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Texas Water Safari

18,257 Views | 65 Replies | Last: 14 days ago by BJones06
BaitShack
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AG
Minimum equipment list (From the TWS website)

Boat cleaned according to approved procedures (required)
First Aid Kit (one required)
Snake Bite Kit (one required)
USCG Approved Personal Flotation Device (one per team member)
USGC Approved Flares (three required-CHECK EXPIRATION DATE)
White light for night travel (one required)
Signaling device such as a whistle (one required)
SPOT device, functioning (one required)
Cell Phone, off and in a sealed (not resealable bag)
Canoe Flotation (adequate to float boat and all equipment)
SabineAg
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I'm in! Now I just need to find a friend who will do it with me
BaitShack
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In general, I'd say that anything associated with a camping trip should be left behind (Sleeping bags, tents, camp stoves, food prep equipment, large coolers). Everyone does their own thing, but it's not the kind of event where you pull up on a sandbar and set up camp for the night.
johnrth
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So no hammock?
DifferenceMaker Ag
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Simply incredible. Thanks for sharing!
BaitShack
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quote:
So no hammock?
Piss in a cup and throw it over the side. Does that give you an idea?
BaitShack
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AG
Hell, piss your pants / crossings the bay.
BaitShack
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Before
BaitShack
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BaitShack
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After
BaitShack
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Regarding the new food rules, "back in the day" teams could only receive ice and water along the way. A racer died a few years after we ran it, due to drinking too much water. This prompted safari officials to modify the rules to....

quote:

Team captains may deliver items of food, ice, drink or medical materials at any time during the race which they, in their sole discretion, deem necessary for the health or safety of the team. Only re-usable mesh bags may be used to help the team captain make any such exchange. (This is to prevent littering or any other use of bags or other containers). Food Items may be individually waterproofed in seal-a-meal type bags or zip-lock bags. No Zip-lock bags larger than one gallon may be used. No other items such as paddles, lights, repair equipment, or any other supplies or materials of any kind can be supplied to the team by the team captain(s).

I don't know if the new food rules have prompted a free for all, but I suspect it has. Does anyone know?
johnrth
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I saw that. I don't know how deep the water is throughout the race but I surprised to see that in all the yrs it's been done there has only been one fatality. Especially from drinking too much water and not replenishing the salts in his body. I would have figured there would have been a drowning or something.
jejdag
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Chiming in here again, even though it looks like Bait has covered it all pretty well (good job!). To answer some questions I saw here...my brother and I did not have extensive experience in a canoe before we started training,..in fact, I think 'minimal' would be a better term. We started training on the river on January 1 that first year, but soon decided it was just too damn cold, so we waited until late February/early March. We'd always try to see some part of the river both weekend days, and get any other paddling reps in that we could during the week. I was living in the San Marcos area then, so I got to know the upper pretty well.

The only drowning that I know of happened in '97, on a weekend that there had been a lot of rain. I think it was the San Marcos chief of police, or something like that, He and his son were training for the race and were south of Luling. They mistook Ottine Dam for -son of and attempted to run it (that should tell you how high the water must have been, and I don't think there was ANYBODY else on the river that weekend). I think it was 3-4 days before they recovered his body.

I'm not sure the new rules have created a free for all, necessarily, but a lot of appeal for the race has gone out of it as a result. My brother and I were gonna get t-shirts made to the effect of something like: 'TWS: once a race for hardasses, now possible for candyasses as well.'

I mentioned earlier that I would be riding the first part of the race again this year (from start to Luling) and got two takers to join me...anyone else interested, please email me at jejda AT yahoo for details.
PFG
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Glad someone bumped this... Me and another good Ag are looking for an aluminum canoe. Anyone have one sitting on saw horses in your back 40 and willing to let a couple good Ags borrow/rent/buy for a year to use as a Safari boat?
jejdag
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Look here for canoe rental: http://buggecanoe.com/ he's in the Luling area now, but was a plumber in B/CS for years. Decent enough guy and long-time Safari racer. Always heard he was an Ag but never saw a ring, which doesn't mean anything...I never bought one, either. These will be safari rigged by a veteran who has been down the river plenty of times.
Forgot to mention. the Prelim is this Saturday if you wanna go down south of Cuero for the start. I just looked at it and see it is now a 34 mile race from Riverhaven to Victoria instead of the 45 miler from FM236 bridge that it was when I was racing...further pussification?
Used to be another race the next day from DuPont (now some other name I can't think of) to Seadrift.
96ags
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Who knew me and Baitshack lived together many moons ago!!!

Great story Wes.
PFG
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Talked to Bugge. Good guy. Rented some equipment from him many moons ago for a different race. He can be a little hard to get ahold of, but we did talk to him. Only stuff he has for sale is priced on the high end, and he was't too keen on renting long term. Looking at a 2017 Safari, just gotta find a boat first.
johnrth
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let me find the link. There is a lady in Martindale who rents canoes specifically for the safari I found through blogs. I believe she still races. Her name is holly orr http://paddlewithstyle.com/. From what I understand you have to rent for a minimum of 3months for $400. But that basically includes the canoe, spray skirt, paddles, and maybe something else. It's then $50 per month thereafter I think. I'm gonna try to reserve one at the end of this year to race next June.



Was the only rule change, that captains are now allowed to give food? I understand that it's a little less you have to now carry but how does that make it a candyass race just because they can supply one more thing?
jejdag
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I didn't mean to offend, I'm sure it's still dang tough. I think its kind of like an old army/new army thing...us old timers gotta ***** about something!
Yes, it is one thing, but it is not just 'a little less to carry'. 2-5 days worth of food per person adds up and is the biggest weight you carry the whole way, and depending on how you stash it, can affect your trim (level in the water). In our first year ('94) I took and ate a butt-load of Power Bars...all these years later and I have not eaten another one! I think that being able to get anything you want off the bank unburdens a lot of psychological weight, as well.
BaitShack
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quote:
Who knew me and Baitshack lived together many moons ago!!!

Great story Wes.
96Ags shoot me an email if you get a chance. wwynn97@gmail.com

I'm drawing a blank... It would have to have been on campus or in the Marine Corps maybe?
BaitShack
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quote:
Used to be another race the next day from DuPont (now some other name I can't think of) to Seadrift.
Barrier to the bay.
BaitShack
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quote:
jejdag
I didn't mean to offend, I'm sure it's still dang tough. I think its kind of like an old army/new army thing...us old timers gotta ***** about something!
Yes, it is one thing, but it is not just 'a little less to carry'. 2-5 days worth of food per person adds up and is the biggest weight you carry the whole way, and depending on how you stash it, can affect your trim (level in the water). In our first year ('94) I took and ate a butt-load of Power Bars...all these years later and I have not eaten another one! I think that being able to get anything you want off the bank unburdens a lot of psychological weight, as well.


quote:
quote:

BS
This. Food and drink planning was a big part of the race for us. Finding out which foods and / or supplements would keep us going and not make us sick was a major consideration. Factors such as how many days we would be on the water, how much to bring, how often to mix it, how to package and store it etc. Knowing that I could have grabbed a whataburger or pizza at the next checkpoint would have changed the game quite a bit. Then again whataburger or pizza could have made us sick as well. Its specific to the individual, conditions etc...

Granted there were no restrictions on whataburger or pizza before, it just had to be in the boat from day one. Some of the big boats that would finish first were pretty well filled with candy, snacks, energy gells, moon pies, you name it. We had to find something that would sustain us longer.

BS
And there is some old army / new army stuff going on. I hear Marines are using ACOGS in boot camp these days, and have been for many years.
BaitShack
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Man, I got the quotes on that last post all messed up. That post was basically me responding to
jejdag.
GSPag`
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ttt
It starts this coming Saturday. I live on the San Marcos, south of Luling and it has been fun watching people train.



theNetSmith
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This is red ass.

Strange how often I google something and one of the top hits I get is some thread on TexAgs, which is how I found this one. And my search had nothing to do with canoeing or safaris or crazy people!
BJones06
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Good story Wes.

Curious if anyone who saw this thread tried to do it and actually succeeded.
shiftyandquick
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shiftyandquick said:

Mike Shively is a family friend. So I've heard about it all my life.

Not sleeping doesn't sound fun to me. But otherwise, does sound like the adventure of a lifetime.


I'm getting so old I can barely remember what I wrote.
Deerdude
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Dreamed of doing this since canoe racing in HS in late 70's but never took the time to get a partner and practice. At 65 I still wonder if I should try , my best racing partners are dead now.
FunkyTownAg
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Outdoors board sponsored team possibly? Always wanted to do it just have lazy friends that's idea of being outdoors is drinking on a patio
Deerdude
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We should talk over a beer out on a porch to cover all bases
BJones06
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@Deerdude,

I am going to race with my mom this year who is 63. 65 is definitely doable but is also a commitment depending on what kind of shape you're in and also how much time you're willing to commit.
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