Iles et Ailes

Welcome to AQ! We’re so excited to meet our new crew today. These last two weeks, we’ve been working hard at the AQ docks in West End, training, cleaning, organizing, re-organizing, and planning for what’s sure to be a great session. Will’s the skipper, Megan’s a dive instructor/ mate, and Garrison is the dive director for Sail Side A and mate. Together, we’ll be sailing on Iles et Ailes (we’ll leave the pronunciation to you), which happens to be the finest boat in our fleet, the dive boat for Side A, and is sure to be the fastest with the right crew sailing her (which arrives today).

Here’s some more info about our staff!

Will
Hailing from Philadelphia, Will’s love for the ocean started in high school when he experienced ActionQuest for the first time. During a gap year between high school and college, he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from South Africa to the Caribbean onboard S/Y Argo in the Spring of 2023. He stayed in Sint Maarten after that voyage, completing his IYT 200T Yachtmaster license. Will is thrilled to be skippering for ActionQuest this summer, looking to help foster a love for the ocean. When Will isn’t on a boat, you can probably find him rock climbing, running, or skiing! The stoke is so high!

Garrison
Garrison joined the GXG family in 2019 as a Seamester student on S/Y Argo. Quickly falling in love with the worlds of sailing and diving, he knew he wanted to perpetuate this experience for others. In 2020, Garrison moved to the island of Utila in Honduras to become a SCUBA instructor. He gained his teaching certifications and spent the pandemic days snorkeling the reefs and learning to identify Caribbean fishes. In the fall of 2020, he started school at Vanderbilt, majoring in Economics and History with minors in Spanish and Business. Whenever he needs to share a fun fact or wants to flex on his friends, he talks about AQ summers filled with night dives, exploring shipwrecks (don’t worry, none are AQ boats), and sunrise sails. A recent graduate, Garrison is incredibly grateful for another summer of beach barbecues, pranks, and creating a community on the water that no one can understand without experiencing it for themself.

Megan
After graduating high school, Megan embarked on a gap year to obtain her professional diving certifications. She earned her PADI Divemaster in Honduras and participated in an International Yacht Training internship. Toward the end of her gap year, she completed her PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor certification and several specialty instructor certifications in the Philippines. Megan is currently pursuing a double major in marine biology and oceanography at a university in Halifax, Canada, and recently concluded a research project mapping Atlantic Sturgeon in the Bay of Fundy. Outside of academics and diving, Megan loves surfing, being active, and spending time outdoors.