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British Virgin Islands - 2019, Session 3

Staff Update Day 1

Location: West End, Tortola

We are so excited to welcome aboard the crew of Imane. The staff has been working hard to ensure all the equipment is prepped and ready to go. The vessel has been provisioned with fuel, water, food, and educational materials.

We are looking forward to 17 days of learning, new friendships, and fantastic adventures out there on the waves of the Caribbean Sea. We can’t wait to see everyone in West End soon!

Here is an introduction to the crew of Imane:

Shona: Skipper/Wilderness EMT

Shona is returning for her fifth summer with ActionQuest and is more excited than ever to return to her second family and the amazing waters of the British Virgin Islands. 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 outdoors 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. Shona holds certifications as an RYA Yachtmaster and Wilderness EMT.

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 for the first time and fell head over flippers in love with diving and sailing. At 18, she joined the ranks of PADI as an Open Water SCUBA Instructor and has been teaching ever since. She enjoys working with young divers and believes teaching is the art of assisted self-discovery. Annie is going into her senior year at Northeastern University in Boston where she teaches diving to fellow students and spends as much time as possible on the water with Northeastern’s sailing team. In her spare time, she studies Business and Economics. When it’s extra cold outside, Annie can be found snowboarding or making baked mac and cheese. As an avid traveler who’s been to almost all of the continents (Antarctica I’m coming!), the BVI is still a favorite. This summer will be Annie’s fifth summer with AQ.

Mason: Mate

Mason started sailing as a middle schooler in the Berkeley Marina with UC Berkeley. As he got older, he went back many times and eventually helped with the teaching of young sailors. Mason went on to sail in the Channel Islands and with ActionQuest in the BVI. As his love for sailing grew, he started looking for ways to make a career of it. This drew him back to ActionQuest and on to a three month Sea|mester voyage. After obtaining the necessary qualifications, he took the 100 ton USCG Masters license exam and now is a licensed captain looking to show others the joy of sailing and adventure. While not at sea, he has a love for reading stories of adventure and exotic places to be explored.