Bøger af Bob Spain

"In the summer of 1962, Frank Brown, manager of the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, and "Big Willie" George, a local businessman, launched a 133-pound motor boat-with no motor-into the San Marcos River, headed for the Texas coast. Over the next three weeks they paddled downriver, wrestling through log jams and fighting off mosquitoes on their 337-mile journey to Corpus Christi. Along the way they fished and shot squirrels for food and searched for water at cabins or drank from the river. The following year, Frank Brown staged a canoe race that followed the same route he and 'Big Willie' traveled. The race was billed as 'The Texas Water Safari-The Toughest Boat Race in the World.' Contestants had to carry all their provisions in the boat from the start, and they could receive no assistance during the competition. On April 29, 1963, 126 men and one woman, all Texans, lined up for the grueling race. Some boats sank at the start, others were wrecked on the river, and some people dropped out from exhaustion or injury, while others failed to make the time deadlines and were disqualified. Of the 58 vessels that started the race, only two arrived at the finish line in Corpus Christi. The now-infamous Texas Water Safari has since attracted thousands of competitive and recreational paddlers from across the globe, who line up every summer in canoes and kayaks near the Meadows Center on the Texas State University campus to carry on a tradition now in its 58th year. In this manuscript, veteran racers Bob Spain and Joy Emshoff chronicle the fascinating and winding history of the Texas Water Safari, documenting the many changes to the race course over the years, the evolution of competition vessels, and the influx of national and international racers as notoriety has grown. Drawing upon the record books, Water Safari lore, and their own experiences, the authors have compiled a collection of stories, statistics, and photographs that celebrates and preserves the important history of this Texas river tradition"--