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Poor William and Magical Madge were blessed last week with an invitation from their good friend and noblest of the Mississippi river rats, Driftwood Johnnie, owner and proprietor of Quapaw Canoe Company, headquartered in Clarksdale, the heart of the Mississippi Delta, to attend a little informal dinner with slide show at the John and Sarah Ruskey abode.
The reason for the invite, to meet the fellow who is standing up on a paddleboard the entire length of the Mississippi River, from source to the Gulf of Mexico. Dave Cornthwaite, 31-year-old British adventurer, author, and self-described part-time dating expert, who has a book on the way telling the comedic tales of his trying to date 100 chicks in 100 days. (DATE: Confessions of a Temporary Serial Dater) And, he still has the energy to paddle the length of the Old Man River, standing up? Amazing! Not only is he a Renaissance man, but also a stamina-rich love machine.
Poor William was blown away with this lad’s social skills, intellect, passion, tenacity in the face of extreme conditions–he skateboarded a world record 3,618 miles across Australia–causing the legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk to say, “I’ll never complain about my legs being tired again,” and Bear Grylls, host of Man Vs Wild, Born Survivor and Ultimate Survival, to state, “The world needs brilliant, imaginative and determined people like Dave.”
Cornthwaite had already become the first person to skate the length of Britain prior to his five-month journey across Australia, which prompted him to write the book, BoardFree. Dave also kayaked almost 2,500 kilometers along Australia’s largest river, the Murray, for two-and-a-half months and rode a tandem bicycle for almost 1,400 miles from Vancouver, British Columbia to Las Vegas, Nevada, Just in time to give a pre-scheduled motivational lecture at a business conference. Neither Dave nor his fellow tandem cyclist had ever been on a tandem bicycle before. It took only 14 days for them to make the trip, Dave’s third completed expedition, only 22 more to go.
Summer 2011 saw Dave begin his current world record breaking Stand Up Paddleboard adventure of 2,400 miles down the length of the Mississippi River. This is Dave’s fourth journey of Expedition1000. At least eight more adventures are in the works with many more in the pre-planning and exploratory stages. Dave even paraglided in Nepal this past year in preparation for his 1,000-mile paragliding journey across the Himalayas. Dave is the real deal.
According to Cornthwaite’s website, www.davecornthwaite.com, Expedition1000 is the ultimate adventure bucket list: “Dave plans to raise a million pounds for charity by undertaking twenty-five separate journeys in excess of 1000 miles in distance, each using a different form of non-motorised transport. The project will cover every continent, cross the three major oceans and see Dave reach both poles, a true global adventure with a total distance equivalent to the circumference of the Earth around the Equator.”
John Ruskey and Dave Cornthwaite at Quapaw Canoe Company. © Photo by Delta Bohemian ®
Dave is categorically one of the coolest people Poor William has had the pleasure of spending time with, and to have Dave, his brother Andy, an RAF pilot in Great Britain who is joining Dave for part of the Mississippi River journey, and John Ruskey, water boy and rugged individualist, all in the same room and on the same stretch of sandbar at the same time, was exponentially inspirational.
Please check out this week’s addition of the Delta Bohemian for the article on how Dave has inspired Poor William to challenge his own selfish self, for the photos and video beautifully edited and compiled by the lovely Magical Madge of the time the British lads invaded the Delta, and, of course, please wait expectantly for the interview with Dave done by the Delta Bohemians, which will likely make its appearance in the next couple of weeks. Dave’s ability to juggle multitudinous projects while stretching himself to the maximum, both physically and mentally, and remaining upbeat and relational all the while, puts him in Poor William’s book as a true 21st Century Renaissance man! pw
Dave has several organizations he is raising money for. Please visit his website to learn more about his sponsors.
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P.W.—As someone who has hunted and fished “The River” since the age of 10 (41 years), first with my Dad, Aubrey Mooneyhan, Jimmy Lancaster, Tommy Fleming, Curtis Kimbrell, Billy Maynard,”Big” Lanny Kyle, Billy Rico, Jame Jennings, ect.I could spout “Grown Men’s” names all night that taught me first hand about “The River” as a child, a young man, and finally as a teenager, when they turned us loose to “Run The River” as we saw fit.. From back then to this very day. My friend, Byron Pullen, the late John Busby, P.David Holcomb, Ricky Pullen, Tom -Tom Fleming, Randy Weatherall,”Little”Lanny Kyle, the late Scott Kyle, ect. Have spent as much time on “The River” as anyone around these parts. Including Mr. Rusky. The Man who knows “The River” better than anyone.
So, this Man, Dave Cornthwaite, has paddled “The River” from Bemidji,MN, to the Gulf of Mexico, while STANDING-UP on a paddle board? One talented and “VERY” lucky son of a gun! I am afraid he is not aware of just what he has accomplished!!!
Dave Cornthwaite and John Rusky have enlightened Poor William not only about the river and it’s history, intensity and docility, potential for exploration and understanding, but also its ability to challenge the challengeable on many levels. What a pleasure to have been able to kick it with them for a little while. However, after spending time with Dave, I have found he makes his own LUCK, and is one of the hardest working adventurers I can imagine. To juggle the myriad of things he does while working his ass off to enjoy his passion is beyond my comprehension as a not-active-enough fellow! May the river be with them and also with you and me Full Greer! Poor William 🙂
For those of you who faithfully explore the Delta Bohemian and generously comment on the website, our FB pages, email and in person, you are valued! Thank you! And, for those who attribute the awesome production, publication, and winsome graphics and videos, please know that my wife, the talented and lovely, Magical Madge, is solely responsible for them. Poor William merely does the initial thinking, a bit of writing, and adds his often-lame comments now and then, but my bride-of-mythical proportions is the evolving talent behind this endeavor, the Delta Bohemian! Thank you for enjoying our site and for providing constructive feedback, you keep us going ! PW
Sometimes “She” will be with you and sometimes “She” will not. That, is “The Mighty
Mississippi River”. Depends on how “She” if feeling that day.P.W.
Fantastic video! The “River” is so awesome and so are these guys. Thanks for documenting it!