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British Virgin Islands - 2023, Session 1

Staff Blog- Welcome to Meow or Never!

Location: West End, Tortola

Hello everybody! Welcome to Meow or Never with your favorite staff: power team, dream team extraordinaire, and cat lovers in more ways than one, Matty P, Kaleigh, and Annika! We've been super busy getting the boat ready and preparing for a summer full of unforgettable adventures. We can't wait for the students to arrive, but first, let's get to know the staff onboard:

Matty P (skipper) is one of our fastest skippers at ActionQuest. He is excited to return for his second year and has his eyes set on the big prize of winning all three race days after missing out last summer and only securing two 1st place finishes. Matt had grown up by the water, surfing, and windsurfing from a young age and only took up sailing when he was 16. However, since then, he has gone on to race yachts worldwide, including a 36-day race from the Philippines to Seattle, 7200nm across the North Pacific, and more recently, just this April, from Hong Kong to the Philippines. Matt somehow also found the time to get his 200ton offshore Masters license and spend three months hanging out on Seamester's own Argo. While Matt excels in the harsh offshore racing conditions, he is beyond excited to have a break from Bristol University, reunite with his ActionQuest friends, and enjoy a summer of chill cruising in the BVIs.

Annika (mate/medic) was born outside Las Vegas but has lived all around the US. She first started sailing and diving aboard S/Y Vela in the Spring of 2022. Annika attends school at Loyola Marymount University in Southern California, studying Psychology and Environmental Studies, and is thrilled to live closer to the ocean! She most recently worked with Freedom Boat Club, outfitting and maintaining various boats. Annika is also an avid diver; her favorite sea creature is a sea slug. She also enjoys rock climbing, surfing, soccer, and learning new things!

Kaleigh (dive instructor) is so excited to have the opportunity to share her love of living on a sailboat and exploring the underwater world this summer! A competitive swimmer from age 5 through high school, Kaleigh feels most at home on or in the water. At 13, she stepped onboard her first ActionQuest boat and earned her Advanced Diving certification with the goal of one day being a member of AQ Staff. Returning every summer, Kaleigh has built her diving and sailing quals culminating with a trans-Atlantic and Mediterranean crossing on Seamester's S/Y Vela and, the following summer, earning her Divemaster certification at AQ. During winter break from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where she's majoring in Film and TV Production with the hope to be a film director/screenwriter/cinematographer, Kaleigh traveled to the Bay Islands College of Diving in Utila, Honduras to become a SCUBA instructor.

Let's rock n roll! No better time to learn how to dive and sail than MEOW or never.