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British Virgin Islands - 2018, Session 3

Staff Update Day 1

Location: West End, Tortola

Session three is finally here!

Tom, Elise, and Kayleigh are super excited to welcome the shipmates to the ActionQuest family. Blue Tide is now ready and loaded with food/snacks and equipment for the adventure ahead. From all the crew on Blue Tide, we can’t wait for you to get here and have an awesome summer with us! See you soon!

Here is an introduction to the crew of Blue Tide:

Tom- Skipper

Tom was born in the famous maritime city of Leicester, England. He first started sailing seriously in 2009 when he bought his first boat and set off from the East Coast with his dog towards the Baltic Sea. He spent the next few months visiting France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany before ending up in the Kiel Canal. Since then, Tom has spent 6 years as a Royal Marines Commando and obtained his Yachtmaster Offshore and Yachtmaster OceanTheory certificates in the waters of Great Britain, Ireland, France, and Spain. Tom now lives on his boat in North West Spain with his partner Hannah.

Kayleigh- Dive Instructor/Mate

Born in Warwickshire, United Kingdom, Kayleigh has spent most of her life traveling all over the world exploring new environments and cultures. Following her love of the ocean, she completed her PADI Open Water course in 2012 and was immediately captivated. In 2013 she graduated from Plymouth University, UK, with BSc Hons Degree in Conservation Biology. Shortly after she headed to Utila, Honduras for 6 months training from advanced open water to PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, IYT Dive Boat Mate, and International Association for Handicapped Divers (IAHD) Instructor. Aside from Scuba diving Kayleigh loves to draw and enjoys anything adventurous, from trekking the Great Wall of China for charity to taking her dogs on country walks- any excuse to get out the house. She is currently teaching scuba diving in the UAE and is looking forward to heading back to BVI to spend the summer with AQ.

Elise – Mate/EMT

Elise has always been drawn to the waters and the wild places of the world. From the jungles of India to the magnificent Himalayas of Nepal, to the cerulean waters of the Caribbean, Elise’s passion for nature, social justice, and human connections have led her all over the world. After graduating high school Elise spent a year teaching English and ballet at a nonprofit school in Northeastern India. She is now a student at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where she is planning to study philosophy and complete the pre-med track. She also works part-time as a certified Emergency Medical Technician on an ambulance in the town of Brunswick. On campus, she is involved in several social and environmental justice groups and hopes to spread messages of love, peace, and respect for the natural world to others. In addition to sailing and diving, Elise loves trekking, traveling, baking, and painting. This is Elise’s second summer working with ActionQuest.