Come Sail Away!
Location: West End, Tortola
A long, long time ago, at a dock slip far, far away, the crew of Ewak eagerly awaited their students’ arrival. We’ve been hard at work preparing the ship for our adventure, and we are (Go)Beyond excited to be welcoming our students aboard! We can’t wait to get underway and start our service palooza. In just a few days, we’ll be fully immersed in the community: working with school children, monitoring seagrass, and of course, turtle tagging. All we’ve got left is to welcome the most important members of our crew: the students! Climb aboard and follow along with our expedition here!
Gwen Doughetry: After a life-changing experience as a Sea|mester student aboard S/Y Ocean Star, Gwen joined the ActionQuest/GoBeyond team as a Wilderness First Responder in 2014. Since then, Gwen has earned her Master of Yachts 200ton certificate and is returning for her sixth summer in the BVI as a skipper. Gwen’s favorite part of working for GB is raising sail and heeling over for the first time with a new group of students. She also enjoys spontaneous dish team dance parties, Mountain Point sunsets, and all the great conversations that take place throughout the summer. When she’s not in the BVI, Gwen lives in Vermont where she works at an independent high school and spends time skiing, hiking, and enjoying the outdoors.
Elliot Evins: Growing up in several contrasting parts of the United States, Elliot developed an appetite for travel and exploration at a young age. He fostered a passion for global service and socially responsible volunteering as a student with Global Expeditions Group during high school and university. This eventually brought him to a position leading programs and travel camps for teens in the same countries he originally experienced as a student. Elliot holds professional certifications in sailing, field research, and wilderness medicine that allow him to provide his students with the same incredible experience and lessons our programs gave him. When not running summer programs in the BVI, China, Thailand, India, Costa Rica or Ecuador, Elliot lives in Boulder Colorado and spends his weekends sailing, producing music, or bumbling his way through ambitious do-it-yourself projects.
Dara Craig: Growing up on a small sanctuary island along the gulf coast of Florida, Dara has long had an appreciation for the beauty of our environment and the role we play in its stewardship. Her love of the ocean grew during her own BVI adventure with GoBeyond seven years ago, and she’s thrilled to return as a mate this summer! Dara graduated from Vanderbilt University with a dual-major in ecology and anthropology. Through her study abroad, she was able to engage with indigenous cultures long dedicated to marine preservation, and also enjoyed up-close-and-personal escapades with the ocean world. Highlights included swimming with wild dusky dolphins in New Zealand, diving with sharks in Fiji, and gliding along with giant sea turtles on the Great Barrier Reef – experiences which have only strengthened her resolve to contribute toward a healthy restoration of our blue planet. When not underwater, Dara enjoys hiking, concert-going, and enthusiastic conversations about environmental justice.