Bella Vita Staff Update Day 1
Location: West End, Tortola
Shona, Austin and George are so excited to meet all twelve of their new shipmates and welcome them aboard Bella Vita. Over the past week, they have been preparing Bella for their arrival and agree it feels a little lonely with out the shipmates here. Yesterday Shona and Austin stocked Bella with delicious snacks and treats, while George gave a final check to our dinghy Toothless. Waterskis and wakeboard equipment have been loaded up and all the final checks have been complete. Shona, Austin and George are just eagerly awaiting everyone's arrival so they can share the summer of a lifetime together.
Here is an introduction to the crew of Bella Vita:
Shona- skipper/EMT
Shona is returning for her third Summer with ActionQuest, but is more excited than ever to return to her second family and the amazing waters of the British Virgin Islands. She has recently completed her Offshore Yachtmasters and Wilderness EMT, so will be filling two roles as a skipper and medical team this year. She graduated in 2013 with a degree in outdoor education and geography. Since then, she has worked in several locations across Europe applying these skills to promote learning through experiential education. From a young age, she has had a love for the outdoor and all sports, whether that be sailing and kayaking in the summer or snowboarding and mountaineering in the winter. Her goal is to inspire and educate her students in a fun safe learning environment.
Austin- dive instructor/mate
Austin is a passionate sailing and scuba instructor. He is from the beautiful Charleston, South Carolina and attended the College of Charleston. With 4 years of being a student, 1 as a staff member at ActionQuest, and 1 semester sailing on Ocean Star with Seamester, he has the knowledge to create the perfect summer experience for any student.
George- mate
Born in the northern suburbs of Chicago, George spent his early years learning to sail and race on Lake Michigan and the inland lakes of Wisconsin. He spent his high school years racing on his high school sailing team, and his summers coaching youth sailing teams for his local yacht club. He currently is enrolled at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, working on finishing his business degree. After slowing down his sailboat racing at the end of high school, he decided to join Seamester on their recent fall trip as a way to take a break from business school and get back into sailing, where he started on his 200 ton Yacht Master training which he completed this spring. After having such a great time with Seamester aboard Argo, he realized his passion for teaching sailing and working on board boats, which has led him to ActionQuest. George's passions include finding and listening to good music, cooking good food, and any activity having to do with wind he can get into.