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OPB - Crewing to Mexico on an Islander Freeport 41 (April 2026)
16 April 2026 · 15 min · 1K views · off the coast of San Pedro, California
Crew films whale surfacing beside Islander Freeport 41
What this video covers
A crew of four sails SV Shearwater, an Islander Freeport 41, 140 nautical miles from San Pedro, California to Ensenada, Mexico in roughly 25 hours.▶ 0:05 Mark joins Captain Trevor, Mike, and Andy for the overnight passage, departing around 11 a.m. on a Saturday and arriving Sunday late morning.▶ 4:11 Pre-departure weather research covers NOAA's National Data Buoy Center for the Los Angeles and San Diego sectors, PredictWind for sail planning and route weather, and the Local Notice to Mariners for closures and military activity — the latter checked via Orca after converting broadcast notice coordinates to GPX using AI.▶ 0:39 Actual conditions ran lighter than forecast: southwest winds around 10 knots or less, no rain, no thunderstorms, and calm seas, with several hours of genuine sailing under the genoa before motoring resumed.▶ 13:15 Watch schedule ran two hours on, six hours off across four crew.▶ 11:29 A notable ship encounter required VHF contact with an inbound tanker at 5.8 miles CPA 0.5; Captain Trevor negotiated a port-to-port pass and altered 30 degrees to starboard to confirm separation.▶ 8:35 Wildlife included multiple minke whales within 30–40 feet and a pod of dolphins.▶ 12:28 Arrival at Ensenada required a tight docking maneuver after another boat occupied the assigned slip.▶ 14:39
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