Texas Water Safari stories have reached the level of urban myth, but most are true.

When you paddle in the Texas heat for up to 100 hours without stopping–except to take on water and get encouragement from your road team–you are tired, dehydrated and probably delusional. When you add paddling an unknown river at night, dodging alligator gars that jump into your boat, surviving attacks by mosquitoes and fire ants, navigating log jams or bypassing them by walking through alligator infested swamps, worrying about nests of water moccasins in the river and stingrays in the bay, you have a classic tale of horror. Read a tale or two of horror here.

Why would anyone canoe over 260 miles, portaging at least 20 obstacles, paddling through numerous rapids, and, finally, fighting the currents and chop across San Antonio Bay? There are many reasons. Extreme sports folk enter the race because it exists. Cancer survivors enter to celebrate life. Teams race competitively, year after year, to keep their edge. Families do it to teach their children survival skills. Women race to compete in a man’s world. What is your reason? Think of one and come to Texas the second weekend in June.

Eileen

Are you a skilled angler? Perhaps you catch and release for the pure fun of fishing? You could become a member of the Coastal Fisheries Bay Team and help Texas Parks and Wildlife catch spotted sea trout and flounder for its hatchery breeding program.

To become a member of the Coastal Fisheries Bay Team call Robert Adami at (361) 939-8745 or send an email with your name, address, daytime phone number, and dates you can fish to robert.adami@tpwd.state.tx.us.

Fishing for Spotted Sea Trout

• South Padre Island, April 8, 2006, Sea Ranch Marina
• Corpus Christi, April 22, 2006, Marker 37

Fishing for Southern Flounder

• Sabine, October 21, 2006, S.A.L.T. Club
• Aransas/Corpus Christi, November 4, 2006, Conn Brown Harbor
• Texas City, November 11, 2006, Boyd’s One Stop
• Port O’Connor, November 18, 2006, Froggie’s Bait Doc

Each Coastal Fisheries Bay Team tournament is open to 30 two-person teams. Registration takes place on-site the day of each tournament. First-come, first-fish!

The most grueling canoe race in the world, the Texas Water Safari, will start at 9 am on June 10, 2006 in San Marcos, Texas. This year, a class has been added to allow boats, not just canoes, to compete in the Safari. Solo entrants are also allowed.

Since 1963, thousands of canoeists have started the 260+ mile race. The course of the Texas Water Safari (TWS) begins in the headwaters of the San Marcos River, flows past the confluence of the San Marcos and Blanco Rivers to the convergence of the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers, and then follows the length of the Guadalupe River to the Gulf coast.

Safari entrants must pack all provisions–food, equipment and items of repair–in their boat or on their person before the start of the race. Nothing may be purchased or delivered to a team during the race except water and/or ice. Teams must arrive at mandated checkpoints by specific times to remain competitive and finish within 100 hours to win the coveted Safari patch.

This is not a race for beginners. It is a tough, dangerous, exhausting world-class race of up to 100 hours. The Texas Water Safari is the grand finale to several marathon canoe races held in Central and Southern Texas each year.

Keep your provisions dry,

Eileen