Ski Racing

Bear has been skiing since he was two years old. He is lucky in that he has a dad who taught skiing for 25 years and a sister who currently teaches, so his skills have been honed since day one. Those skills were put to the test this year when he was part of the Snowbird Development (Devo) Race Team. What a fantastic experience for him!

Bear started the season as a newcomer, competing with kids who had been in the program for a year or two. His technical skills were sound but he had no gate training whatsoever. (Running “gates” means turning around poles set on a hill as fast as you can.) He enjoyed the training and his teammates and ranked about the middle of the pack at races. It was fun to see him cheer on his teammates but also heartbreaking to see tears in his eyes as he just missed getting a medal (they give medals to 10th place).

Early on in the program, Bear had been invited to be on the “transitional team”, which added an additional half day training and a few more race events. More training helped his confidence level and he inched up in the rankings at each event. He was still having fun – even if he spun out in a gate, he laughed and cheered his teammates. But his desire to win was strong.

At the last race of the year, his training – both with his coaches and with Dad – paid off. Bear had two clean runs and he place ninth out of 29 in his class and came out on top within his team.

It was a great to end the season with such confidence because Bear will be leaving his coach and teammates at Snowbird and entering the Park City race program next year. The Park City youth race program is nationally recognized as THE place to train for prospective future Olympians. Bear has stated that his goal is to go to the Junior Olympics. Who knows? We just want him to continue to have fun and realize his potential.

Land Ho!

Every passage ends with the first sighting of your destination and the satisfaction of traveling from A to B.    There is the excitement of arriving and exploring new lands or the joy of returning to familiar places and old friends.    Dreaming, planning, worrying, setting off, and arriving are part of every passage, large or small.

Our first Nordhavn “passage” was aboard our N40, Kiva in October of 2001.   We will never forget the thrill and satisfaction of departing Dana Point, CA and arriving at Catalina Island.   We did it – “26 miles across the sea, Santa Catalina is waiting for me”.   10 years, 45,000 nautical miles, and countless passages, large and small, the thrill of sighting land never goes away.

2012 is bringing new goals, new destinations, and new adventures.   During April – July we will travel the north coast of Australia from Brisbane to Darwin exploring the Great Barrier Reef.  In late July, we join the Indonesian Rally and will spend 3 months wandering north through Indonesia and on to Malaysia.  New cultures, new lands, new friends, and numerous landfalls await.   But, this year these passages are different.

Land ho!   Yes, we have sighted land and it’s in Utah.   2012 will be our last year at sea.    Our beloved Nordhavns have taken us places we never imagined and given us countless new experiences.   Bear moved aboard Kiva when he was 3 months old and has known “the boat” as home.   In November we will have spent most of 11 years as ‘live aboards”.    When we left Dana Point our goal was to cruise until we were done.   We didn’t know how long or how far that would be, but now we know.  

Park City, Utah will become our new home.  We have purchased a wonderful house, moved in, and are getting it ready for our return late this year.    Bear has visited and enrolled in a real school, met with the coaches of the Park City Ski Team, and we are finding our way around town.    We are excited about our new life, new home, and new community.    

But, first ……… 5,000 nautical miles and amazing adventures await.

E.

Skiing with Mulanites

Great friends of ours from the cruising community (met in Mexico, cruised with in French Polynesia and from Vancouver) came to ski with us last week! The Parr family - Andrew, Susan, Jack, Sam and Max cruised on s/v Mulan in 2010 from Vancouver to the South Pacific and home again. What a wonderful treat to be reunited with such a wonderful family in a total different environment. From snorkeling the passes of Fakarava (in the Tuamotos) to tackling the steep slopes at Snowbird, our adventurous spirits mesh and we have so much fun together!

Rertro-man Andrew!