I am sitting in my office looking out the window at the beautiful crisp blue sky thinking I would much rather be out there than in here. Today is the first clear day this week and I am ready to go enjoy a little sunshine. I am hoping to be on the water canoeing with Joy by 3pm. On December 8th I attended a day long canoe instructor course. The course was designed to teach the basics of canoeing and provide the instruction materials needed to teach intro to canoeing classes. I am very excited to broaden my paddling experience by entering into the canoeing world. Starting this week Joy and I will begin training for long distance canoe races.
Joy is putting together a team to compete in the Texas Water Safari a 260 mile kayak/canoe race from San Marcos, TX to the Gulf of Mexico ending in Seadrift, TX. The plan is to have a 4 woman team with me as the team captain. As captain I will follow the team on land and provide assistance with water and ice. Taking on the role of team captain will allow me to better understand the dynamics of the race and learn the ins and outs of surviving such a grueling adventure. The race is non-stop and lasts about 3 days. The only outside assistance that teams can receive is ice and water. If the team requires medical attention or other assistance they are disqualified from the race.
Info taken from Texas Water Safari Website: http://www.texaswatersafari.org
Legend has it that back around 1962 Frank Brown and Bill "Big Willie" George decided to take their "V" bottom boat, without a motor, from San Marcos to Corpus Christi. They accomplished their mission in about 30 days and decided that other people should have the opportunity to experience the same journey. So in 1963 they set up the first Texas Water Safari.
The Safari is a long, tough nonstop, marathon canoe racing adventure, which traverses 260 miles of challenging rivers and bays. Although the rate varies from year to year depending on water conditions, in previous Safaris as few as two teams out of sixty starters managed to reach the finish line. Many participants enter the Safari with no intention of winning, but with aspirations of joining the elite group of finishers and earning the coveted Texas Water Safari patch.
Entrants must have all provisions, equipment, and items of repair in their possession at the start of the race. Nothing may be purchased by or delivered to a team during the race except water and/or ice. Each team must have a team captain (18 years old, or older) whose responsibility it is to follow the team by vehicle (car, truck, or bicycle) to keep track of their location and condition and give them water and/or ice. During the Safari, teams may not receive any assistance of any kind except verbal. Teams must be prepared to travel day and night, nonstop to be competitive, but teams who occasionally stop for sleep have been able to reach mandatory checkpoint cutoff times and cross the finish line by the 100 hour deadline.
In the 2007 race a 6 person canoe split in half in the first 19 miles of the race. The participants used duct tape and other supplies to repair the boat and despite all obstacles they finished the race. The Texas Water Safari is a great testament of how much you can accomplish if you simply put your mind and body to the task. Shortly after the Safari I will compete with Joy in the CR100 race from Bastrop, TX to Columbus, TX on the Colorado river.
I am excited about the many adventures ahead of me on the water!
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