place for fixing a boat. Not much in stock either. So bringing in things by yourself is the best solution, just make sure to have the documents sorted out. Even labour costs are expensive compared to a developed island like Martinique where they even follow European rules and regulations in terms of warranties and insurance. Also the quality of labour is really a topic to discuss. You pay a lot for unprofessional work and experiments on your expense. Paint jobs, metal work, upholstery and wood work is pretty good there but not cheap. Anything else I would not recommend due to seriously bad experience with knowledge and quality. Both mine and friends experience as you even can see in my video 6 hints to avoid a disaster. In general the entire Caribbean is a challenge to have things done professionally and for a reasonable price. So just keep this in mind and you will be well prepared. Still you will have a great time in exotic locations! All the best and cheers 🍻

[@kirk9671]

@@SailingwithThomas thanks! Why isn't she getting her work done elsewhere? ( I realize that March is the time to be leaving for the marquesas so u are short on time). For me the 1000 mile sail to Puerto Rico may be worth it. But... Nothing really new here. I have a very hard time hiring anyone I can trust to work on the house. No one cares as much as me.

[@SailingwithThomas]

She had her boat in Grenada during the lockdown, otherwise I belive she would done it elswhere. With today’s modern satellite systems and weather predictions you can pretty much cross the Pacific from Panama to the Marquises all year round. It’s more preferable before April though. All the best 🍻

[@dancounihan2412]

Hi Thomas / Kylie enjoyed your video again. I am particularly interested , my own boat is a B43 11years old, and Kylies looks the same. Was she having trouble with the engine ? Is 5,000 hours a recognised change time ? New generator ? New rigging I presume ! New sails ? Did she consider new boat instead ?

[@SailingwithThomas]

Hi there and thank you for watching 🙏🏻 She did consider new boat however replacement value is much higher. Lots of the long distance off grid setup would been lots of time and money as well on a new boat. She have had this B49 since 2016 and guess she loves it. Generator was not powerful enough and not reliable. Main engine could been running for many more years, but aiming for remote places a new engine is favourable. Rigging needs full refit every 10-12 years no matter what, So there she had no choice. Her boat is in mint condition and a good boat. Buying new boat gives you warranty however normally you would have 2-3 years with lots of problems and claims. It’s also time consuming and not very practical when being in the Pacific. This boat she knows every thing about inside and out. That’s maybe not always easy to understand but gives peace of mind. All the best 🍻

[@paulmartin9496]

Hello wondering if Kylie is going to sell her old engine? And generator? I’m in St Vincent and would be interested.

[@SailingwithThomas]

Hi there! You could ask Palm Tree marine as they are the ones that have this engines now. Al the best 🍻

[@paulmartin9496]

@@SailingwithThomas Thank you Thomas will do.

[@SailingwithThomas]

Apparently it’s already sold🍻

[@firstnamelastname9013]

👏👏🍻❤👍

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you 🙏🏻All the best 🍻🍻

[@MichaelBuck]

Ok dude, who is this amazingly hot babe Kylie? You gotta come, clean man, give us the scoop on who she is, where she came from, and how is it she is a solo sailor! Men and women can not be friends, so like, just between you and me, are you interested or what? Cuz, if not, I am all in on this lady, she has management skills, sailing skills is feminine, resilient, and has an infectious smile and laugh. Everything a man could ever need is right there man. So either confess or I got dibs bro...Hahahh, LOL...

[@SailingwithThomas]

Ha ha🤣 What a funny comment 🤣 I believe dibs don’t work with her😅 She just loves sailing and being independent just like me. Thank you for watching and all the best! Cheers 🍻

[@roncanizares9966]

I know you and Kylie are preparing for a Pacific trip. But it is my understanding that the Pacific islands are still in a Covid mess. Do you have a "Plan B" if the Pacific islands are still in bad shape regarding Covid in the spring and, if so, what is it?

[@SailingwithThomas]

We are both preparing our boats for off grid living without needing to see a port for 6-12 months. So we will most likely head out early next year. Thank you for watching and for your interest in our plans. Cheers 🍻

[@roncanizares9966]

@@SailingwithThomas I know some folks have contemplated going through the canal and then sailing to Hawaii based on the assumption that by spring Covid will be under control there. I guess 9 months in Hawaii would be more than tolerable. Then it is a 2000 NM sail to French Polynesia, which hopefully in a year will have gotten past their Covid mess. But it is over 4300 NM to Hawaii from Panama, so one would really want to go there.

[@SailingwithThomas]

Yeah my biggest concern is so many yachts left panama pointing towards French Polynesia last year even though they begged cruisers not to come.... Their all been stuck as NZ and Australia have been closed. Hopefully things will be better next year. I decided to wait it out not to be a burden for tiny communities that kindly asked sailors to wait...

[@roncanizares9966]

@@SailingwithThomas But what will you do if it is still a Covid mess in French Polynesia in February/March when you need to go through the canal?

[@SailingwithThomas]

Lots of options and even possible to wait a bit at Las Perlas etc. Time will show

[@scottwestfall3522]

WTF were people doing on that counter to mess up a hinge like that? Wait... no, nevermind. I don't want to know.

[@SailingwithThomas]

Incredible how some just destroy anything they touch🤣 Thank you for watching 🙏🏻 Cherry 🍻

[@darrellpugh6689]

Excellent work on that hinge , Thomas ! Thomas and Kylie , you two are some very *Impressive* solo sailors. I may have missed it , but does Kylie have a youtube and/or Instagram acct ? I would like to follow her as i do you. Fair Winds 😎

[@SailingwithThomas]

Thank you so much for your kind words and being here🙏🏻 At the moment she doesn’t have KZbin and barley on social media. If she ever starts with something I will for sure point you all in the right direction. Cheers 🍻

[@Jensen_Denmark]

Thomas, when are you going to Kiss Her?

[@SailingwithThomas]

Ha ha🤣 You don’t give up easily do you🤣 Cheers 🍻

[@Jensen_Denmark]

That smile on your Face Thomas....

[@michaeltca3103]

Excellent episode! Thomas, she is so lucky to find a friend like you to do those chores with a smile. And you do it with a smile and giggle that shows women you are not a typical aggressive sexual man, and are gentle and soft and not at all expecting anything intimate or more than a handshake or maybe a hug if you are especially good. This non-threatening passive male is so nice and refreshing to us woman that we like to keep your type around. But please understand, that once our stuff is done, then we have to move on or when our boyfriends come over then we can only be friends obviously - we don't want to make them angry with you hanging around. and they have "needs" (I know that you understand and will be obedient). I will be sailing through the Caribbean soon and you would like to meet me. I also have things that need fixed and I might let you help and get you a dinner (but no commitments) and I can explain the boat problems I have been having. You are a wonderful example of a modern male that is of use to us women and we thank you for this gentle nature you have. I wish more modern males would realise that they can be of use by acting like you do - what a great world for us that would be!

[@michaeltca3103]

Thomas, you are a wonderful example of a modern male that is of use to us women and we thank you for this gentle nature you have. I wish more modern males would realize that they can be of use to women by acting like you do - what a great world for us that would be!