Some members arrive at the Vallarta Yacht Club ready to sail. Some arrive ready to volunteer. And every now and then, one arrives who has truly grown up around the club. Our newest member, Bear Bloomquist, first “stepped” into VYC in January 2003—at just seven months old. Well… he may have crawled in, but the welcome was the same.
From that moment on, Bear was embraced as part of the VYC family. The staff, including Eloy and Rudy, have treated him like one of their own for over two decades, and Bear has always considered the Club a home base—no matter where in the world he happened to be.
A Childhood Spent Underway
Bear didn’t just grow up around boats—he grew up on one. For the first ten years of his life, he lived aboard m/v Oso Blanco with his parents, traveling both coasts of North America, transiting the Panama Canal at age five, and spending three unforgettable years island-hopping through the South Pacific.
By age nine, Bear had logged 37 SCUBA dives, courtesy of "Daddy SCUBA School" (a far more adventurous accreditation than PADI, depending on who you ask). He swam with sharks, befriended kids on boats and islands across the Pacific, and learned to adapt to the world one anchorage at a time.
Homeschooled by his mom and dad, Bear mastered reading, writing, and arithmetic—but also the kind of practical, hands-on wisdom that only traveling can teach.
From Waves to Snow
After ten years afloat, the Bloomquist family settled in Park City, Utah, where Bear traded tropical waters for snowy slopes. Skiing quickly became his passion. He raced competitively for five years and then spent two winters training with a team in northern Italy—proof that adventure seems to follow him wherever he goes.
A New Direction: From Pilot Dreams to Professional Life
Always drawn to travel, Bear initially pursued aviation. He earned his instrument rating through Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. But the idea of spending a career inside a cockpit didn’t feel like his path.
Instead, he shifted toward something that suited his outgoing personality: Strategic Communications, earning his degree from the University of Utah.
While in Salt Lake, Bear discovered the exotic car community—a passion he shared with his dad. That enthusiasm led to a job with a world-renowned Ferrari restoration company. After college, he moved to the company’s headquarters in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he now works in Business Development and Marketing, learning every facet of the business from the ground up.
Always a Part of VYC
Whenever work allows, Bear returns to Banderas Bay to spend time with his parents and reconnect with the water that shaped his early life. Over the years, he has jumped in with the Junior Sailors—whether at camps or practice days—sharing his energy, enthusiasm, and natural ease on the water.
While Bear may live far from the marina now, he remains deeply connected to the Club and to the community that helped raise him. His story is woven into VYC’s history—and now, officially, into its membership.
Please join us in welcoming Bear Bloomquist back to VYC—not just as the boat kid we watched grow up, but as our newest member and lifelong friend of the Club.