[Paddlewise] Who am I?

Who am I (`whoami`) - better late than never?

	I'm Greg Hollingsworth and I'm in my fifth year of sea kayaking.  I
have always had innate love for the sea.  I find that being out on the
water calms my soul and sets me right. I first learned this when I was a
kid and was taken sailing by my father.  Later in life, I picked up
windsurfing and later sailing in larger boats.  I spent my first two
years in college at St. Mary's College of Maryland where I majored in
windsurfing.  I later found that conditions for windsurfing were
unsatisfactory unless the winds were 25 knots or better.  Frustration
quickly set in as these conditions rarely come about on the Chesapeake.  

For several years, I sailed around the bay on larger sailboats until one
summer when my wife and I decided to take a two-week trip to Alaska. 
Although we had never kayaked before, we choose to tour Glacier Bay in
kayaks.  We wanted to get the most out of the trip and felt that only
kayaking would provide the experience we were looking for.  We loved our
long days in the double kayak and our nights under the stars.  Once
back, I bought my first boat and quickly learned that I enjoyed paddling
the Chesapeake in both calm and challenging conditions.  I love paddling
down an isolated river as much as I love surfing ocean waves.

I enjoy paddling alone and with others.  Recently I purchased a new boat
and I'm hoping that my wife will join me on occasional trips using my
old boat.  My 8-year-old daughter is now showing interest in paddling
and when the water is warm enough, I hope to take her on trips.  In the
mean time, we've been working on the basics in the pool.  I'm hoping her
love for the sea will be as strong as mine.  She's been taken on sailing
trips since she was 3 months old. My son is 5 and also is interested in
kayaking... he needs to learn to swim quite a bit better first.

My current boat of choice is my new NordKapp Jubilee; I use a
Greenland-style paddle that I made myself.  I just recently made the
switch from a Euro-style paddle.  I've got a pretty solid roll and I
paddle year round in this area.  I carry a ton of equipment (I'm a gear
head). I live in Maryland and do most of my paddling in the Chesapeake
or Atlantic.  I hope to paddle Maine and the San Juan Islands at some
point in my life.  I also hope to see the rest of the Chesapeake, it's a
wonderful place to paddle.

Oh yeah, I'm not an old fart, I'm 39.  I turn into an old fart in 3
months when I hit 40.  Despite my turning into an old fart, I expect to
remain "young at heart" forever.

Greg
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