2
Location: West End, Tortola
Firebolt is OFFICIALLY ready for students to step on board. All of the program gear, food, and equipment is packed and stowed away on the boat. We have been working hard to make sure everything is set to go for when students get here today! Elliot, Anna, and Hannah are extremely excited for the trip to begin and for us to set sail tomorrow. Over the next 21 days, the students will participate in sailing, meaningful community service projects, turtle tagging, interacting with local children, other marine science activities, and tons of bonding! Once all of the students arrive, we will feast on tortellini and go over the intro to living on a 48-foot catamaran!
The crew:
Elliot Evins: Program Director/Skipper/Medic
Growing up in several different parts of the United States, Elliot developed an appetite for travel and exploration at a young age. He fostered a passion for global service and socially responsible volunteering as a student with Global Expeditions Group during high school and university. This eventually brought him to a position leading programs in the same countries he originally experienced as a student. Elliot holds professional certifications in sailing; field research and wilderness medicine that allows him to provide his students with the same incredible experience and lessons our programs gave him. When not running summer programs in the BVI, China, Thailand, India, Costa Rica or Ecuador, Elliot works in the Sarasota, Florida GXG headquarters and spends his weekends sailing, producing music or bumbling his way through ambitious do-it-yourself projects.
Anna McBee: Skipper.
Anna [BZ] McBee is from Siler City, NC but currently lives in the Florida Keys. She became a 200-ton Yachtmaster after discovering her passion for sailing as a student on ActionQuest and Seamester. When she is not working the summers with GoBeyond, she is a Fisheries Biologist with Florida Fish and Wildlife conservation commission. Her favorite part about GoBeyond is getting the chance to see students discover their interests and passions while inspiring them to think more about their impact on the environment.
Hannah Sciarappa: Mate
Hannah grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia with a peaking interest in science and a love for the ocean around high school. She graduated from Georgia Southern University in 2014 with a degree in Biology and went straight into outdoor education. Working in places like the Florida Keys and Southern California have given her different ecosystems to experience and enjoy, as well as the opportunity to drive across the country a few times! She currently works during the school year on Catalina Island, off the coast of Southern California teaching elementary, middle-schoolers, and high schoolers marine science at an outdoor facility. She enjoys SCUBA, sailing, body surfing, camping and hiking around the island in her free time. We are so excited for Session 2 to start!