Austin Canoe & Kayak

«In a moment, you are going to hear… the REST of the story.» — Paul Harvey
This is a story about the significance of the number 300 in 3 different ways, from a Texas point of view.
Kayaks, with their many sizes, configurations & customization options, have replaced canoes as the dominant human-​powered watercraft. A company from Austin seems to be dominating the sales even along the Gulf Coast here.
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A group of paddle enthusiasts started a company in Austin to sell watercraft for folks who love to explore the wilderness lakes and streams in the Hill Country, and beyond. They now have several locations, two in Houston. They are the distributor for Hobie, among other top brands. Kayaks are not limited to the typical double paddle kind. The Hobie Mirage (which I have) is pedal powered and fast, for hands-​free operation. They also sell one with a sail and outrigger option. Some (horror gasp) have battery-​powered motor options. Speed, stability, comfort, options and price are weighed by the buyers.

ACK (acronym) sponsors «try it before you buy it» events at various locations. Other events include ACK kayaks, such as the Buffalo Bayou Regatta, which had hundreds of kayaks, many from ACK. I’ll have more to say about Buffalo Bayou later.
Their website boasts «see over 300 canoes, kayaks and SUP». That’s the «New 300.»
But, awhile back, the Old 300 were up a creek without a paddle. What happened?
Paul Harvey: «And now, … the rest of the story…»
Life was not so easy in the 1800’s. Spain had claim to the undeveloped wilderness territory that was to become Texas, but did not have enough settlers to tame the Indians. Moses Austin made a deal with Spain to bring in 300 families from USA to settle part of Texas under Spanish rule. Two things changed: (a) Mexico won independence from Spain and did not like the settlement idea, and (b) Moses Austin died.
His son, Stephen F Austin, took over the settlement task, struggling with Mexican officials to get approvals. As a reward, he was to get 67,000 acres, and this kept him going through an arduous process. He succeeded in bringing in nearly 300 families, and the settlers became known as the «Old 300».
People often went days without food until transportation of goods improved. And in areas of thicket or rocky terrain, one of the most efficient means of transportation was by canoe.
By 1830’s more settlers started pouring in, which led to worry by Mexico’s Santa Anna, who decided to sweep them out to avoid a war with USA later. The Old 300 saw their new life in jeopardy.
The canoes that helped some settlers move small goods from the Gulf Coast to deeper into the interior and settle now played a part, albeit small, in scouting river crossings and relaying messages, since bridges were few and far between.
Pulling all this history forward, you have interesting parallels to ACK, the subject of this review.
1. The city of Austin is named after Stephen F Austin, known as the «Father of Texas».
2. Austin Canoe and Kayak offers 300 varieties of personal craft.
3. Many of these you can try out in Independence Park, a name appropriate for this day, the 177^th anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto, in which Texas won its independence from Mexico.
4. The battleground location is where Buffalo Bayou ends, and where a couple of Old 300 descendants have paddled their «New 300» generation kayaks in a celebration a few years ago.
Paul Harvey: «And now you know… the REST of the story.»
… Oh! And the third connection to «300»? This is my 300^th Unilocal FTR. «…Paul Harvey … Good Day!!»