Good Works with What’s Next Adventures

“Stand by to hoist the mainsail!” shouts Captain Ian Beaumont from the helm of the Bahama Star, the 57-foot 1984 Wellington sloop-rigged sailboat he owns with his wife, Nancy.

A half-dozen or so teens take their positions along the sail as if they have done this before. They have. They are members of the youth group at Community Church of Vero Beach, which, for the fourth summer, has turned to the Beaumonts’ What’s Next Adventures for a weeklong mission/recreational trip to the Exuma islands in the Bahamas.

Eleven teens are on this year’s trip, along with two young chaperones in training and CCVB’s director of youth ministry, Drew Angotti. Most have been aboard Bahama Star at least once before, and the Captains Beaumont have taught them well; in addition to those who have sprung into action to hoist the sail, others will stand ready to maneuver ropes and position docking fenders when the time comes.

The teens call themselves the Agape Ambassadors, and their primary purpose is to continue a relationship forged over the past four years with the people of Black Point, a small village on Great Guana Cay. On prior visits, they have repaired a church playground, replaced a damaged basketball backboard, and assembled a steeple built by Community Church maintenance man Ron Cook and transported in pieces aboard Bahama Star.

This year, they hope to check on their previous work and tend to other projects the Beaumonts have identified in their communications with the locals. One of the objectives for this visit is a largely symbolic one: to paint the Bahamian flag on the wooden backboard installed last year.

Angotti also sees this adventure as a perfect opportunity to fortify bonds within the youth group and, of course, with God. “It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen,” Angotti says. “You can’t help but feel closer to God.”

Community Church’s ties with the Exumas and Black Point in particular date back to Nancy Beaumont’s childhood.

Nancy Shipley grew up in Vero Beach, attending Community Church with her parents, Linda and Dr. Joshua Shipley. In fact, she was a member of the very youth group whose mission trip she is now helping to orchestrate. The Shipley family spent lots of time in the Bahamas, boating there each year and establishing many relationships. Dr. Shipley volunteered his medical services during vacations from his primary care practice in Vero Beach.

Nancy met Ian Beaumont while she was working as a dockmaster on Compass Cay, a breathtakingly beautiful island owned by a Bahamian gentleman acquainted with her parents. At that time, Ian, a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was serving as first mate on the Bahama Star under Captain Bruce Dunham.

Fast-forward to 2024, and the couple has owned the Bahama Star 14 years. It is the focal point of What’s Next Adventures. When Ian founded the business 16 years ago, the adventures were land based: rock climbing, backpacking, caving, and paddling. Then the Bahama Star entered the picture. “Up until COVID hit, we did both,” he explains, “but after COVID the land stuff fell off.”

The Beaumonts launch their adventure season in February, preparing the Bahama Star for the dozen or so groups it will host over the next several months. Church and school groups, scout troops, research trips, missions—they take various forms, but what all the charters have in common is the educational aspect the couple is passionate about.

They specialize in the Bahamas’ outer islands, where their familiarity and connections are evident, as is their enthusiasm for sharing their knowledge about the islands, their people, and their stunningly beautiful ecosystems. For Nancy, one of the highlights of her job is “getting to see that newness through other people’s eyes.”

On some excursions, the focus is on offering medical instruction. Both Ian and Nancy are well versed and credentialed in wilderness first aid, and Nancy is a wilderness EMT—a skill set that can come in handy out on the water and in the remote locales they visit.

“I became an EMT around 2015 while I was in college. The wilderness part came along when Ian took my bookish, medical self into the outdoors,” Nancy chuckles.

Ian adds, “Wilderness medicine is like being an EMT plus MacGyver.”

In early June, when hurricane season begins, the Beaumonts say goodbye to the Bahama Star at the Fort Pierce Marina and head back to Pennsylvania, where they recover their “land legs,” take road trips, and teach classes.

Like any other undertaking, this year’s mission to Black Point presents many variables, such as weather conditions and availability of certain supplies. But one of Ian’s strengths is his ability to have plans A, B, and C for every situation. This visit’s accomplishments are impressive: the Agape Ambassadors lead a Bible study and arts-and-crafts session with local children, and, despite intermittent rain, the steeple is cleaned, a wall is painted, and the Bahamian flag is ultimately emblazoned on the aforementioned backboard.

The warm relationships fostered over the years are crucial. “When Jon and I went to borrow the ladder, the man didn’t even hesitate,” says junior chaperone Luke Franco.

The culmination of the two-day stay at Black Point is “movie night,” which is nothing if not a staggering demonstration of teamwork. With everyone pitching in, large quantities of hot dogs and macaroni and cheese are prepared, and everyone gathers in a small, open building near the dock. Word of mouth spreads quickly in the close-knit community. A sheet is hung up on an outer wall to serve as a movie screen, and dozens of youngsters for whom access to a movie theater, even a makeshift one, is a rarity, enjoy the animated film Surf’s Up. Local restaurant owner Lorraine Rolle even produces a popcorn popper.

This mission meshes perfectly with the Beaumonts’ philosophy: “We’re not your typical tourists,” says Ian. “We are here not just to take advantage of the Bahamas but to be part of the Bahamas.”

Thus, the first stop on the way to Black Point after the five-hour crossing from Nassau is Hawksbill Cay, part of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, a national preserve. Here, Ian leads the group on a hike from the leeward to the windward side of the island for a beach cleanup and a swim. But before disembarking, everyone listens to a brief but informative talk from the Beaumonts’ newest crew member, marine biologist Kate Lochridge. The Ohio native was working at the Forfar Field Station on the island of Andros when she accompanied a prior charter group and was invited to join the Bahama Star crew.

Lochridge discusses threats to marine life, particularly microplastics, formed when plastic debris is broken down by the elements into small pieces that can be ingested accidentally by sea turtles, for example.

Like fellow crew member Noah Paez, Lochridge is an impressive young person. Her knowledge of marine life is accompanied by an uncanny ability to depict it with watercolors. Her swimming prowess is formidable, and she is always ready with a smile.

So magnetic is Paez that several of the repeat Agape Ambassadors, when asked on the morning of departure what they were most looking forward to, respond, “Seeing Noah.” Indeed, when the subject of one circular gathering around the boat’s cockpit turns to each person’s favorite marine animal, Jonathan’s answer of “Noah” brings a smile to every face.

By trade, Paez, who hails from Oregon, is a UXO technician, which means that when he is not hoisting sails and managing Bahama Star’s dinghy, he is clearing unexploded ordnance in sundry locations. His résumé also includes a stint as a dogsledding tour guide in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. And he is no slouch in the galley: when Franco spears a lionfish in Black Point, Paez takes advantage of the invasive species’ value as a sushi delicacy.

Usually, though, Nancy is the one working magic in the galley. Feeding a literal boatload of people takes a tremendous amount of planning and work. One morning, she emerges from the galley to announce that she has prepared “baked oatmeal” for breakfast, adding, “or as I like to call it …” Without missing a beat, youth group member Dounia calls out “Boatmeal!” to the delight of everyone, particularly Nancy.

After an emotional departure from Black Point, Ian steers Bahama Star north toward Compass Cay, where the students will swim with the island’s docile nurse sharks and then spend an afternoon at the gorgeous and peaceful Crescent Beach—swimming, playing “chicken,” and boosting one another into backflips in the turquoise water.

That evening, the group takes an excursion to Big Pipe Cay for a bonfire, during which Angotti hands out letters he has brought from the teens’ families. It is a moving experience for all.

The next day, it’s off to the coral reef at Allen’s Cay, where the crew breaks out the snorkel equipment, Ian goes over safety guidelines, and everyone enjoys the exquisite beauty below the surface.

That night is spent at anchor, and, when Ian takes the Bahama Star out into open water before dawn the next morning, the lights of Nassau, still several hours away, beckon on the horizon.

Everyone shares highlights and challenges from the week, and parting hugs ensue.

“I feel that I am here in large part because of the mission work I did with Community Church,” Nancy says, “so to have them coming to Bahama Star is rewarding, humbling, and fulfilling.”

What does the future hold for the adventurous Beaumonts? “We just keep doing ‘what’s next,’” says Nancy.