Water Safari and Paddle – June 9 – 10
Trip Coordinator Christy Long
Trip destination: Saturday Texas Water Safari, San Marcos River. Saturday 12:00 Pecan Park Retreat to Sculls crossing. Sunday Guadalupe River, Bergheim to Edge Falls Road.
Trip Date(s): June 9 & 10, 2007

Trip Weather: Sunny, Partly Cloudy, 75° low and 90° high
Saturday, June 9 several HCC members meet at Aquarena Springs to watch the start of the Texas Water Safari. The racers were fine-tuning their equipment, checking their food supply, and securing their gear. Everyone was excited and happy and the enthusiasm was catching.

Our group walked through the boats, gear, and paddlers, asking questions about outfitting, food, and gear, and the racers are happy to explain their systems.

This boat has everything it will need for 260 miles. The only thing that can be given to the racers is water at certain suply points along the way. Note the tube from the water jugs and foam to hold jug in place.

By 8:30am, most racers had their boat in the water and were warming up for the 260-mile race. The water was higher than normal for the Texas Safari, which made things a little more dangerous. The plus side, of course, is that everyone expected a good race time.

By 8:35 Tom Goynes started delivering reminders and cautions, 8:40 taps was played, 8:45 the National Anthem is sang, 8:50 a prayer is said. 8:55 Mr Goynes explains the starting horn, and precisely at 9:00am the horn is sounded and the race begins.

We watch until all the racers were out of sight. Our next stop was Rio Vista. Boaters used all routes to get over the rapid. Some walked around, others went river left, and a few ran the shoot. What a hoot!

Racers running river left, at Rio Vista rapid on the San Marcos River.

Racer running down the middle of Rio Vista Rapid.

Most of those who didn't walk their boats around ended either tipped or swamped

Next for us, was Cotton Seed rapid. The generous landowner on river left allowed people to view the race from his beautiful property. The first racers got there about 10:20am and we saw some beautiful maneuvering down this winding rapid with big rocks as obstacles.
The Kevlar and glass boats are lightweight but crashing into rocks can be hazardous to the integrity of the hull.

Racers running Cottonseed down the middle.

Racer, solo, OC1. Notice safety personnel on the rock and beach.

Racers lining up with the V at Cottonseed.
Check out the following websites for more information about the race and racers. http://www.olympiki.com/
http://www.luv2paddle.com

Around 11:15am, our group headed back to Pecan Park Retreat and met up with a few others for our own three-mile trip down the San Marcos (250 cfs). We got off the river about 4 o’clock, cleaned up, and went out to dinner.

Donna, doing a little surfing. San Marcos River.

Janis, having lots of fun. San Marcos River.

Paul, making it look easy. San Marcos River.

After dinner, we stopped at Rio Vista and watched a couple of guys, with surf boards and bogie board, surfing in the rapid. It looked like fun and they ask if we would like to try. I changed into my paddling clothes and used the bogie board to surf on the Rio Vista wave. It was a blasted.

Christy, having fun on a boogie board. Rio Vista, San Marco River

Sunday, June 10, 2007, as the Safari racers headed south down the Guadalupe our group headed northwest, to the Bergheim (900 cfs) put in. The water was just right and we eddy hopped and ferried for the first half mile. We played at Rock Pile for a while and then headed on down. At dogleg, we ran safely to the left and got out for lunch. Then someone decided the rapid was at good level to run through the hole by the big rock. So several of our group did that for a while and still got off the river 2:00pm. I got home about 7:00pm, the same time that the first safari racers were reaching finish line in Seadrift.

Sincerely,
Christy