Staff Update Day 1
Location: West End, Tortola
We’re only a few hours away from our shipmates arriving, and we’re very excited to welcome them aboard! With two days to turn everything around, all the ActionQuest staff has been hard at work re-stocking and servicing our vessels in preparation for the exhilarating weeks ahead. Over the course of the next three weeks, we are hoping to IYT certify our shipmates in sailing that can open new doorways into the yachting industry, or simply provide better access to pleasurable experiences onboard charter vessels. We will also be teaching advanced sailing onboard to any students with significant prior experience and the desire to augment their abilities. The three staff onboard are all well versed in the various aspects of sailing and yachting on account of our proximity to the maritime lifestyle, but of course, sailing is only half the program! Our spectacular SCUBA instructors Ethan and Ashley, our dive director, will be helping those with prior certifications reach new limits as advanced divers. Courses aside, our goal as staff is to provide a fun, supportive and safe environment that gives our students the opportunity to discover their ability to learn and overcome challenges. We hope the build these surroundings not only from our daily activities such as water skiing, dinghy sailing, snorkeling, hiking but with responsibility, accountability, and team building! The next 3 weeks will be fruitful for all those living aboard Lascaris and ActionQuest vessels. We’re really looking forward to meeting our students soon and having an incredible time over the upcoming weeks.
Here is an introduction to the crew of Lascaris:
David- Skipper
David grew up on California’s coasts, and when he wasn’t invested in his schooling; he was either involved in aquatic summer programs or traveling around the Middle East, Europe, and Central America. Forever indebted to his parents, David was fortunate enough to begin sailing at the age of 8, scuba diving at 13, and various other aquatic sports in the times in-between and since. In 2013, David’s life dramatically shifted after Seamester; when his eyes were opened to the vast world of yachting. Thanks to his incredible experiences onboard S/Y Argo, David dedicated his free time to receive a certificate as a Master of Yachts through the Royal Yachting Association and used this license to work in the BVI as well as the Adriatic and other parts of the Mediterranean. Now returning for his fourth year, David hopes to continue expressing his passion for the ocean while learning from everyone around him in return.
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 Seamester, where she sailed from the BVI to Tahiti on S/Y Argo. After graduating with a degree in marine biology she worked onboard New Jersey’s official tall ship A. J. Meerwald, in Washington state on Zodiac, 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!
Ethan- Dive Instructor/Mate
Ethan has been a part of ActionQuest since the age of 14, falling instantly in love with the program. He is very passionate about diving and sailing and obtained most of his certifications through the ActionQuest program. He is a certified Open Water Scuba Instructor and CPR/First Aid Trainer. When he is not diving or sailing he is focusing on his studies to become a registered nurse at Fairfield University or playing video games with his younger brother, Evan.