The Viking Way

The Vikings weren’t just raiders. They were farmers, traders, artisans, and families who believed life was meant to be lived boldly. They crossed cold seas in shallow-draft boats, navigated without charts, and built communities wherever their keels touched shore.

The Nevado Raiders™ carry that same spirit forward. For us, each raid won’t just be about the destination—it will be about the crews, the skills we test together, and the stories we bring home.

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Catamaran Dan’s Norse Heritage — Ove Ironhand

Modern Y-DNA work traces my paternal line back through the Norse seafarers of the 10th century—through Thorvald Asvaldsson, Erik the Red, and Leif Erikson—into the I1 haplogroup that defined so many of Scandinavia’s working seafarers.

Further back, that same line runs through Indo-European migrations, Ice Age hunters, and ultimately the first humans who walked out of Africa. For me, this isn’t just a trivia fact—it’s a reminder that exploration, survival, and discovery are part of the story I’m standing in.

  • When I sign as Ove Ironhand, it’s my way of honoring that legacy.
  • The Nevado Raiders™ will carry that spirit into a new age of small-boat expeditions.
  • Our “sagas” will be logbooks, film, and the wakes we leave behind.

Viking Principles We Live By

Old values. Modern raids.
  • Exploration – Beyond the horizon lies the unknown, and the unknown is where legends are made.
  • Self-Reliance – Each sailor stands by their own craft: prepared, capable, and responsible for their part of the fleet.
  • Celebration – At the end of the day, the stories, laughter, and music matter as much as the miles.
  • Camaraderie – Every Raider has a role. We look out for each other, on the water and on shore.
  • Adaptability – Vikings mastered seas and rivers; we will move along coasts, lakes, and river mouths wherever it makes sense and the risks are acceptable.
On-the-Water Practices

Sail by Natural Signs
‍Principle: Navigate using wind, waves, sun, stars, and life around you.
Modern Application: Raiders will train in non-electronic navigation—reading swell, cloud lines, sun angles, birds, and land contours as backup to GPS and chartplotters.
Keep the Boat Trimmed Like a Longship
Principle: A balanced vessel is faster, safer, and more efficient.
Modern Application: We practice weight distribution and sail trim on every raid—fore/aft and side-to-side trim, outhaul and downhaul, heel control in monohulls, and clean trampolines on cats.
Respect the Lee Shore
Principle: Being driven toward land was one of the Viking captain’s biggest fears.
Modern Application: We drill upwind escapes from lee shores, practice reefing under pressure, and work engine-less (or low-power) approaches so we don’t depend on luck when the wind turns.
Read the Wind Like a Raven
Principle: Vikings used ravens to find land. We use shifts to find speed and safety.
Modern Application: Raiders learn to see gusts and shifts on the water’s surface, anticipate lifts and headers, and stay in phase on long coastal legs.
Rig for Raiding
Principle: A raiding ship had to be ready to leave in haste and face the unexpected.
Modern Application: We double-check lashings, rigging, anchors, safety kits, and escape routes. A Raider boat should be ready to move at short notice and ride out worse conditions than forecast.