# Kayaking the Texas coast for Wounded Warriors



## CaptJack

*Kayaking the Texas coast for Wounded Warriors*










Back in the spring of 2008 Austin Davis kayaked the Texas coast from Pt.Isabel to Pt.Arthur, almost 400 miles to raise funds for Girls Inc. This year he's going to paddle the coast to raise funds for the *Wounded Warrior Project.* The money he raises is for *backpacks of essential items* that are given to the troops that are medevaced out of combat areas.

Those of you who remember his trip in 2008 will remember that he took a SPOT - GPS tracker unit with him so we could follow his progress. He's taking the SPOT with him again so we will be able to follow his progress as he clicks the SPOT and it shows up on Google Map.

He will also be calling in and posting comments, photos, & stories on his blog, *KayakForBackpacks.com* whenever he's in range of cell coverage.

There is also a *fan page for him on Facebook.*

*His trip begins Saturday, March 27th*

On the 2008 trip he took a folding kayak with a sail rig on it.




























On this year's trip he's taking a sit-on-top kayak with a sailing rig.



















*Please help with a donation for the backpacks if you can, it is such a worthy cause.*


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## CaptJack

This cause is specifically important to me. When I got medevaced out of Vietnam all I had was the uniform I was wearing - which they tossed, since I had been wearing it for over 2 weeks. I did have my wallet but no clothes, nothing else. I lived in a hospital gown until I got to the Naval hospital on Guam where they gave me a pair of pajama pants, a t-shirt, a robe, & a pair of hospital slip-on flip-flops - which I lived in until just before my release from Brooke Army hospital at Ft.Sam Houston in SanAntonio 7-weeks later. They issued me a uniform to go home in. 

What little of my gear/clothes, personal stuff from Nam, that finally caught up with me, didn't catch up to me until I had been at Ft.Hood for a month, almost 3 months after I was medevaced.


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## CaptJack

*getting ready to shove off from Pt.Isabel*


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## CaptJack

*Austin pulled over to stop for the evening
he made it to Pt.Mansfield, about 35 miles today*


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## CaptJack

*Austin is hanging out in Pt.Mansfield today to let the north wind blow through*


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## CaptJack

*Austin is back on the water heading north for the LandCut, BaffinBay & Corpus*


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## CaptJack

*Austin had a pretty hard beat against the wind today
he made it about 12 miles - but it's progress*


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## CaptJack

*Austin is in the LandCut this morning - 58 miles so far*


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## CaptJack

*Austin cranked it up today, he paddled 53 miles through the LandCut, past BaffinBay and is taking a rest, cleaning up his gear, and charging his batteries at a friend's house out on N.Padre Island / Corpus. (110 miles so far)*


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## Chunkn' Charlie

We met Austin in 2008 on his trip up the ICW. Funny guy. Told some crazy stories.


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## CaptJack

Tuesday, 30Mar2010 - N.Padre Island / CorpusChristi

My GPS is out and it will be charts and compass from here on.

The Tarpon kayak is amazing !! It is a mileage machine, with the sail rig, using the single blade or the wing paddle alone. It handles big water well and somehow keeps me pretty dry. The seat design is genius.

The sail is winning me over. It goes up and down so fast that it makes it handy. The wing paddle stroke is wider than a standard asymetrical blade and works so well with this boat's beam. Basically though, with this sail rig and with the wing paddle or the single blade, the boat is a mileage machine.

Plastic is fantastic. I hit something at the Arroyo Colorado channel that would have ripped out the bottom of a boat made from anything else.

The Tarpon has one annoying flaw though. The boat takes on water in the hull. Not enough to be a hazard but your dry bag gear is awash at day's end. I have some ideas I'll try.

The side channel in the LandCut I camped on last night held more fish than I have ever seen. One almost jumped in the boat during my initial scouting run, looking for campsite. They were feeding and I could hear them all night. And they were still there in the morning.

Monday I thought I was going to run over a submerged tree trunk in north Laguna Madre. It was the biggest redfish I had EVER seen.

All in all the trip is going well. The second time is far easier (not easy), but magnitudes easier.

It is the most amazing coast. It is not New Zealand or BritishColumbia, but remote and worthy of exploration.

Last night, other than an occasional barge crew, Man, I was in the outback. Everyone who kayaks should do this at least once. It is a worthy challenge and so close. 

I'm going to sleep in tomorrow and stop at Snoopy's for lunch on the way up the coast (fog in the morning)

I'm ready to make some miles while the weather is favorable.

Blue skies,
Austin


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## CaptJack

*Ingleside*


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## CaptJack

*kewl place to camp*


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## CaptJack

1Apr2010
Good Morning

Tuesday was the highest mileage day I've ever had in a kayak. I left my camp in the Land Cut hoping to somehow make my friend's house in Corpus Christi. My GPS quit working and there is a section of charts for the area just past Baffin Bay that I didn't have with me. Bottom line - I under-estimated the mileage but pressed on and got to Corpus by 9PM.

Wanting to make big miles yesterday, I ignored the small craft warnings, for high winds for Corpus Christi Bay. I left my friend Sue's place in Corpus early in the morning with thoughts of perhaps squeezing by the weather window. About halfway across CorpusChristi Bay, under sail in pretty big wave action and high winds a Coast Guard helicopter hovers over me. Either because of their propeller wash or my lack of attention, the kayak capsized. As I swam to the upwind side of the kayak to roll it upright, I could see the helicopter's side door open. If they "rescued" me the trip would be over. I popped under the hull of the yak and with a pull-push righted the yak and scrambled on board.

I pulled down the sail and cleaned up the yak's cockpit and got back on course trying to look like all was well to the helicopter crew. My Wilderness System Tarpon kayak is a wet, open-top boat and it is very much "at home" in big scary water. So, all was well, and the Coast Guard Helicopter retreated, but swung by several times during the rest of the crossing of CorpusChristi Bay.

It was a 5 hours crossing with 35 mph wind gusts--I pulled up to the first island that looked good and got dry and made camp. I was dog tired!

Presently, I'm about 10 miles from Rockport and still have Aransas Bay to cross with another High Winds Forecast. I'm pledging - "No More Big Bay Crossings in Marginal Weather" for me this trip: Aransas Bay, San Antonio Bay, Matagorda, parts of West Bay and the worst, yet shortest section,-Bolivar Roads. 

If you are following along, you'll see a slow down before big bays possibly for weather, but once back into a protected section---you should see some 40+ mileage days again. 

My hands are having a hard time closing due to wear and tear. My back is a little sore, but I'm otherwise good to go. I'm very aware there are many injured solders that would gladly trade sore hands and back pain for a seat in the kayak and a break from their pain and hospital stay. Remember what this trip is about and spread the word to help us raise funds to support Wounded Warrior Project's backpacks for wounded soldiers.

Blue skies
Austin


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## CaptJack

*Austin is camped out on Talley island, along the ICW at Rockport. The wind was too strong this afternoon to cross Aransas Bay. But it's supposed to lay down a little tomorrow in advance of the oncoming front.

"The kayak is blocking the wind and anchoring the tent. The gusts are unreal here and blocked by that island in background."
Blue skies
Austin

He want's to thank all of you for supporting him and the cause of **raising funds for Wounded Warriors*


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## CaptJack




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