THE 2008 PHATWATER CHALLENGE

Hi Everyone,

The Phatwater is a 42.5 mile kayak, surfski, and canoe race on the Mississippi River, from the Port of Grand Gulf, near Port Gibson, Mississippi, to the Natchez Landing (Natchez Under-The-Hill) - Natchez, Mississippi. The Phatwater is sanctioned by the American Canoe Association, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The Phatwater will conduct its 7th annual event here on October 11, and will see more than 120 paddlers in a variety of craft enter the Mississippi shortly after daylight and paddle to Natchez over the course of the next 6+ hours. The Phatwater is the longest race of its kind on the signature river of the United States; The Mighty Mississippi.

The Phatwater has grown from a modest inaugural field of 11 paddlers to a high, in 2007, of 109 participants in more than 89 individual craft. The significance of the race is such that the United States Coast Guard, under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security, will for the second year in a row grant a total river closure on the stretch of the Mississippi where the Phatwater is to be held, for the duration of the event. No barge traffic will be allowed to pass through this section of the river during the event, in order to maintain the safety of all participants. As the race grows and becomes more noteworthy, we can expect the Coast Guard to continue this policy.

During the spring of this year the Phatwater was asked to entertain a visiting writer, Adam Skolnick of Los Angeles, from Lonely Planet Guidebooks, by showing to him some of the outdoor recreation available in our area. We took Adam kayaking on two separate occasions, and he was so impressed he has decided to return in October on assignment with Outside magazine, to write a feature about the race. Additionally, in early July, CNN conducted a tour of the Phatwater and shot a segment which is supposed to air some time during the week of August 11th of ?08.

Everything about the Phatwater is quality and positive. We are taking people onto the Mississippi River in numbers that reach into the several hundreds by now, and demonstrating to them the recreational value of this enterprise, along with the power of the Mississippi to involve its citizens in environmental issues which are of paramount importance to keeping this vital waterway healthy.

To date we have recruited participants from more than a dozen US states and no less than a half dozen nationalities, to include South Africa, the Netherlands, and Australia. We will continue to do this, as we have in the past, by offering our time and personal resources. We would really love to see more Surfski participants this year!

The Natchez Adams County Humane Society, the chosen lifetime charity for the Phatwater Kayak Challenge, is benefited entirely through the sale of the Phatwater Bowie Knife annual raffle. The Phatwater Bowie Knife was created by the founders of the Phatwater Kayak Challenge and is in its fourth rendition. All proceeds from the sale of Phatwater Bowie Knife raffle tickets go directly to the Natchez Adams County Humane Society.

Our website is a bit jacked-up right now but if anyone has any questions - please email or call me at the contact info below. Thanks and we hope you can join us!

Keith E. Benoist
Founder/Director
Phatwater Kayak Challenge
(601)431-1731
(601) 807-1216

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