Texas Water Safari to come through Gonzales this weekend

A whopping 172 teams from all over the globe are expected to take part in the “world’s toughest canoe race” this weekend as the Texas Water Safari returns for its 61st year — and the Gonzales Dam will once again be a checkpoint.

This year’s race will again shove off from the Texas State University Meadows Center for Water and the Environment in San Marcos (the former Aquarena Springs) on Spring Lake this Saturday, June 8 at 9 a.m.

The course traverses the San Marcos River to the Guadalupe River (the confluence of the two is in Gonzales) to Guadalupe Bay and then San Antonio Bay with a finish line some 262 miles away in Seadrift. The teams have until 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, to cross the finish line at Swan Point at Bill Sanders Memorial Park — just 100 hours total.

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.

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