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British Virgin Islands - 2013, Session 1

Staff Update Day 1

Location: West End

For the past few weeks, the AQ staff have been preparing for and anticipating the arrival of our new shipmates. Our boats are at the dock; being provisioned, and dinghies are fueling. All we need now are the students to fill each vessel so we can depart on a most excellent adventure here in the Caribbean! Each time I look around at my fellow staff members as we move through staff training, I see the look of excitement that I'm sure is present on my face as well. Enthusiasm for the amazing things we will see, the islands we will explore, and the friendships we will form- the memories made over the coming weeks will certainly be unforgettable for all. We are sure all of you students at home have been counting down for their flight down to the islands. I can assure you all that we have been counting down too. Safe travels, don't forget your toothbrush, and we'll see you down here in a couple of days.

Here is an introduction to the crew of the Prosecutor:

Chris- skipper

Chris grew up in England, spending the majority of his time sailing and surfing on its coasts. Between leaving school and University, Chris took a year out to follow his passion for travel and continue to gain experiences sailing. His adventures lead him to Australia and New Zealand where he skippered in races and yacht deliveries. While attending Royal Holloway University London as a geology major, Chris combined his passion for sailing and teaching to become a sailing instructor. Chris joined the team in 2008 as a skipper, sharing his knowledge of sailing and enthusiasm for new experiences. Chris holds the RYA Yachtmaster 200 Ton Offshore and is Commercially endorsed Cruising Instructor. Chris is also a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver.

Sara- dive instructor/mate

Sara has been a diving professional since 2008 and has worked around the world in many warm and wonderful waters! With that in mind, she decided to brave the UK seas (not quite so warm) in 2011 and has been teaching and organizing dive trips in the UK and abroad ever since. This is also where she became involved with Tall Ships - her maiden voyage of 5000+ nautical miles on the T.S. Pelican took her across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and into a new life of sailing and diving. Sara was also involved in organizing the 2012 Olympic Sailing opening ceremony in Weymouth and is responsible for starting joint training exercises with the RNLI in one of the busiest diving regions in the UK. She spends most of her spare time outdoors and hopes to one day circumnavigate the world by sail - following the footsteps of the first explorers and comparing the world above and below to how it was then.

Annie- mate

Annie hails from the eastern shore of Maryland, learning to sail as a teenager and gained her first experience as a professional mariner through an outdoor education organization, leading trips aboard historic work vessel indigenous to the Chesapeake Bay. In the spring of 2010, Annie joined S/Y Argo as a student for a Sea|Mester program from South Africa to Antigua, which reinforced her passion for the ocean, sailing, and the close-knit community it inspires within participating crew members. Since her trip aboard Argo, Annie has obtained her USCG 100 ton Inland Masters license and Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. She has spent the past three years sailing for nonprofit organizations in the Chesapeake and has most recently completed a sailing expedition from Maryland to the Pacific side of the Panama Canal. Annie is thrilled to be a part of the ActionQuest team this summer and to further build her skills as an outdoor educator and as a mariner.