1963 Texas Water Safari

by Roger Zimmerman

Jay Daniel asked me to tell about the 1963 Texas Water Safari in one page. Here goes.

In 1962 Frank Brown and Willie George made a 500 mile 20 day 8 hour survival trip from San Marcos to Corpus Christi in a 14’ Long Star Semi-V bottom fishing boat.  This was well documented in three issues of SOUTHWEST HOLIDAY and is known as the prelude to the Texas Water Safari. 

Frank Brown organized the first Texas Water Safari in 1963 so others could have the opportunity to enjoy the same trip.  Race sponsors were San Marcos Chamber of Commerce and Corpus Christi Buccaneer Commission.  It was billed as “The Toughest Boat Race in the World, a 500 Mile Marathon”. Years later it was discovered to only be 330 miles.  Only paddles, oars or sail were permitted.  Any type or size boat was permitted with any number of paddlers per team.  There were no classes or team captains.  Everything had to be carried from race start to finish with no outside assistance of any kind (except for water on the bay).  The entry fee was $25 per team.  There were no age limits except persons under 21 had to have a parent or guardian waver.  Life “preservers” had to be worn at all times while on the water.  Typhoid and tetanus immunizations were required.  Fire arms were permitted.  Contestants had to drink river water after their on-board supply was used, except drinking water was supplied at Austwell on the bay and before daybreak and after the end of each bay leg.  Prizes included a boat/motor, turkey feeder, camper, town lap prizes and over $6,000 in cash.

One hundred twenty six men and one woman in 58 teams entered the 12 day race. The boats started in San Marcos on April 29 in 30 minute waves. River checkpoints were at secret locations.  Race officials were supposed to contact paddlers by messages on mandatory transistor radios.  Most if not all were wet and ruined on the first day.  There were over 50 log jams on the San Marcos River, many of them tall and massive.  There was a mandatory portage “from the downstream vicinity of the Tivoli bridge into Hynes Bay” after a 3 mile log jam below the bridge.  A white flag was hung below the log jam on a tree limb marking a 2.2 mile portage into Hynes Bay increasing the portage to  5.2 miles total. The white flag portage led across waist deep swamp water, knee deep mud and mosquitoes so thick you could hardly breathe.  A number of teams quit during the swamp portage.  Only 20 out of 58 teams clocked into Austwell before the official sunrise start of Leg 2 on May 8.  All the bay legs were from official sunrise to official sunset under Coast Guard supervision.  The Leg 2 deadline was official sundown at Mills Wharf on May 8 where only 13 teams clocked in.  May 9 proved to be the worst day of the race when 13 remaining teams left Mills Wharf at official sunrise with small craft warnings  flying.  Facing 30-40 knot winds with 6-8 ft waves forced 9 of the 13 teams out of the race in the bay off Rockport with a number of Coast Guard rescues required.  Only four teams remained in the race at the inland portion of the intracoastal canal leading to Ingleside.  Facing 30-40 knot winds as well as strong tidal currents against us in the barge canal that afternoon, two teams including me could make no progress paddling.  We were wading and pulling our boats down the barge canal when time expired.  Team 102 used oars and made it to Ingleside with moments to spare.  Team 163 used a sail and were able to sail almost dead into the wind down the canal.  Both teams finished the fourth leg into Corpus Christi without problems on May 10.  Team 102 comprised of Lynn Maughmer and Jim Jones won the race in 110 hours 35 minutes.  Fred Hurd, Jr. and Sam Hare in Team 163 took second place in 145 hours.

The 1963 TWS was the most difficult and challenging thing I have ever attempted.  And I almost finished it solo without food from Victoria on except for what I could find.  I still regret not making that 3 miles into Ingleside.

Entrants for the 1963 Texas Water Safari

Overall Place Classification Boat # Team Members Overall Time
1 1st, 17' Grumman canoe, oars & sail
17' Grumman canoe, oars & sail
102 Jones, James H. "Jimmy"
Maughmer, Lynn A.
TC-None in 1963
110:35
2 2nd, 17' Grumman Canoe, single blade paddles, sail 163 Hare, Sam
Hurd Jr, Fred A.
TC-None in 1963
145:00
DNF 18' Canoe 101 Bird, Dwight S.
Bird, Hershchel H.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF 14.5' Folbot 104 Hargraves, A . O.
Minshew, J. J.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Homemade twin hull 105 Woodman, T. G.
Wallace, J. A.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF 12' Aluminum Skiff 106 Mathews, C. D.
Murray, J. H.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 107 Gibbs, John L.
Zimmer, John H.
Eschmann, A. A.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Experimental Polynesian rig with outriggers 108 Stovall, Pete F.
Ebart Jr, G. G.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF 16' John Boat 109 Sanders Jr, Paul W.
Richey Jr, George
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF 17' Canoe 110 Henderson, Guy
Laurence, John
White, Herman J.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF 16' Canoe 111 Heinlen, J. E.
Noack, R. P.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF 18' Canoe 112 Leistra, James R.
Kubecka, Otto H.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Ark. Traveler 113 White, Charles
Leschber, Willburn L.
Hitzfeld, John
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Outrigger 114 White, W. F.
Eastland, C. P.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 115 Harmon, Wes H.
Peterson, William L.
Passant Jr, Joe H.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 116 Eades, E. L.
Frye, H. H.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 117 Webb, J. E.
Gagliardi, C. J.
Barlow, J. E.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Outrigger 118 Haring, W. J.
Hamill, R. M.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Solo-10' Folbot 119 Zimmerman, Roger D.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Folbot 120 Shade Jr, Raymond A. "Ray"
Goodwin, Carl
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF 12' Canoe 121 Byrd, Vernon H.
Clark, Archie P.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Folbot 122 Stallings, Henry
Currin, Gordon
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 123 Obermiller, R. F.
Mason, Everett
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Kayak 124 Knowlton, Don
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Folbot 125 Taylor, Don E.
Minor, Robert
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Folbot 126 Canham, John B.
Collier, Darrell
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 127 Aylor, Oda B.
Parker, Charles R.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Kayak 128 Jones, Howard
Schultz, Charles
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 129 Fowler, Michael
Dollar, Donley
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 130 Quebe, Fritz
Sims, William J.
Standish Jr, J. R.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 131 Hill, Argus T.
Moore, R. J.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 132 Rogers, T. E.
Duffin, Charles B.
Sprague, Nelson
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 133 McDaniel, R. D.
Barrow, James C.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF 9' Pram 134 Walters, A. G.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 135 Gillis, Melvin B.
Butts, George
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Folbot 136 Bolin, Leldon
Genz, Steve
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF 12' Pram 137 Averill, Allen
Autry, Walter
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 138 Noling, Dubley
Bryant III, F.
Jones, Gary P.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 139 Heye, James D.
Goff, William C.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Folbot 140 Stevens, James S.
Gulley, Kenneth T.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF 16' Pram 141 Bullington, J.
Penland, Glen
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Homemade Skiff 142 Harbin, Dale
Haskins, Jerry
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Plywood Dory 143 Stout, Paul
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Flat Bottom Aluminum 144 Hall, Don
Wilson, A. C.
Klepper, Ira
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 145 Green, Chuck
Gibson, Nat
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Dinghy 146 Braun, Brian B.
Braun, Richard
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 147 Slaton, Stan
McFarland, Robert "Bob"
Kolaja, Anonte "Tony"
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Grumman Canoe 148 Kelly Sr, Robert
Kelly Jr, Robert
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Grumman Canoe 149 Halamicek, Fred W.
Wiley, Barry
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Homemade 151 Slem, Don
Commander, Arlin
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 153 Daugherty, H. E.
Stagner, David
Blocker, Tim
Peel, J. M.
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 156 Prince, Dexter
Whittey, Joe
Prince, Willye
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 157 Barbee, Raye
Powell, Mike
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 158 Whitley, Jim
Danco (Danko?), Richard "Dick"
Lawrence, Frank
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 159 Vaughan, Wayne
Sims, William
Rutledge, Danny
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Folbot 162 Waterman, W. J. "Jim"
Waterman, Willye
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF Canoe 164 Webb, Tom
Barber, Kay
TC-None in 1963
 
DNF 12' Sailboat 165 Neill, Virgil
Lothringer, J. A.
TC-None in 1963