Good morning Phatheads,

If you are having difficulty receiving Phatwater Update notifications, here’s the fix: Set your mail filters to accept mail from info@kayakmississippi.com when signing up for the Phatwater Blog. I’m advised this will clear up the problems. For any of you who are still having difficulty, send me an email so we can work through the problem.

As to yesterday’s post, in which I sent out an example of this year’s poster, I’m not sure why the text in the bottom third of the poster was blurred, but the posters look fine. We’ve printed 200 and will sell what we don’t distribute during final registration, October 9th. If  we run out, we’ll print more.

SHUTTLE INFO

Though this may prove redundant for some of you, I have to put it out there since some folks’ lives are terribly complicated and don’t allow them the time to comb through the web site.  ”We the people of the Phatwater, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice and insure domestic tranquility, will provide at no cost to participants a free School Bus shuttle to the Put-In on the morning of the Phatwater, Saturday, October 10th.”  The shuttle will leave from the Natchez Grand Hotel, somewhere around 5 O’clock in the morning. The Natchez Grand Hotel is on the bluff of Natchez, overlooking the river, on Canal Street.  In order for you to take advantage of this shuttle, you will need to drop your boat at the Put-In the day before the race.  We have overnight security at the Put-In to guard your boats.  I would advise each of you to have a cockpit cover for your boat for the overnight stay.  The potential for toads, snakes, lizards and slugs occupying your boat runs high.  Don’t be the guy who gets a surprise after the start of the race.

If you do not wish to take part in the FREE shuttle, that’s fine.  But, WE WILL NOT RETURN TO THE PUT-IN FOLLOWING THE RACE. If you leave your vehicle at the Put-In, you will be responsible for orchestrating your own shuttle.  If anyone is confused on this issue, call me: (601) 431-1731.

Registration at the Put-In, the morning of the Phatwater, is limited to hardship cases only. If you cannot make it to the Under-The-Hill Saloon by 2200 (10 P.M) on Friday, October 9th, call me or email me.

We are hoping to hear back from Greg Iles on a personal request I’ve made of him to be present at the Phatwater for a book signing of his most recent bestseller, “The Devil’s Punchbowl“.

To lend some perspective, everyone paddling the Phatwater will pass by the actual Devil’s Punchbowl, river left, a little less than two miles above the Phatwater Phinish.  Among other things, The Devil’s Punchbowl was the sight of a commercial plane crash in, I believe, the early fifties, and is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the victims.  I’ll check on that and get back with more info.  As to the actual geography, the ‘circ’, or ‘bowl’ from which the name is derived is an eroded vault of Loess soil, grown up in timber and bramble to form part of the topography unique to the lower Mississippi.

Greg actually plugs the “Phatwater” in the story of The Devil’s Punchbowl, which is kind of cool.  Greg has been a supporter of the Phatwater from the start.  We’re also asking him to bring along a guitar and sit in with Barefoot Tendencies, who will be performing again at the Phatwater.  Wicked stuff.

The Phatwater on the Natchez Gauge today is at 23.7-