Dear Family and Friends:

The day is fast approaching to answer the call for the start of the 30th annual Texas Water Safari. At 9:00 A.M. on June 13, 1995 Ron, Lee, Jack, B Team Captain Jim (Coach) Spencer and the B Team bank crew will begin the 260 mile journey from San Marcos Springs to the Sea. This letter serves both to describe Plan B and to invite you to join in on the fun.

Not unlike many dubious ideas, the B Team was conceived over empty beer cans in the dead of winter when the effort, expense, pain, heat and fire ants associated with ultra-marathon canoe racing were long forgotten. After toying with the idea of a five man boat, Ron and Jack originally thought to race in a two seat craft. However, Mike Spencer and Jack were also thinking about how to improve on their Spencer C-3 model which has won the last six Safaris. That model has been so successful that they were able to build and sell a dozen or so. The problem is that the boats proved to be so good that no one ever bothers to replace them. So off the drawing board came the (as yet unnamed so we'll call it the B boat) new model Spencer C-3. Jack figured that if some ordinary guys as opposed to dedicated Safari fiends, a B team if you will, could put together a commendable effort folks would naturally assume that the boat was responsible and that perhaps it possessed some special Mojo. Thus Safariers will flock to buy the new model and Jack will make some money.

After frustrating months of fussing over the boat plug and a temporary mold, the B boat is now a reality. The result is absolutely the finest and most technologically advanced boat to ply the waters of Old Mill rapid and Alligator Lake. It is a 28' long amalgamation of carbon fiber cloth, kevlar, aluminum and some secret NASA epoxy resin.

C-3 implies a canoe built for three people so Ron and Jack were off in search for a new partner. After negotiations with real Safari paddlers and athletes, the rolled the dice and asked Lee if he would occupy the middle seat and be a B. Thus with our bank crew we are the B Team. While we're not presumptuous enough to an "a" team, it is our intention to sneak up on some of our faster opponents in the manner of killer B's. Our concept is to stay relaxed, train individually, laugh a lot and get together every few weeks for some river practice. So far this idea is working well and we shocked more than a few people by finishing second in the 45 mile Cuero-Victoria race this past weekend. On that day, and in keeping with the B Team philosophy, we promptly blew off a planned afternoon training run in favor of post race carbo-loading.

Will the B Team win the Safari? Unlikely, but winning isn't the point for the B Team. The goal is to put forth a strong effort, finish in 40-48 hours (depending on water levels), have some fun and finish among the top four boats so that we can get the big plaques awarded at that level. In this quest we face strong opposition from at least three more experienced crews (the three Mynars and their Arkansas kin Joe Burns, the Bugge boat, and the a team consisting of two fast yankees and a sternman named "Flylips" who style themselves as the "a" team) that we anticipate will be faster than us as well as proven veterans like seven-time Safari winner Tom Goynes, Uncle Russ, the Michigan paddling machine Steve Landick, Bob Spain aka "missing link" and some character with the moniker of "Horsefly".

In order for this effort to be successful, it will take more than three guys lilly-dipping their way down the river. A Safari effort includes the boat crew, a team captain and a bank crew to cheer or scream, praise or criticize, prepare water jugs and ice packs, keep times and statistics, photograph or video, lie to and spy on the opposition and drive coach from checkpoint to checkpoint. If you would like to: get a tan; observe alligators, fire ants and mosquitos in their natural habitat; eat, drink and be merry and be a part of one of the most unique and challenging efforts to be found anywhere, we would love to have you join the B Team. You can help by joining the B Caravan at the start of the race or at some point along the way or by simply seeing us off. Suggested equipment includes but is not restricted to changes of comfortable old clothes (some checkpoints are mired in mud), food, beverages, sunscreen, mosquito repellant, Afterbite, flashlights, cameras, chapstick and lawn furniture or hammocks to sleep on. Attached you will find driving instructions and a projected schedule of the B journey through each checkpoint.

The Safari is a unique and unpredictable adventure that can be either experienced from the river or from the bank. Committing to the Safari is to accept the possibility that boat damage or destruction, injury or illness, hallucinations or bad navigation may end the race at any time. Nevertheless, we feel that it is a challenge worth accepting and would have you join us. Please let us know if you can participate.

Sincerely,

Postscript: The B Team stayed in 4th place for the first 118 miles before abandoning the race at Hochheim due to common safari maladies i.e. stomach and shoulder problems.