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Boater, seeking world record, makes local pit stop at Steubenville Marina

RACKING UP THE MILES — Robert Youens of Austin, Texas, stopped by the Steubenville Marina Wednesday during a break in his attempt to break the Guinness World Record for longest journey by jon boat. He began his trip in Kingmont, W.Va., and will finish in the Gulf of Mexico. When finished, Youens will have traveled 2,100 miles in the flat-bottomed, aluminum boat. -- Amy Neeley

STEUBENVILLE — Robert Youens of Austin, Texas, grew up loving the water and enjoying a good adventure. When the 64-year-old retired in 2008, he decided that was the time to really spread his wings and have some fun.

Among some of his adventures since then, Youens hiked the entire John Muir Trail. The trail runs through the Sierra Nevada mountain range, passing through Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks. The trail’s official length is 210.4 miles.

He also canoed the entire length of the Mississippi River, from “source to sea.” Youens said that he paddled about 1,500 miles on that trip.

Those trips were just for fun, but his latest adventure has a greater purpose. Youens is trying to break the Guinness World Record for longest journey by jon boat.

A jon boat is a flat-bottomed boat usually made of aluminum or fiberglass with bench seats. They are mostly used for fishing and hunting, not long river journeys and certainly not for over night trips.

And, Youens is not just trying to break the record, he is trying to crush it.

“I am just that competitive of a guy,” he said Wednesday while taking a break at the Steubenville Marina.

The official record for longest journey is 600 miles, but Youens said the unofficial record is about 1,500 miles. When his trip is over, Youens will have traveled 2,100 in the boat.

He began his trip in Kingmont, W.Va. From there, he traveled down the Monongahela River, to the Ohio River, then on to the Mississippi River and eventually ending up in the Gulf of Mexico.

“That is the farthest continuous trip by water you can take in the United States,” Youens explained.

He is allowed to stop along the way for supplies and to camp at night. That is where his travel companion, Dave Park, comes in. Park, who also lives in Austin, has been following Youens in his SUV, meeting him to provide supplies and to set up camp for the evenings.

Youens and Park originally met in a very unique situation. Youens was hiking in the Sierra Nevadas when he became stuck in blizzard-like conditions. Youens’ wife, Debra, reached out to the local hiking community for help, and Park was one of those who answered. Park, with the help of other hikers, was able to arrange for someone to drive up the trail and get Youens to safety.

Youens said that when he decided to start his trip, he looked into a community called River Angels to hopefully arrange places he could stop along the way to get supplies and gas for the boat.

Park saw the call and offered to just come along for the ride.

“Here he comes to my rescue again,” he said.

As for his wife’s thoughts on these adventures, Youens laughs.

“I have the most understanding wife on the planet,” he said. “Her friends call her St. Deborah.”

You can follow Youens’ trip both on facebook at facebook.com/JonBoatWorldRecord/ or by satellite tracker at /share.garmin.com/worldrecord.

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