When it comes to the Texas Water Safari there are three types of people: those that have no knowledge of this hellish challenge, those that have heard of the race, and those that KNOW the race. If you fall in the first category, stop and rethink your desire to learn more. Know that if you’re the kind of person who is called by adventure or drawn to a challenge, this race will beckon you until it finally gets its chance to make you question how tough you really are.
The “World’s Toughest Boat Race” traces its origins back to 1962 when Frank Brown and Bill “Big Willie” George set off on a boating adventure from the Hill Country town of San Marcos, Texas to the Gulf of Mexico. The journey would take them nearly a month to complete and after a year of stories and legends, the Texas Water Safari was born. The race begins every year on the second Saturday of June at 9AM. Racers must navigate 262 miles of river using only human powered watercraft and arrive at the finish line in Seadrift before the 1PM cut-off the following Wednesday (100 Hours) to be considered an official safari finisher.
So why is this considered the “World’s Toughest Boat Race” you ask? Yes, there are certainly longer races these days such as the Yukon 1000 or the Missouri 340, but what makes the Texas Water Safari such a challenge? Well the answer is everything! Everything about this race is an obstacle in the path of your success. First, the race takes place during the brutal Texas summer. The heat, the humidity, and the soul sapping sun all fight over which one is worse than the other as you try to paddle on stagnant water against wind that has funneled up the river basin. If you think you can avoid these things by paddling at night, guess again! Headlights result in mouthfuls of insects and a poorly lit river is usually a recipe for disaster. Thats because the course itself is littered with rapids, dilapidated dams, logjams, sweepers, swamps, bridges, and finally an open water bay crossing. Worse than the river is what’s inside and around it. The aquatic wildlife hates intruders and everything from territorial water moccasins to alligators and sharks want you out of their domain. When you do occasionally get off the water for one of the endless portages though, you’ll want to make it quick because mosquitos, bees, and fire ants are even less welcoming. Finally, as the days wear on, lack of sleep and exhaustion result in hallucinations and poor judgement that do nothing but amplify the severity of every situation you face. By the time you realize you’re in over your head, those distant banjos you start to hear will be the least of your worries.
While the Texas Water Safari has been around since 1963, it is still largely unknown to the majority of even the local community. This can partly be attributed to the nature of what it is (a canoe/boat race) but ultimately this lack of awareness has done nothing but compound the mystique and lore that surrounds it. Those who have only heard about it in passing hear nothing but rumors and faded stories of wild adventure from those that are fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to have experienced it themselves. There are no advertisements and the race is rarely covered by sports media. It’s only publicity is the tales of adventure that perpetuate the legends. It was these legends that would find my father in the early 90’s and spark a decades long relationship that continues to this day.
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Think you are up for the challenge? Sign up for next years event @ TexasWaterSafari.org and see for yourself!