

I am almost thinking that it’s going to be better than it was before the storm.” One of the first things that the team did on arrival was to get the local school back up-and-running – sweeping floors and pulling out ceiling tiles.
Gigi allen dallas how to#
We’ve turned it into the epitome of how to organise hurricane relief. “Our support yacht, Axis, delivered over £700,000 of supplies and made multiple trips to Little Grand. “We had to drop everything and help after the hurricane,” says Allen. Regarded as the worst natural disaster to ever hit the Bahamas, it caused catastrophic damage across the islands. One of the foundation’s latest projects came about unexpectedly when Hurricane Dorian struck in late August. “Whether we’re diving for research or looking for shipwrecks, it’s quite a sight to see us all out there at once.” In fact, four of his team are qualified rescue divers. “In order to work for me, you have to be a certified diver,” says Allen. Allen Explorations has multiple projects on the go, from environmental research and disaster relief to expeditions that go out in search of historical shipwrecks. “Our office sits on top of a building here in Dallas, Texas and everyone thinks we must be an oil and gas company!” The reality is rather different. “Allen Explorations started pretty much as soon as I sold my company,” he explains. Ten years later, after Allen had sold his company, he bought another yacht for his wife’s birthday – even giving it her name, Gigi. Every time we had a couple of weeks off, we’d charter yachts.” In 2004 the family made the leap and bought their first yacht.

“I had young kids at the time and we really got addicted to it. Fast forward a few decades, and Allen began to charter yachts with his family. “At a very young age, I was exposed to the water and in particular, the Bahamas,” he says. Growing up on the Finger Lakes of New York, and, later on, close to Lake Michigan, fishing was a big part of his childhood and diving soon became a hobby, too.
