This weekend is the Annual Texas Water Safari, down the Guadulupe River from San Marcos, TX, to the Gulf Coast in 100 hours, non-stop.
Local area Ham Radio Operators provide needed check-point safety communications along the river under some really tough conditions. Check points are down at the river level, often down where you can’t get a signal back to the repeater easily, but where the mosquitoes can find your signal easily. Hams have to figure out ways to get their antennas up really high, or signals relayed via cross band, etc., while fighting off killer mosquitoes. (Did we mention mosquitoes yet?) Battery powered radios are a must, unless you have a really, really, really long extension cord.
Eric Olson WB5ZJQ is the contact for this event. Call him @ 210-647-3180 if you want to help out. All check-points are currently manned with hams, but extras are always appreciated since this event runs non-stop. San Antonio hams work the first portion of the route, and some points won’t be released until Sunday morning.
Information about the event can be found here.. http://www.texaswatersafari.org/events.aspx?display=4
Participants planning to be in canoes, start off at the Texas State University, ready to put their craft into the water by 8am. Race starts at 9am. (Yes, it’s a timed race and an endurance event.) Participants have only 100 hours to finish the course, and must check in at each check-point so the race officials know not to worry about sending out search parties to find them.From their website, we found the following description of this event….
Today, the Safari is a long, tough, nonstop marathon canoe-racing adventure, traversing 260 miles of challenging rivers and bays. Many participants enter the race with no intention of winning, but with the goal of joining the elite group of finishers and earning the coveted Texas Water Safari finishers patch.
Entrants must have all provisions, equipment, and items of repair in their possession at the start of the race. Nothing may be purchased by or delivered to a team during the race except water and/or ice. Each team must have a team captain (18 years old, or older) whose responsibility it is to follow the team by vehicle (car, truck, or bicycle) to keep track of their location and condition and give them water and/or ice. During the Safari, teams may not receive any assistance of any kind except verbal. Teams must be prepared to travel day and night, nonstop to be competitive, but teams who occasionally stop for sleep have been able to reach mandatory checkpoint cutoff times and cross the finish line by the 100 hour deadline.
