On May 1 our first, First Mate, Aiden Young, an 18-year-old Bermudian, officially starts his role as the shuttle driver for the America’s Cup Event Authority, operating the boat from Hamilton to Dockyard.

He is driving as needed for our event staff and guests, back and forth across the Great Sound.

Also, Arden Vickers and Sherrall Illston started their first shift as Radio Control and Logistics staff in the event operations team alongside Rob Walley. They will be based in the Joint Agency Command Centre which is the main hub where all co-ordination and communications take place relating to all event activities.

As the radio controllers and logistics their responsibility is to listen to the key radio channels linked to the main operations in the America’s Cup Village and log any key information regarding the “on-the-water” race.

They will then update this information to key ACEA officials via the radio or other means of communication.

Ms Vickers, who is also 18 and from Bermuda, volunteered in the media centre during the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series event here in Bermuda. She is a full-time student enrolled in Fanshawe College studying special events. She believes this is a great experience for her to be able to see how a large-scale event is organised and executed.

Mrs Illston has been a Bermudian resident for the past 13 years. She came to the island in 1997 to work for Marine and Port Services in the International Ship Register. She met her husband here and has two teenage daughters.

One of her daughters, Carly, is also a First Mate volunteer in the ACTV team as a camera assistant and will be graduating in May this year hoping to major in Film and Television Production.

Mrs Illston’s husband, Peter, is also a First Mate with the “on-the-water operations” team as a racecourse marshal.

Thank you Aiden, Arden and the Illston family for volunteering.