Nevado Raiders™ is a modern Viking-spirited expedition movement for people who still feel the pull of the horizon. Forged at Nevado Ranch in the high country of Arizona and proven on the water in small boats and guardian vessels, the Raiders blend seamanship, self-reliance, and exploration with a deep respect for coastlines, cultures, and a rapidly warming world.
At the center of the Nevado Raiders™ fleet are small expedition sailboats and the crews who learn to handle them. Hobie Getaways, Catalina 22 Sports, Nacra 570s, and similar vessels let us beach, anchor shallow, slip into coves, and stay close to the water where the learning is real. Guardian vessels stand watch so the small boats can travel farther, safer, and smarter.
Every fleet needs a home. Ours is Nevado Ranch Camp in the high desert of Arizona, a longhouse-style base where gear is prepped, skills are sharpened, routes are planned, and stories are shared. It’s where Young Raiders learn the basics long before they step onto a trampoline — and where crews return between legs to rest, reset, and prepare for the next stretch of the rim. ️
The Viking influence isn’t costume or cosplay — it’s discipline, courage, humility, and responsibility. As Ove, son of Ingvald and descendant of Thorvald Asvaldsson, Catamaran Dan carries a lineage of exploration — but in the modern world that means planning ahead, respecting coastal cultures, and taking care of your crew. A Raider moves with purpose and leaves every coastline better informed, not more damaged.
Being a Raider™ isn’t about how fancy your boat is or how many miles you’ve logged. It’s about how you show up — for your crew, for kids, for the coastlines we visit, and for the truth about a changing planet. Raiders are the people who are willing to learn, to prepare, and to help carry the weight so others can travel safer.
We use the high country of Nevado Ranch as our longhouse and planning ground. Here we tune gear, walk through safety drills, prep routes, and get crews ready mentally and physically. It’s where new Raiders learn what the culture is — and what it isn't.
🌊Our raids are focused coastal legs where small boats and guardian vessels move along shorelines that make sense for the season. We beach the boats, hike ridges, explore inlets, and teach kids how to actually know a coastline, not just look at it on a map.
🧭Young Raiders™ are not passengers. They rig boats, read water, take simple observations, snorkel reefs, meet coastal communities, and learn how the real world works. Class isn’t a room — it’s a coastline, a harbor, a tide, and a beach landing.
🌐Blue Rim 5™ is the long-range expedition many Raiders™ will plug into. Boats can join for a leg, a season, or several years. The model is simple: move steadily, tell the truth about what we see, and keep going as long as it makes sense and the risks are acceptable.
⚓Membership is free, but it isn’t casual. We’re looking for humble, curious, gritty people — not Instagram sailors. You don’t need to be an expert, but you must be coachable and committed to safety.
⛵These are the skippers and crews bringing Hobie Getaways, Catalina 22 Sports, Nacra 570s, and similar expedition vessels. They launch from beaches, weave between headlands, and give kids the close-to-the-water learning big boats can’t.
🛥️Guardian vessels carry extra water, fuel, tools, medical gear, and camera teams. They are floating safety platforms that make the entire expedition model possible. Without guardian vessels, half of our coastlines would be off-limits.
🧰 Prepare always. Check gear, train realistically, and don’t rely on luck.
🛟 Protect your crew. Safety is an action, not a slogan.
🌊 Respect every coastline. We’re guests everywhere we go.
🧭 Own your mistakes. No blame-shifting. Learn and adjust.
🚶 Leave a wake worth following. Make it easier for the next crew.
📚 Never stop learning. Weather, culture, currents, climate — mastery is ongoing.
🎯 Adventure with purpose. We’re here to learn and tell the coastline’s story.
👨👩👧👦 Kids and families first. Always.
Nevado Ranch Camp is the physical and spiritual home of the Raiders.
Here we:
- Train new crew
- Build and maintain boats
- Store equipment
- Film educational pieces
- Host campfire councils and expedition briefings
- Teach kids the real skills of seamanship and exploration
This is where you meet your crew before you ever see the ocean.
⚔️If something in this stirs you — small boats on real water, kids learning real skills, a Viking-influenced longhouse in the Arizona high country, or a global expedition that refuses to lie about a warming world — then you might be one of us. We don’t promise an easy journey. We promise a meaningful one.