The WRC meets Dave Cornthwaite, part3

We were scheduled to meet with the Memphis press at 2:30 in downtown Memphis. So after about an hour and a half on the river, our group stopped on a sandy island with a small bay to practice paddle boarding. After landing on the beach, we explored the small island. I had thought the sand bar was attached to the island until I climbed a small knoll and saw the inlet on the other side of the island. The small isle was divided by narrow channels of river water. The main island to the south rose in rows of sand dunes topped by a hardwood forest. The inlet had a curious man made feature. There was a small dike made of timbers blocking the upstream entrance. I remember reading about wooden dikes at the Reelfoot Museum, but I couldn’t remember the details or purpose of their construction. 

While we waited on the sand island, several of us practiced paddle boarding. I tried it for the first time. I was on the smallest board, and I had trouble staying on it. I kept falling off, but I continued to try. Then I used a slightly wider board, and I was able to stay on. As I paddled around the small bay, Dave and others attempted to break the world record for the number of people on a paddle board. I don’t know how many people got on it, but their weight caused the board to sink to the bottom in the knee deep water. Everyone but Dave jumped off. As they dismounted, the board rose quickly with Dave balancing on top. 

Dave, Tom, and another paddler mounted a board and coordinated their efforts well enough to paddle effectively around the bay. Dale tried to join them to make it four, but they couldn’t balance without falling off. Dale is not a paddler boarder, but he always stands up in his canoe. So I have no doubt that he could master a board in no time. Several other people including Sandy tried the paddle board for the first time. Everyone was able to do it to some degree, but I wouldn’t want to take one the length of the Mississippi. Two barges passed the island at the same time. One was headed upstream, while the other was going downstream. A couple of the paddle boarders tried to surf the wake, but they were too far away. I noticed that the tug boat headed upstream made a larger wake. I suppose because the engine was working harder. 

While we practiced with the paddle boards, a squadron of four prop planes roared over head. They buzzed over us a couple of times doing barrel roles and other stunts. Some of us took pics and videos of the brightly colored, low flying lead plane. Someone suggested that they were ex Navy pilots flying out of nearby DeWitt Spain Airport. This made sense because the small, downtown airport was in close proximity. Millington Naval Air Station, the largest inland naval base in the US is also nearby.