And So it Begins!
Location: West End, Tortola
Day 1:
We are ecstatic to meet our shipmates today and watch as we start this journey as strangers and see it transform quickly as we become a family over the next three weeks. We can't wait to share our passions and introduce our shipmates to the world of sailing and diving, as well as the full AQ experience. Without any further ado, here are you're staff aboard Breakaway session 3!!! ;
Gabe (Skipper)
Gabe the Skipper:
Gabe learned to sail in high school as a sea scout on the ferocious waters of Northern California. After spending a semester crossing the Atlantic on the Seamester vessel Argo, Gabe enrolled in and graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He has worked on NOAA research vessels, tall ships, yachts, dive boats, and even a couple of submarines. Holding both US Coast Guard and IYT Yachtmaster captain's licenses, Gabe has many years of experience skippering several vessels. He is also licensed as a PADI dive instructor and has logged hundreds of dives worldwide. Most recently, Gabe has spent the past year working for Seamester back on Argo and has sailed over 10,000 nautical miles across the Caribbean and Pacific. Gabe loves to teach sailing and diving, learn about different places worldwide, and share adventures on the ocean with others. He is very excited to return to Action Quest this summer.
Inês (Nesz) - Mate
Inês (Ee-ne-szj) is a past Mate with AQ and a recent graduate from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a major in Environmental Studies and a Portuguese minor. She holds a US Sailing Level 1 Instructor Certification and has taught sailing since she was 16 in San Francisco Bay. She loves the joy of teaching somebody a new skill, especially when it is something as exciting as sailing. Inês also surfs, plays guitar, and enjoys long "zen runs." Inês has spent a lot of time in Portugal, where her family is from, and feels deep gratitude for the perspectives her dual nationalities have given her. Inês is US First Aid and CPR Certified, Wilderness First Aid certified, and NASBLA Safe Boating certified. She is thrilled to return to AQ this summer and once again share her knowledge and passion for the ocean, environment, and travel.
Lilah (Dive instructor)
After spending five summers sailing and diving as an ActionQuest shipmate, I am excited to come on board as a dive instructor. I grew up on the beaches of Long Island and spent my summers sailing 420's and Nacra's on the Long Island Sound (when I wasn't diving and sailing at AQ). I am a new dive instructor and have been diving since 2016. I am currently a student at George Washington University, majoring in environmental studies. When I am not sailing or diving, you can find me doing yoga, cooking, hiking, or snowboarding.