Shawn and Ally have known each other since they were 10 years old when Shawn moved from Cape Town, South Africa to the South coast of the UK with his family. They have been together as a couple for 10 years.
On finishing school, Shawn went to Essex University and obtained a Degree in Electronic Systems Engineering and Ally trained as a Registered General Nurse. After several career changes, Shawn worked towards his dream of owning his own yacht for 5 years, learning to Scuba Dive and travelling to Thailand for 6 months to train, qualify and teach as a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer. He also obtained his Commercially Endorsed Ocean Yachtmaster qualification, training in the turbulent seas of South Africa. After gaining this qualification, he worked for a large Yacht Charter Company in the Caribbean for 9 months before moving to Malaysia for 18 months to assist with the renovations of the Tall Ship, The Royal Albatross, quickly being promoted to First Mate. It was whilst he was working here that Imagination came up for sale at the end of 2010.
Ally had no real sailing experience before taking on her role as First Mate/Chef on Imagination, but adapted very quickly and she now has over 25, 000 nautical miles under her belt. Over the seasons, she has developed a menu to suit all palates, preferring to dish up tasty, filling, home-cooked meals as opposed to “fussy food”. Provisioning and finding fresh ingredients has been a particular challenge in the Grenadine Islands, but she has adapted and tweeked recipes to use the readily available produce. She is always on the look out for new meal ideas/recipes. She has 3 children at home in England, of whom she is extremely proud and she also has one adorable grandson.