Staff Update Day 1
Location: West End, Tortola
Ahoy! On behalf of the crew of the majestic sailing yacht Calypso, we could not be more excited to be awaiting the arrival of our shipmates! Calypso is a gorgeous Beneteau 50.5 that comes equipped with everything it needs to be a floating home at sea! Calypso is currently docked in the beautiful West End Tortola where we have been prepping for the students’ arrival. In anticipation of and amazing 21day voyage, we have outfitted her with hundreds of pounds of food, water, fuel and of course, the very important PADI scuba training materials as well as the sailing materials needed for this trip! With each student having their dive manuals and IYT sailing manuals with crisp pages waiting to be turned all we need is the students themselves! See you soon!
Here is an introduction to the crew of Calypso:
Griffin: Skipper
Born and raised in Nebraska, Griffin was not accustomed to the water until attending a camp in northern Minnesota at the age of eight. This is where he learned to sail and fell in love with the adventure and beauty of the water. The fall after graduating high school, he turned down acceptance to many universities to follow his dreams of sailing with Seamester. After completing the program he moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he earned his RYA Yachtmaster 200 ton. After spending a year in sailing yacht industry, he moved back to Nebraska to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he could be close to his family and study for an International Business major with a minor in Spanish. Griffin is a passionate sportsman who enjoys hunting, tennis, and golf.
Annie: Dive Instructor/Mate
Annie was born and raised in North Carolina, where she visited the beach frequently and developed a great respect for the marine world. When she was fifteen she attended ActionQuest and fell head over flippers in love with diving and sailing. She continued diving every chance, she got and in January 2015, she became a PADI Open Water SCUBA Instructor. Annie is a student at Northeastern University in Boston where she studies Economics and Business. When she's not in the library, she can be found sailing on the Charles River and throughout New England with Northeastern's team. When the water is frozen, she spends her weekends snowboarding in Maine and Vermont. Annie loves spending time outside and exploring new places.
Ashley: Dive Instructor/Mate
Ashley was born and raised on the coast of New Jersey, where her passion for the sea first blossomed. During her sophomore year at Roger Williams in Rhode Island she studied abroad with Sea|mester, where she sailed from the BVI to Tahiti on Argo. After graduating with a degree in marine biology, she worked onboard New Jersey's official tall ship A. J. Meerwald, and has most recently spent time on Ocean Star during her refit period in Antigua. Her favorite animal is the sea turtle and she can't wait to be in the BVI and diving with them again!