Madam President

The press release from the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. refers to her as Kristen Greenaway, but readers of this blog and followers of the Everglades Challenge might know her better as "Kiwibird Kayaker."  I guess we can all now refer to her as Madam President since she has been selected to be the new president of the prestigious maritime museum.  How great is that?

I came across Kristen through emails and blogs six or seven years ago as I was finishing the build of Spartina and thinking about cruising.  Kristen, at right in the photo above, and Dawn, seated next to Kristen, were training for an Everglades Challenge and I began following both of their blogs searching for ideas and equipment for spending time on the water in small boats.  They, along with Paul and Alan, at left, gave me countless tips, thoughts and suggestions.  Soon I was emailing Kristen for advice, which she provided for everything from SPOT tracking devices, sleeping bags, thermals, buffs and, recently, solar powered inflatable lamps.   She even clarified for me, you'll see if you scroll way down in the comments here, the boatbuilding efforts by Gibbs on the television show NCIS.

Kristen is one of those friends, there are many I've made through this blog, that I have never met in person.  The closest we came was a few years ago when she and her paddling partner Dave camped on a sandy little beach on the Pamlico River.  I came by a few days later, anchoring for a swim off of the beach and recognizing the tracks from their kayaks and camping gear.  Maybe now that Kristen is headed towards Chesapeake Bay maybe I will get to meet her in person.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is 18 acres of Chesapeake Bay history, captured through classic boats, crab shanties, modern displays, boat shops and even a lighthouse on the St. Michaels waterfront.  Read Kristen's bio on the press release and you will see she has a life-long passion for the water, from living on a boat in her Kiwi youth to ocean sailing and now expedition racing in kayaks.  I can't wait to see what she does when she brings that passion to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.

Congratulations, Kristen!