In the summer of 1962, Frank Brown and “Big Willie” George launched a 133-pound motorboat—with no motor—into the San Marcos River and headed for the Texas coast. Over the next three weeks they paddled downriver, wrestling through log jams and fighting off mosquitoes on their 337-mile journey to Corpus Christi. The following year, Brown staged a canoe race that followed the same route, billed as “The Texas Water Safari—The Toughest Boat Race in the World.” Contestants had to carry all their provisions with them from the start and could receive no assistance during the competition. One hundred and twenty-six men and one woman, all Texans, lined up for the grueling race. Some boats sank at the start, others were wrecked on the river, and some people dropped out from exhaustion or injury, while others failed to make the time deadlines and were disqualified. Of the 58 vessels that started the race, only two arrived at the finish line in Corpus Christi. The now-famous Texas Water Safari has since attracted thousands of competitive and recreational paddlers from across the globe who line up every summer in canoes and kayaks to carry on a tradition now in its 60th year. In Texas Water Safari: The World’s Toughest Canoe Race, veteran racers Bob Spain and Joy Emshoff chronicle the winding history of this epic competition, documenting the many changes to the racecourse over the years, the evolution of competition vessels, and the influx of national and international racers. Drawing upon the record books, Water Safari lore, and their own experiences, the authors have compiled a collection of stories, statistics, and photographs that celebrates and preserves the history of this Texas river tradition.

In a town deep in the Florida Everglades, where high school football is the only escape, a haunted quarterback, a returning hero, and a scholar struggle against terrible odds. The loamy black “muck” that surrounds Belle Glade, Florida once built an empire for Big Sugar and provided much of the nation's vegetables, often on the backs of roving, destitute migrants. Many of these were children who honed their skills along the field rows and started one of the most legendary football programs in America. Belle Glade’s high school team, the Glades Central Raiders, has sent an extraordinary number of players to the National Football League – 27 since 1985, with five of those drafted in the first round. The industry that gave rise to the town and its team also spawned the chronic poverty, teeming migrant ghettos, and violence that cripples futures before they can ever begin. Muck City tells the story of quarterback Mario Rowley, whose dream is to win a championship for his deceased parents and quiet the ghosts that haunt him; head coach Jessie Hester, the town’s first NFL star, who returns home to “win kids, not championships”; and Jonteria Willliams, who must build her dream of becoming a doctor in one of the poorest high schools in the nation. For boys like Mario, being a Raider is a one-shot window for escape and a college education. Without football, Jonteria and the rest must make it on brains and fortitude alone. For the coach, good intentions must battle a town’s obsession to win above all else. Beyond the Friday night lights, this book is an engrossing portrait of a community mired in a shameful past and uncertain future, but with the fierce will to survive, win, and escape to a better life.

"The Texas Water Safari is "The World's Toughest Boat Race." The challenges include a 262 mile race course down two Texas Rivers, whitewater rapids, multiple portages, and the scorching south Texas summer time heat. Competitors have four days and four hours to paddle from central Texas to the Gulf Coast. There is no prize money for the winners; just Texas-size bragging rights for the finishers." The Texas Water Safari is an annual canoe race that starts in the college town of San Marcos and ends in the shrimping village of Seadrift on the Texas coastline. The first official race was held in 1963 and the safari will be celebrating the 60th anniversary race in 2023. The primary requirement is a boat powered only by human muscle. Racers must take all equipment needed with them, receiving only water, ice and food along the way." My name is Bill "Polecat" Stafford and I have had the honor and privilege of competing in this race 31 times. The very unique and interesting stories that I have personally experienced during this race motivated me to write this book. The first two chapters are primarily focused on how this passion for paddling started for me and how that passion eventually turned into a long history of competing in "The World's Toughest Boat Race". The rules and the characters involved in the race were a lot different back in the 1980's and 1990's and that is when most of the interesting stories happened to me. Full names are only used when documented facts are mentioned and I tried very hard to write everything in a positive and funny way and only use first names or nicknames in order to protect the innocent from embarrassment. All of the stories are true, but I will admit that some of the minor details and the exact timing may be a little off because of the many years that have passed since that time. Thank you for your interest in this unique story and I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Take care and God Bless.

On a sweltering summer day in 2010, Christine Warren stepped into a 24-foot canoe and paddled toward a goal that she never previously imagined possible. The Texas Water Safari is a 260-mile paddle race from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. Run continuously since 1963, the course follows the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers to the coastal fishing town of Seadrift. Paddlers must complete the race in 100 hours. While the exhausting pace and blistering heat are reason enough to bow out, it's the ancillary hurdles that often eliminate racers long before the finish line: dam portages, water moccasins, logjams, mosquitoes, dysentery, alligators, sleep deprivation, and equipment failures. Paddlefish is the first complete narrative ever published on The Texas Water Safari. With a mixture of humor, misery, history and triumph, Christine has written an engaging and entertaining memoir of her yearlong transformation from a mom, writer and fly fisher, to a viable competitor in "The World's Toughest Boat Race." If you've ever wondered what extraordinary challenges lurk beyond your comfort zone, this book may help you discover what's ultimately possible.

No natural resource issue has greater significance for the future of Texas than water. The state's demand for water for municipal, industrial, agricultural, and recreational uses continues to grow exponentially, while the supply from rivers, lakes, aquifers, and reservoirs is limited. To help Texans manage their water resources today and plan for future needs, one of Texas's top water experts has compiled this authoritative overview of water issues in Texas. Water in Texas covers all the major themes in water management and conservation: Living with a Limited Resource The Molecule that Moves Mountains A Texas Water Journey The Gulf Shores of Texas Who's Who in Water Texas Water Law: A Blend of Two Cultures Does Texas Have Enough Water? Planning for the Future What's in Your Water? How Much is Water Worth? Water is Our Legacy Illustrated with color photographs and maps, Water in Texas will be the essential resource for landowners, citizen activists, policymakers, and city planners.