The 2015 Texas 200 with Shrek

WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT

Short answer: I sail my boat Shrek, in the 8th Annual Texas 200 from June 8 - 13, 2015, and together we help five homeless families through SAMMinistries  in San Antonio TX.

WHAT IS THE TEXAS 200?

In a nutshell, the Texas 200 is a “raid”-type event that involves a scheduled gathering of small sailboats traveling more or less in company up the coast of Texas in the blistering summer sun. The Texas 200 goes through the Laguna Madre and the bays of South Texas for five to six days and about 200 - 240 miles. Some say it is a moving, exhausting; endurance test of boat, captain, and crew and it is definitely a mental challenge from triumphing over moments of total chaos to hours of boredom due to no wind. This event challenges every bit of your ability to effective planning, preparation and problem solving. All in all, it is a life-changing event.



During this event you learn to know interesting (and sometime crazy) people, one of them is Andrew Linn. He was one of the “Duckers” in the 2014 Texas 200 event. He was asked to write an article about the event, and this is how he started....

“Every second week of June, a gaggle of home builders and production boat owners gather on the very southernmost tip of the coast of Texas, launch their boats, and test their mettle against the harsh conditions of the unrelenting environment. It ain’t just heat, either, it’s a dirty, sticky, heat drenched with humidity and the stench of putrescence and rot. And the wind – Oh! The wind. It usually trots about in the high teens or gallops along in the mid-twenties, but it can just as often crank it into the thirties. It’s like trying to sail in the fetid exhaust of an industrial clothes dryer that’s used exclusively by swamp workers. And grit—no description of the Texas 200 is complete without mention of finely ground particles of dried mud that sticks and stays on any fabric, skin, or surface.

As bad as that description sounds, and as accurate as that description is, people are still surprised by just how much those five days sailing the barrier islands suck. One seasoned small boat adventurer, retired Army colonel, Gene Berry—a man who’d spent the greater portion of his life in deprivation and training for combat—said “It sucked so hard, all I could do is “Embrace the Suck,” and I embraced the suck so much I have bruises on the insides of my arms.”  Read the full article at Read the rest of Andy's article here 


Follow Shrek on Facebook

This is Shrek - a Windrider 17 Trimaran. Last year I completed the Texas 200 in this boat in 5 days. It was hard, it was fun, it was accelerating and it was a huge surprise to me that I actually managed to finished it. Through this, I learned, that sometimes you have to do what Nike™ got right with their slogan and just go for it and finish what you say you want to do. We can talk for years about something, but talk is cheap unless you convert that to action.

TWO BROTHERS

This year I will be participating in my second Texas 200 event. Last year I did this solo, but this year I have invited my brother, Theo Uys, who lives in Cape Town South Africa to join me as crew on this event.

Dirk Uys - Lives in San Antonio TX, USA
Dirk's Facebook Page


Theo Uys - Lives in Cape Town, South Africa
Theo's Facebook Page
Here is my younger brother Theo. The last time I saw him was in 2009....We can't wait to see each other again, it has been too long!

SO WHAT AM WE ASKING FOR?

We want to raise a minimum of $5,000 to donate to SAMMinistries. Half of the people they serve are children. Since 1983, SAMMinistries has led the charge to serve homeless and near-homeless families in San Antonio. We don’t have to fly to the corners of the world to go help people, when we have people in need just up the road.



HOW WILL WE ALLOCATE THE MONEY?

GoFundMe.com will take 7.5% for their services. The rest of the money will be donated to SAMMinistries 

I have worked for a non-profit company in the past, and I know how the donated funds are allocated if you simply just send them a donation. Therefore, with my ties in the San Antonio's IT community, I will meet with their head of IT, and personally donate the funds with one stipulation: I will ensure that the funds we raise through this campaign will be allocated 100% to help families with kids; I have a verbal commitment from SAMM's Development Director, Andrea Hofstetter, that this donation will not be used for "operational expenses".  I will not ask for names or ask to see their faces; and I will also ask that our donation be kept anonymous.

Thank you for visiting this page and contributing whatever you can to our campaign. Your generous support will ensure we can help someone in need right here in my hometown of San Antonio Texas!

Theo and I really appreciate your support.

For 2016 I'm planning on doing the same and we will raise funds for the "furry friends" in our lifes. The Animal Defense League (ADL) is the oldest NO-KILL shelter in San Antonio. Their tag line speaks volumes, "WE TAKE THEM IN. YOU TAKE THEM HOME." The only thing still missing is someone who is willing to go on Shrek with me.....the search is on!

Take care,

Dirk Uys
San Antonio, TX