Bras Across the Water is my fundraising event to promote Breast Cancer awareness and raise money for the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation. On September 30, 2005, I am going to steer a small boat with a sail made out of bras to an island in the middle of Percy Priest Lake. While I am on the island, I will be updating this blog hourly with photos, comments, and observations (and probably requests for camping tips). The idea is for me to collect pledges for every hour I remain on the island similar to a Bike-a-thon or jog-a-thon, except this is going to be more of a survive-a-thon. If I can get 100 people to pledge $1/hour, and I hold out for 48 hours, that will raise nearly $5000! Spending forty-eight hours alone on an island may not seem like a big deal to you, but for this 42 year-old city boy who hasn't been camping since he was a teenager, is terrified of snakes, and thinks dial-up internet is barbaric, it should be quite an adventure.

Friday, August 26, 2005

Live from the Island

 

 

posted by Dr. Moondog @ 10:52 AM   0 Comments

Into the Breach!

I am currently awaiting a phone call from Commodore Hooven. We have planned an island hopping trip for this morning. The weather is sketchy, but I think we should be able to pull it off. I plan to post an item from one of the islands to test my equipment. Speaking of equipment, I need to remove the power inverter from our wish list, since we now have an awesome little Honda EU1000iA2 generator for our trip. This thing is amazing: it weighs only 30 lbs, it is whisper quiet, and it sips fuel. I will be using it to power the laptop and blender, and recharge the cell phone and camera batteries during Bras Across the Water.

posted by Dr. Moondog @ 8:54 AM   0 Comments

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Movin' on Up (stream)

click here for larger image with more detailsSince the primary launching site has been closed due to budget cutbacks, I have chosen the Anderson Road Recreation Area as the new staging point for the event. There are two boat ramps and three islands with cleared areas for camping . Also, there is a pretty good line of sight to the islands from the takeoff areas.

posted by Dr. Moondog @ 5:12 AM   0 Comments

Sunday, August 7, 2005

Good News, Bad News

Mark Mascolo, of Lakefront Log Homes in Clifton,TN, has offered the use of his 20' pontoon boat as the Official Watercraft of Bras Across the Water. This is really good news. Now that I know we have a craft that is not likely to sink, I am somewhat less concerned about transferring the broadcasting equipment (cell phone, laptop, Mini DV camcorder, etc.) to and from the island. This is also good news because I made a trip to the planned launch site (Elm Hill Recreation Area) on Saturday only to find it has been closed. This is bad news because it is the only launching ramp with a direct line of site to Luau Island and Stone island. That is one more reason I need to make a test run before the actual event. I will be contacting my friend Trey about giving me a quick trip around the lake in the next week or so. I may need to consider some other islands farther upstream.

posted by Dr. Moondog @ 5:04 PM   0 Comments

Thank you for visiting Bras Across the Water- Come back again soon.