Come One, Come All!
Location: West End, Tortola
Good day to everyone tuning in! You join in as we are busy doing last-minute preparations for our incredible journey ahead of us. Our sturdy vessel, Hagan Time, is set and ready to go for the passages ahead. Riley is on board doing some last-minute organization and cleaning, making sure the vessel is clear and prepped for our students to move on board. Zoe is in St. Thomas, picking up most of our students for the 2nd Session of AQ 2025! Below is a more in-depth description of the staff of Hagan Time.
Riley: Skipper, Medic, Program Director, Office Staff
Riley spent most of his early life and teenage years racing dinghies, keelboats, performance catamarans, and other racing-oriented sailboats. Riley had his boating license by age 12, First Aid/CPR certification by 15, and became a Level 1 and 2 U.S. Sailing Certified coach at age 17. Riley also gained a Pre-Engineering Certification through his high school and spent time building docks and seawalls in the Sarasota/Bradenton area. He has participated in multiple World Championship regattas on the east coast of the U.S. and began some Olympic training in the Nacra 17 class in 2021. Riley spent four years as a race team sailing coach for a community-based sailing program in Sarasota, Florida, where he met Travis, Mike, and the majority of the GXG office team. Riley joined ActionQuest in 2021 as a mate. Since then, he has joined the office during the year as an enrollment advisor/program director and has spent time working for all of the brands underneath the GXG tree, also getting his 200-ton Yachmaster in Spring 2024. Riley spends almost all his time on the water, whether it be sailing, surfing, fishing, or any other sport on or in the water. When it comes to teaching, Riley is dedicated to teaching the sport that he has learned to love in an easy and fun environment, even though his background is mainly focused on high-performance racing. Riley also has some experience in organic produce farming and mollusk/crustacean farming throughout the Southeast United States.
Zoe: Mate, Medic, Chief Hype Officer
Zoe spent most of her life in the landlocked state of Pennsylvania, but found her way to the water during summers spent on the Chesapeake Bay, sailing small dinghies called Sunfish. She embarked with Seamester from Bali to Cape Town aboard S/Y Vela for an action-packed fall semester in 2023. While not in the water, sailing, or diving, you can find her enjoying the water in its solid form while skiing at the snowy University of Vermont, where she studies geospatial technology. Previously working as an Environmental Educator for Philadelphia schools, Zoe loves to spread her passion and knowledge about the world around her. She is beyond stoked to be joining AQ again for a second summer and hopes to get to see another Spotted Eagle Ray.
The next 3 weeks are going to be filled with plenty of adventure, sailing, and an overall trip of a lifetime, so please stay tuned for everything to come!