Day 1: Welcome Aboard and Thank You!
Location: West End, Tortola
Hi everyone!
After a very long and rocky year of restrictions and border closures, everybody here at ActionQuest has been working relentlessly so we can host another awesome summer of learning, sailing, and SCUBA diving through the beautiful British Virgin Islands.
We want to start by thanking all of the students and parents for their patience and for going out of their way to meet the rigorous COVID safety pre-requisites in order to participate in Action Quest this year. We really could not have pulled this off without you!
During the last few weeks, we’ve been working hard, completing hours of safety scenarios, knotting up loose ends, stocking the fleet, and scrubbing the decks, to the point where we are wildly excited to show off the dock and FINALLY welcome you aboard our 42-foot catamaran, the Blind Ambition II, where the students will be all hands on deck for the next three weeks!
Introducing your guides,
starting with the skipper, Kackie Gould,
who joined the AQ team in 2021 as a mate after being an ActionQuest student back in 2016. Inspired by her initial summer with AQ as a student, Kackie took a gap year after high school to earn her RYA Yachtmaster Offshore 200t certification in Sydney, Australia. After spending 4 months in Sydney, Kackie spent the rest of her gap year in South Africa, surfing and backpacking through coastal villages and staying at local hostels. Kackie likes anything that has to do with being in the ocean, whether it’s surfing, sailing, wakeboarding, or just going for a swim. Other than that, Kackie is currently a student at Georgia Tech, and in her free time, she enjoys trying out new recipes, going on long walks, and spending time with her friends.
The mate, Davis Richmond,
is from Greensboro, North Carolina. She joined the AQ team in Summer 2019 and will be returning as a mate for Summer 2021. Prior to working for AQ, she was a Seamester student in the Spring of 2018, sailing on S/Y Argo from South Africa to Antigua. Davis is currently studying Marine Science and Biochemistry at the University of Miami, where she will be a senior this coming fall. She loves to spend as much time on, near, or learning about the ocean as possible and is always excited to share that passion with those around her.
And finally, dive instructor Justin,
a new AQ member, Justin, is a certified PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor who has years of experience divemastering around the world. From the tropical blue waters of Thailand to the cold majestic emerald green seas of Canada, Justin loves everything about the ocean. Previously, Justin was road-tripping the Pan-American highway with his trusty Enfield motorcycle. He began his journey from his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, riding the great highways of the West Coast United States, across the cacti laden deserts of Mexico, through the volcanic ash covered mountains of Guatemala, and eventually ended up in the tropical islands of Honduras before hopping onto the AQ team! Justin is looking forward to sharing his passion for adventure and hopes to use his experiences to inspire people to realize their full potential, whether it’s on land or under the ocean.
Stay tuned here to set sail and explore the ocean with us!