Captain Eitan

Excellent Captain / Teacher!

When I began sailing on Sierra Wind from San Diego and eventually departing in Puerto Vallarta, I had little to absolutely no sailing experience. Eitan was an excellent sailing instructor, and patiently taught me everything there is to know about basic sailing. He also focused heavily on the safety aspects of sailing as well, and quizzed the crew on what to do if we needed to deploy the life raft, knowing all fire extinguisher and through - hull locations, how to properly execute a mayday call (as well as radio etiquette), the contents of the flare kit and ditch bags, and basic knots etc. Eitan is also a firefighter and paramedic, so I felt very safe on board if there were to ever be an emergency or if one of the crew members became sick. He knew exactly what to whenever there was a mechanical boat issue as well. The boat is always neat and clean, and the perfect amount of space for four people living aboard. Overall, our days and nights were filled with hiking, snorkeling, paddle surfing, whale watching, taco tasting, and the occasional half baked tin of brownies after a little too much wine :) A great experience and captain!

28th Jan 2021

A great experience, An incredible Captain, and an even better friend.

I joined this boat with very little sailing experience and a dream of one day getting my captains license. This was THE boat for me. After day one I knew where all the through holes, fire extinguishers, ditch bags... were. I had taken apart and put back together my PFD, I had tested my PLB... within a week I had learned radio etiquette, how to make a mayday call, Taken apart the ditch bag, the leak kit, the first ad kit, the trauma kit... If you are looking for lazy Sunday afternoon feel for a few months, get a sugar daddy. that being said, there are plenty of beach days, margaritas, dinghy surf towing, snorkeling, diving, hiking, and whale/dolphin/ray/bird watching. Eitan has become a great friend who I have shared incredible and unforgettable memories with.

24th Jan 2021

Great Captain!

I sailed the first leg of the trip down Baja California and learned a lot about sailing from Eitan. Having little prior experience, I was nervous about not knowing much but felt very safe with Eitan as the captain. I appreciated that safety is his top priority and we spent a lot of time going over the safety aspects of the boat and what to do in both minor and major emergencies. Since he is a paramedic and firefighter, he worked well under pressure and was able to give clear direction and guidance on what to do and he knows his boat well enough to quickly diagnose and fix any issues that arose. We also had weekly debriefs to talk about what was working well as a team and what needed adjusting. He takes a lot of pride in maintaining his boat and keeps it immaculate and tidy which made living on it much easier when everything has it's place and is clean. Overall, my experience on SV Sierra Wind made me a much better sailor and crew member because of how he runs his boat. Aside from this sounding like a company year-end review, Eitan has become a close friend and we had countless nights of laughing and banter on board. We went on a number of scuba dives, snorkels, and hikes; he is always down for an adventure. He is also a great cook and makes a mean old fashioned!

18th Jan 2021