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The Third Coast Cowboys are slogging up the Texas coast

The Third Coast Cowboys are slogging up the Texas coast

by | May 22, 2020 | Blog

Jimmy Harvey and West Hansen paddle into Mansfield Cut on Thursday, May 21, 2020. Pam LeBlanc photo

Between winds so strong they triggered a small craft advisory, swells so big the paddlers disappeared between them, boat-flipping chop and a few other setbacks (we’ll get to that), the Third Coast Cowboys’ Epic Kayak trip is puttering up the coast at about half its intended pace.
But things may be looking up.
Expedition leader West Hansen predicted the five-man team, which includes veteran paddlers Jimmy Harvey, Tim Curry and Jeff Wueste, and Branndon Bargo, co-star of the PBS documentary “The Highpointers,” would make the 385-mile trip from the southern tip of Texas to Sabine Pass near Port Arthur in a swift eight days.
Then they had to move their start from Boca Chica Beach to South Padre Island. And the winds picked up. And one of the paddlers swallowed way too much seawater on day one and couldn’t keep any food or drink down.

The team never made it to Mansfield Cut that first night, where I was hoping to meet them. They finally reached us at the end of day two, after delays that required a brief consultation with the Coast Guard. (Bargo got separated from the group and the others pulled ashore when they couldn’t find him. Hansen alerted the Coast Guard, then caught a ride in a truck up the beach where they spotted the missing paddler chugging along. Hansen returned to the group and paddled in.)
A few hours later, as I stood at the end of the jetty, I watched Wueste get pitched from his kayak just a few hundred yards from shore.
“Never a dull moment,” Hansen said when the team finallyregrouped on the beach.
We pitched our tents, enjoyed a gorgeous night on the beach, and slept until sunrise. (Harvey and I slurped up dehydrated chili from Packit Gourmet, an Austin-based company that makes really yummy camping meals. Just add boiling water.)

Jimmy Harvey and West Hansen paddle into Mansfield Cut on Thursday, May 21, 2020. Pam LeBlanc photo

This morning, the team shifted its path to the Intercoastal Waterway, to avoid the worst of the seas. They’ve been making steady progress today, but even at their current clip of between 4 and 5 mph, I’ll be surprised if we meet them at Bird Island tonight as planned.
I’ve been having my own adventures as the paddlers battle the ocean. Terlingua-based Jason Jones, longtime friends with Hansen and the crew, has been driving me all over the place – it’s a 2.5-hour, 60-mile drive down the beach just to get to the cut. Once there, I discovered a population of racoons living between the giant granite blocks that make up the levy. I managed to wrap myself up in the tentacles of a jellyfish. (Jason volunteered to pee on it, but I declined the offer.) Jason made friends with a scrappy little dog named Xena the Warrior Princess.

Tim Curry paddles toward shore on Thursday, May 21. Pam LeBlanc photo

Looks like I’ll be snoozing on a yacht belonging to a friend of a friend tonight, so life’s still good. If we don’t meet the guys tonight, we hope to catch up with them tomorrow.

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Can sustainably-caught tuna fuel an Arctic expedition?

Can sustainably-caught tuna fuel an Arctic expedition?

by | May 4, 2020 | Blog

Safe Catch mailed me a couple of boxes of tuna and salmon packets to test. West Hansen photo

I care about fish and sustainability. I’m an avid scuba diver, and something about seeing fish in the wild makes the need to protect our wild fish populations personal for me.
I’m normally not a huge fan of the taste of canned tuna or salmon, but when Safe Catch, a company that uses environmentally sensible practices to catch the fish it packages and sells, contacted me to see if I’d test out their product, I wanted some local paddlers who are training for an expedition I’m involved with to try it.
West Hansen, leader of the Arctic Cowboys, accepted a box of the 2.6-ounce packets – an assortment of citrus pepper wild tuna, garlic herb wild tuna, chili lime wild tuna, Cajun wild tuna, elite wild tuna and citrus dill wild Pacific pink salmon. He ate a lot of tuna on his 2012 expedition down the Amazon River, and I wondered if the food might work for his upcoming 60-day kayaking expedition through the Northwest Passage. That adventure will take the team (and me) through orca- and polar bear-populated areas.

The Arctic Cowboys will need calorie dense, high protein food for their kayaking expedition through the Northwest Passage. West Hansen photo


The fish comes sealed in single-serving pouches, each with 21 to 24 grams of protein. They’re good for up to two years on pantry shelves.
“All equally great,” Hansen said after trying it out. He’s sometimes (but not always) a minimalist when it comes to words, and trying to drag out a little more description turned into an exercise of futility this time.
“They’re good. Convenient. A good source of protein. For our needs, though, the weight-to-calorie ratio may not be what we need. We need something more calorie dense.”
Also, he said it’s “too much to open and use a fork” while paddling. (I think ditching the utensil and tearing and squeezing the pouch into your mouth might work, but maybe my thumbs are more flexible then Hansen’s.)
Hansen went on to explain that taste doesn’t matter much to him, although he will argue until the end of time that a burger grilled over charcoal is far superior to one cooked on a gas grill.
“I’ve got low standards when it comes to taste,” he said. “I don’t care that much. Put (the Safe Catch) side by side with Chicken of the Sea and I’d choose it. I do like the fact that they put effort into making sure it’s more ethically sourced. I would like all fish companies to do what they do.”
I checked the Safe Catch website, which notes that the company supports the creation of new marine protected areas and donates to ocean conservation groups. The tuna and salmon packets sell for $35.99 for a 12-pack of 2.6-ounce pouches at www.safecatch.com.
Also, I learned that Safe Catch tests all its fish for mercury content, and its purity standards are higher than other companies. It sources its fish from fisheries that use sustainable fishing methods, doesn’t buy fish from boats that use fish aggregating devices, and only buys fish that comes with a certificate stating the catch was monitored by an independent observer.
Just one thing I’m wondering before the Arctic Express crew decides if it will bring some Safe Catch along – does it chum up polar bears and orca?

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Following the Arctic Cowboys to the coast for a shakedown run

Following the Arctic Cowboys to the coast for a shakedown run

by | Aug 26, 2019 | Blog

Jimmy Harvey, left, Jeff Wueste, center, and West Hansen, right, drag their kayaks out of the surf at sunrise Saturday. Pam LeBlanc photo

Next summer, I’m heading north to track the Austin-based Arctic Cowboys as they attempt to become the first paddlers to kayak the entire Northwest Passage.

I’m pretty excited about that expedition. Covering big adventure tops the list of why I left my long-time and much loved job at the Austin American-Statesman to go freelance last fall.

Last weekend, Arctic Cowboys leader West Hansen, plus teammates Jeff Wueste, Jimmy Harvey and I, drove to Padre Island National Seashore so the guys could get some time in the surf in their Epic 18X kayaks.

West Hansen, leader of the Arctic Cowboys expedition, paddles into the surf at Padre Island National Seashore on Aug. 23, 2019. Pam LeBlanc photo

My job? Stand waist deep in the water and try not to flood my camera while taking shots of them in action. I needed the practice as much as they needed the shakedown run in their Epic 18X kayaks.

They learned a few things, like it’s difficult to right an unloaded sea kayak in the surf. The ballast keeps a boat steadier and easier to roll back to upright position.

West Hansen, Jeff Wueste and Jimmy Harvey pose after a training session at Padre Island National Seashore. Pam LeBlanc photo

We spent about four hours at the beach Friday night, then went back to the hotel, where Hansen and the others did their own version of that scene from “Jaws,” where everyone sits around and compares scars. Hansen won, revealing a jagged line on his leg where he impaled it on a chunk of glass as a kid.

West Hansen, leader of the Arctic Cowboys, prepares for a training session. Pam LeBlanc photo

We got up extra early Saturday morning and headed back to the beach for sunrise. My biggest takeaway from that? Leave the camera gear in the car overnight or it’ll never unfog when you pull it out at the beach.

West Hansen, front, and Jeff Wueste, back, practice paddling in rough surf. Pam LeBlanc photo

I’ve attached some of my favorite shots from the weekend. And look for a story in the Austin American-Statesman in the next few weeks about Hansen’s expeditions, and the Sept. 7 book signing for his upcoming account of his 2012 Amazon Express expedition.

That 111-day adventure took his team 4,100 miles down the world’s longest river. The Northwest Passage should feel short by comparison.

West Hansen lost his cowboy hat in the surf. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

 

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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