Welcome to the Largest Boat for the Tiniest Shippies
Location: West End, Tortola
The day we have all been waiting for has finally arrived! We are so excited about the next few weeks adventure that is about to begin. The entire ActionQuest staff has worked tirelessly to prepare the fleet for the upcoming session.
Our home for the next few weeks, the largest in the fleet for the tiniest (youngest) shippies, Highlander, has been stuffed to the gills with food, water, and fuel in preparation for our student's arrival. We're keen to start teaching sailing and diving to our ten shipmates. We cannot express how stoked we are to sail away on our next adventure with a whole new group of incredible students!
Jessica "Stich" - Skipper/ Dive instructor / Medic Stich was born and raised in Sarasota, FL, and left to attend The Ohio State University. After graduating with a degree in Hospitality Management, she realized she missed the warmth and moved back to Florida to become a dive instructor on yachts. Stich continued to advance in her yachting career by getting her Yachtmaster in 2022. She joined Seamester last fall on Argo and completed her first ocean crossing. She looks forward to sharing her passion for the ocean with the students this summer!
Ayden - Mate Ayden is a college student studying environmental science due to his love for the environment and desire to get lost in nature. Ayden sailed from Bali to Cape Town aboard S/Y Vela, where his passion for sailing over rolling waves and scuba diving was born. He loves trying new things and helping others along the way. Ayden earned advanced open water cert, VHF, EFR, and Nav Master aboard Vela and has a little experience aboard small sailing dinghies. Ayden loved visiting Florida with his family and can't wait to share his passion, energy, and knowledge aboard one of AQ's sailing vessels this summer.
Mackenzie - Dive Instructor/Mate Mackenzie fell in love with scuba diving in Phuket, Thailand, and that short trip became three years spent traveling and diving around Southeast Asia. After graduating from Penn State University, she earned her instructor certification in Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Indonesia, where she taught for a year and dove with turtles daily! When she's not teaching at ActionQuest, she works full-time for Global Expeditions Group as an enrollment advisor and prepares for the summer.
Rachel - Dive Instructor/Mate Rachel is originally from Charlotte, NC, and has loved the ocean since her first open-water dive at age 16. In 2022, Rachel sailed with Seamester on S/Y Vela's transatlantic voyage, on which she became a PADI Divemaster. Inspired by her Seamester staff and previous dive instructors, Rachel went to Bay Islands College of Diving in Utila, Honduras, to earn her instructor certification, and she can't wait to introduce new divers to the ocean's magic. The only other thing Rachel loves as much as the sea is technical theatre. She graduated from NYU with a BFA and now calls New York City home, getting to play pretend for a living as a freelance professional stage manager. She recently finished working on a Broadway production and pinches herself every day that she gets to pursue both of her passions. Rachel also has experience working as a counselor for traditional (land) summer camps and enjoys reading, writing, drawing, and exploring.