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OPB: Islander Freeport 41 sailboat tour and sail to Catalina Island (Dec 2025)
16 December 2025 · 40 min · 2K views · Catalina Island, California
Islander Freeport 41 sails under full canvas toward Catalina
What this video covers
A December 2025 sail from Los Angeles to Catalina Island aboard Shearwater, a 1975 Islander Freeport 41 ketch, forms the backbone of this OPB (Other People's Boats) tour.0:11 Mark from keeldragger joins owner Trevor and crew for the passage, covering sail trim on a reach with a staysail and genoa, managing weather helm from the main and mizzen, and negotiating right-of-way with a tug-and-tow vessel via VHF.2:19 Wind runs 18 knots outbound and drops to single digits on approach, requiring the engine to complete the final miles.5:51 Anchoring at Catalina uses a CQR with 10 knots on the nose; a nearby shipwreck on Berg Rock is noted as a hazard.13:14 The deck and interior tour details the center-cockpit ketch layout: 13.5-foot beam, 5-foot draft, full keel with attached rudder, hank-on staysail, lazy jacks on main and mizzen, davits, a six-person life raft, and 800 amp-hours of AGMs.18:45 Hull number four of the line, it was custom-built for the Vice President of Sales at Islander Yachts and retains an original V-berth jacuzzi.31:17 Trevor compares the boat favorably to a Valiant 40 for interior volume and liveability, noting the trade-off in close-hauled performance.28:23 Hydraulic steering behavior on autopilot — wheel immobility versus a quadrant system — is examined mid-passage.4:21
Boats in this video
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