Brit Dave Cornthwaite

Completes his Record-breaking Mississippi River Expedition

on his Stand Up Paddleboard

Yep, Dave Cornthwaite did it folks, and our very own Delta Bohemian and Founder of Quapaw Canoe Company John Ruskey was with Dave when he made it to the Gulf. If you don’t remember who or what, check out The DB post from several weeks back (“Who is Dave Cornthwaite?“) about Dave and his visit to Clarksdale.  Watch The Video of Dave and his brother Andy which includes Ruskey and his Mighty Quapaws at the bottom of this post. It’s a wonderful six minute piece that is guaranteed to make you feel good!

Delta Bohemian and owner of Quapaw Canoe Company John Ruskey congratulates Dave Cornthwaite. ©www.davecornthwaite.com

Read on to get the press update on Dave’s recently completed adventure. Be advised to check back with The Delta Bohemian soon; John Ruskey plans to give us his reflections regarding ending Dave’s journey with him on the river. John took many photos which we will share.

Here is the official Press Update:

British Adventurer Dave Cornthwaite, 31, has continued his record-breaking career with the first unsupported descent of the Mississippi by Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP). His 2404-mile journey is a new distance record by SUP, and it is the first time a non-American has held the record.

The 82-day journey, which began on the 19th June, raised charitable funds for the AV Foundation and CoppaFeel, and widened awareness for water conservation through the Blue Climate and Oceans Project, for which Cornthwaite is an Ambassador. It is estimated that Cornthwaite took more than 1.3 million strokes this Summer, in over 485 hours of paddling.

Cornthwaite, who crossed Australia on a skateboard in 2006, breaking the world record for the longest distance ever skated, has now completed four journeys in his Expedition1000 project. The author and motivational speaker from London, England, is attempting to raise £1,000,000 for charity by undertaking twenty-five separate journeys of 1000 miles or more, each one using a different form of non-motorised transport.

Delta Bohemian and Quapaw Canoe Company founder John Ruskey documents Dave Cornthwaite on the Mississippi River at the near the end of his journey. ©www.davecornthwaite.com

Among his remaining 21 journeys is riding a horse across Mongolia, paragliding 1000 miles along the Himalayas in Nepal, a row from Perth to Mauritius across the Indian Ocean and a ski to the South Pole.

Cornthwaite became an unwitting media celebrity during his Mississippi journey, appearing on numerous newspaper front pages and several TV shows. His journey was likened to ‘Forrest Gump on a Stand Up Paddleboard’ as he was joined on the water by hundreds of locals, and he has earned the nickname ‘Stand Up Huck’, after the popular Mark Twain character, Huckleberry Finn.

Cornthwaite faced numerous challenges on his journey, including Tropical Storm Lee, alligators, bears, mosquitos, whirlpools, snakes, ocean-going ships and giant barges. His exploits have been chronicled online in videos, blogs and photographs on a daily basis, allowing tens of thousands of people to follow the journey from comfort of their own homes.

Cornthwaite said on completion of his paddle: “The Mississippi River is one of the most iconic waterways in the world, what an education to have seen every inch of it. The experience has helped me grow as much as the river did, and the wonderful generosity I’ve received from Americans on the way has made this journey what it is.”

Dave Cornthwaite and John Ruskey in the Gulf as Dave completes his journey down the length of the Mississippi River on a Stand Up Paddleboard. John Ruskey documents Dave Cornthwaite on the Mississippi River at the near the end of his journey. ©www.davecornthwaite.com

Dave Cornthwaite. Photo by The Delta Bohemian

Watch This Video of Dave’s that showcases his entire journey down the river.

Watch This Video of our’s highlighting Dave’s stopover in Clarksdale, Helena and Quapaw.

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