Astrid

Greetings from Astrid! Jack, Catie, and I are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our 12 new shipmates! We've spent the last few days preparing for our upcoming adventure. We've been cleaning the boats from top to bottom, rationing out food for the next three weeks, stocking tools, supplies and much much more. We have one more busy day of preparation ahead until we finally get to meet our new family of shipmates, and we couldn't be more excited!

Here is an introduction to the crew of Astrid:

Jack- skipper

Jack was born in the UK but moved shortly afterward, to be raised on the island of Antigua in the Caribbean, where his love for the ocean was born. After endless days in and around the sea, and ten years in Antigua, Jack moved back to the UK where he studied until the age of 18. After traveling and four years as a successful chef, he decided it was time to rekindle his relationship with the ocean and hasn't looked back since. Having gained qualifications up to Yachtmaster Ocean and over 25000 nm on charter vessels, work vessels, and deliveries, Jack has seen many aspects of the profession and had the benefit of gaining knowledge from captains at the top of their game. Outgoing, fun, and professional, Jack is looking forward to returning to the BVIs for what promises to be a great summer.

Catie- dive instructor/mate

Originally from Massachusetts, Catie Chipman began scuba diving in the cold New England waters. Despite the cold waters, Catie feel in love with diving and grew to appreciate it even more in the warm waters of the British Virgin Islands during her first summer with Action Quest as a student in 2009. Since then Catie has gone on to become a PADI Scuba Instructor, holding a certification as an OSWI instructor as well as specialty instruction for the PADI navigation and PADI naturalist specialties. When not on the water, Catie is a current student at the University of San Diego where she is studying Environmental Studies and Business Finance.

Sam- EMT/mate

Sam has attended several ActionQuest programs as a shipmate and began working for AQ as an EMT/Mate in 2011. Sam grew up all over the world, spending the majority of her time in Doha, Qatar. After graduating high school in Qatar, she attended Boston University, where she obtained a degree in psychology with a minor in Arabic. She's been working as an EMT since 2010 and is looking forward to attending Paramedic school in January of 2014. Sam has a variety of interests, including medicine, sports, languages, and teaching. At the moment, Sam plans to pursue a career as a medical doctor while continuing to expand her knowledge of sailing, scuba diving, and other aquatic sports.