Published: June 13, 2009 02:19 pm      

Making a splash at the Safari

Texas Water Safari 2009 starts

Who would be crazy enough to travel 8,213 miles across the world just to compete in a 260-mile test of the human spirit?

What started as a whim from James Dauman in 2007 turned into a charitable paddling test for three friends originally from England, but who now reside in the United Arab Emirates.

“Three years ago, I looked in Forbes magazine and saw the ‘100 Toughest Races in the World,’” Dauman said. “This race (the Texas Water Safari) was pretty high up the list and I like a challenge, so I went at it alone.”

Dauman soon found out how difficult the Safari was.

He completed the first day, reaching the first checkpoint before the alloted time limit (40 hours).

Dauman didn’t pack the necessary electrolytes and struggled with muscle cramps. He set out the second day but could go no further.

The failure resided in the back of Dauman’s mind. He wanted another shot, but wouldn’t go solo again.

He asked two of his friends (Jean-Marc Laventure and Simon Dowker) expecting the worst.

“At first we looked at him as if he was crazy,” Dowker said. “We really wondered if he was serious, but as soon as we knew he wasn’t joking, we said ‘Why not?’ You don’t have many chances in your life to do something as crazy as this.”

They began training eight months ago, but were missing one key component. There are no rivers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The trio was resigned to paddling on the Persian Gulf.

Sharks were the least of the Englishmen’s worries. They were forced to dodge an open-water paddler’s worst enemy — motorized watercrafts.

“It’s safe to say we were the only canoe ever out there,” Dauman said. “We were dealing with boats, jet skis and all sorts of stuff threatening to knock us over.”

When they arrived Monday in Texas and began paddling on the San Marcos River, they were relieved there were no boats. The trio just needs to avoid drunken tubers and exposed rocks.

The Englishmen were also happy to escape was the heat.

While central Texas is under an early heat wave, it’s nothing compared to what it was like in Dubai.

“This is cool weather for us,” Dowker said. “The last training session before we left was 52 degrees Centigrade (125.6 degrees Fahrenheit). So, the heat is the least of our worries.”

Then what would cause them trouble?

“Just like a lot of people, one of those things you really can’t train for is a 260-mile paddle,” Dowker said. “Luckily, everyone’s been extremely nice, coming out of their way to ask how are we doing and even offering us some tips. I guess it gets to a point where you don’t want to listen to too much because it becomes information overload.

“You just need to get out there and do it. One person says one thing and another person says another, and by the time you get there, you’re like I’m not entirely sure of what I’m doing.”

While the trio won’t know the pain of the race until it starts, they know why they are competing. It’s not only for Dauman, but for charity as well.

They raised money for the Red Crescent (the Middle East version of the American Red Cross) and Calvert Trust (a United Kingdom charity that funds outdoor activities for the disabled).

“People are still donating, but we raised about $6,000 (for the Calvert Trust) which Simon’s company will match,” Dauman said. “We received about 60,000 dirham (for the Red Crescent), which is about $20,000.”

Whether they complete the Safari or not, the money will be donated to the respective charities — but they didn’t travel 8,213 miles to not finish.

They traversed continents in order for Dauman to get retribution.

Three friends left their lives as investment bankers to test their will like no other.

Once the “Adu Dhabi Camels” put their Kevlar canoe into Spring Lake at Aquarena Springs, their goal will be three days and 260 miles away.

“I think at mile 200 they’ll hate me, but that’s to be expected,” Dauman said. “I and they know what we’re getting ourselves into. It’s not going to be easy, but it will be very rewarding once we finish.”

Solo racers push through the pain

What drives a person to paddle a 260-mile race by themselves?

If you’re Tim Curry, a San Marcos resident, it’s the constant shame of not finishing the same race four years ago.

“I did it with a partner and we dropped out at Hochheim,” Curry said. “I sold my motorcycle and bought a solo boat. I got lucky, because three years ago, it was a high-water year. I was able to finish it with relative ease and have been hooked ever since.”

Steve Watson completed his first solo trip in 2007 and ignited a friendship with Curry. Watson didn’t compete last year, but decided to try for round two in 2009.

Even though it’s been a year-long layoff, he still remembers what it’s like on the water by himself.

“There’s a lot of boredom, but then there’s moments of sheer terror,” Watson said, who flipped his kayak in 2007 but was fortunate to right himself. “There’s a ton of paddling. You get the heat. A lot of it’s mundane and mentally, you need to keep yourself in it.”

Jay Fox decided to race at the cajoling of his good friend, Benjamin Duckett, who is also paddling solo.

“He’s a huge kayaking fanatic, so he got me into it a while ago,” Fox said of Duckett. “He told me about this race, but I needed to work up the nerve to compete. I figured I’d give it a shot this year.”

Whether it be the shame of not finishing, the drive to complete another or the urging of a friend, all 33 solo racers in the Texas Water Safari have the same goal – to finish.

“If I finish this race, it will be one of the biggest accomplishments of my life,” Fox said. “I would have to rank it near the top.”

Curry, on the other hand, has a more cynical view.

“I’m hoping (to finish in) around 60 hours,” Curry said. “I’m also expecting a lot of misery.”



The 47th running of the Texas Water Safari got underway at 9 a.m. Saturday at Spring Lake in San Marcos. Check here for updates as competitors paddle their way 260 miles down the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers to San Antonio Bay and the finish line in Seadrift. Click on the link at right for the latest...