Dave Cornthwaite

A group of friends from Memphis, Tennessee, plus a Canadian and a Brit, take on a first accent of the 105 mile Wolf River in aid of Operation Broken Silence’s work to support victims of sex trafficking in Memphis. 

Here’s a two part video diary about the journey, which took the team through snake-ridden swamps, the Ghost River Forest and over about seven hundred trees and beaver dams…

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I have a bunch of expedition gear for sale, currently being stored in Memphis, TN. Used but good condition.

More than happy to negotiate on prices and will offer discount if interested in multiple items.

Perfect for a paddler wanting to embark on a long-distance expedition, or for someone seeking a good, stable craft for recreational paddling.

1 x Drift HD video camera (likeGoPro but with a screen) - $150 (RRP $330)
3 x Lakeshore River Rover Stand Up Paddleboards - $900 each (RRP $1475). 
3 x Lakeshore Carbon Paddles - $100 each (RRP $299) FREE when buying a SUP
2 x Palm Personal Floatation Devices (lifejackets) - $40 each (RRP $90)
3 x Coolboxes of varying sizes from 20L to 60L
2 x Tarpaulins 12m x 6m

and other expedition gear…

Will put together package deal on request. Must sell soon.

Contact 760-453-3059 or dave@davecornthwaite.co.uk to make an offer or for further information…

The Lakeshore River Rover. A world record-breaking touring Stand Up Paddleboard. My home for 82 days on the Mississippi River last year, a 2404 mile journey that found its way into that lovely book made by Mr Guinness. The River Rover is the most stable, gear-carryingly brilliant paddleboard ever designed (in my opinion) and frankly, it was the only choice once I decided a team would be paddling alongside my wet little self this Summer.

Four River Rovers, side by side for 1000 miles, now that was a vision that came true. My team had paddleboarded only twice before we embarked on this journey and they made it all the way down in style. The River Rover is more than just a SUP board, it’s a palace with a paddle.

Although we had a 16” Mad River canoe to carry the bulk of our gear the front and back of each River Rover was loaded, either with Palm or Aquapac drybags. Here’s our Annie strapping up the rear. In many ways, a loaded paddleboard actually makes the board more stable, and just one board is easily capable of holding enough gear for one person’s multi-month trip. Capacity 275lbs including paddler.

While I wouldn’t say there was yoga going on during the expedition, the River Rovers certainly provided a stable platform for the team to display some circus antics.

A paddleboard is the perfect support vessel for a swimmer. The paddler isn’t limited to standing and can sit, kneel or even lie down. It’s becoming common recreational knowledge that SUP is one of the best forms of exercise we can get and as an all-round versatile option for a weekend paddle or a long-distance journey I’m yet to find a better option.

Towards the end of the journey certain members of the team had to leave the expedition so we tied two of the River Rovers together and pulled them behind the canoe. They remained essential for gear carrying, and we also had the majority of the expedition water supply on board, too.

At one point, when Em was feeling mighty sleepy and Ness was under the weather with food poisoning, the only fully functioning member of the team was Stiffy, who took matters into his own hands and fashioned the most wonderful aquatic train you’ve ever seen.

So there we have it. In 1001 miles not one of our Lakeshore paddleboards tipped over. all in all these River Rover boards have travelled over 8000 miles on my expeditions and I still can’t think of anything I’d change about them. If you’re thinking about getting a Stand Up Paddleboard then look no further. We’re even selling ours now the journey is over!

Links
> Visit the Lakeshore website
> Find out more about the River Rover
> See the highlights video from SUP Mississippi Expedition2011
> Send us a message if you’re interested in buying one of our boards

Find out more about Dave’s Adventures / Follow Dave’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

An interview with Dave Cornthwaite; Mr Expedition1000

Dave Cornthwaite is a bit of a gapyear.com legend. You’ve probably never heard of him before, but in about 10 minutes you’ll think he’s a bit of a legend too. Why? Well, it’s because he’s a legend, isn’t it!?

Dave is 32-years-old and has a ginger beard. He’s also an adventurer, author, and film-maker, but the thing that interests us most at gapyear.com is Expedition1000. It’s a project like no other - Dave is planning to undertake 25 separate journeys of 1,000 miles, each journey using a different form of non-motorised transport.

Read the rest of the interview, here…

> Follow @gapyeardotcom on Twitter

One month ago today I woke up at 6am in Venice, Louisiana. The night before I’d arrived after dark having paddled a few metres short of 60 miles in 15 hours. Tired but exhilarated, it felt like I’d passed an exam. For 82 days the Mississippi River had grown, pulling me with it, and suddenly I was there, less than 30 miles and one day’s paddle from the Gulf of Mexico.

It’s a large chunk of a year to spend on the move; living out of dry bags, camping on sandbars, learning every day how to negotiate fast-flowing water and sharing an industrial navigation channel with barges and ships that always threatened to draw me under their bow.

And then, all of a sudden I was there. Paddling into the Gulf, jumping on a boat and zooming back upstream, crawling into bed, up early to catch a flight, two days later landing back in Heathrow to a greeting from my Mum and a homemade sign. Boom, I was home. It was done.

Thankful for the September sun I spread sodden camping gear out in the garden, and then set to work. Writing, planning, lecturing. Past expeditions have ended without a plan and time passed without reason, what a waste! This time the only downside has been a lack of chance to digest exactly what has happened this Summer. I look at the pictures and it feels like someone else’s expedition, who is that man standing on that board?

One month on it still hasn’t sunk in. Several of my toes are still numb, the joints in my fingers still ache, I still miss attaching my hammock - my bed - to trees just metres from my river. I may have reached the sea but the journey isn’t quite over yet.

Yet again, my life has changed and I’m not sure how to keep up. It’ll be a few more weeks before I’m ready to announce a new expedition but in the meantime I’ll get back to work and trying to make sense of it all.

> See the highlights from the Mississippi Expedition