Family of three could add one more during batteau ride

Grace Basten, a sturdy toddler with chubby cheeks and a mop of golden ringlets, is the namesake of her family’s recently completed batteau, The Grace of the James.

At 11 a.m. on Saturday, Grace and her parents, Mason and Katy Basten, will begin The Grace of the James’ maiden voyage down the James River at the 23rd Annual James River Batteau Festival. The Bastens’ batteau — a replica of the flat-bottomed merchant boats that hauled tobacco and other commodities during the 1700s and 1800s — will join a fleet of boats for a 120-mile journey to Richmond.

With just days to go, the boat is ready, and the Bastens are prepared. There’s just one tiny snag: Katy is nine months pregnant, and her June 23 due date is just two days after the journey is slated to end.

But Katy’s close-call pregnancy is not stopping the Lynchburg family. They have devised an elaborate emergency plan in case Katy goes into labor on the river.

“People do question our sanity,” Mason said.

“When people roll their eyes or judge, we don’t let it bother us. We just keep on moving right through it.”

River people

Eight days of floating down a murky river in period costume may not be your typical idea of a relaxing getaway, especially when you factor in 80- to 90-degree heat. But the Bastens are not your typical family.

“We’re definitely river people,” Mason said.

For the Bastens, Saturday’s launch is the start of a family tradition. They will be dressed in period garb, including 20-month-old Grace, who will be wearing a tunic and floral bonnet. Due to her age, Grace will spend one day on the boat and then stay with family while her parents continue the journey to Richmond.

Katy and Mason consider the batteau voyage a “babymoon” — a short respite before they bring baby No. 2 into the world.

“It’s all about mama relaxing,” Mason said.

Katy said that as long as she has a mug of ice by her side, the trip will keep her distracted from the impending birth. For most of the trip, Katy will sleep on a queen-sized air mattress squeezed onto the boat underneath the canopy. She has planned one night of pampering at the High Meadows Bed and Breakfast in Scottsville, and looks forward to clean sheets and a hearty breakfast.

Longtime friend Will Pettigrew, who will join the Bastens on their journey down the James, was not surprised when Katy and Mason decided to go through with the trip.

“I thought that was typical Mason and Katy,” Pettigrew said. “That seems like something they would do. They’re not going to let something like that slow them down.” The Bastens were high school sweethearts, meeting at Jefferson Forest High School in 1997. Mason, born and raised in Lynchburg, has been an outdoorsmen his whole life. Katy spent most of her childhood in Saudi Arabia, and was introduced to Central Virginia’s wilderness by Mason.

Their daughter, Grace, went on her first camping trip at 13 days old. At 20 months, she has already racked up close to 200 miles on the water by canoe, batteau, sailboat and motorboat. Even Griffin, the Bastens’ Yorkshire terrier, has adapted to the rugged outdoors. He can swim with the confidence of a Labrador Retriever — not what you’d expect from a lap dog.

“He evolved into that out of necessity,” Mason says.

The newest addition to the Basten family — Joy Elizabeth or Hugh James — has so far only experienced the river from the womb. But that may change if Katy goes into labor a few days early.

The boat

Construction on the Grace of the James began on March 10. Mason, who also helped build the Sedalia Endeavor, devoted almost every night and weekend to the project, sometimes working past 4 a.m.

“God bless my neighbors,” Mason said.

“Good thing Grace is a heavy sleeper because they’d be in the front yard making a racket,” Katy added.

With the help of friends, the boat was built from scratch from white oak in the Bastens’ front yard. The boat itself weighs approximately 2,000 pounds, and can hold up to 8,000 pounds when fully loaded with people and cargo.

Katy was less involved in the manual labor.

“My involvement would include cooking them dinner and getting them beer,” Katy said.

The Bastens’ friend, Paul Clements, a local artist, was instrumental in building the boat, but will not be able to make the journey due to an out-of-town commitment. The Grace of the James will be manned by Pettigrew, Kevin Ferrel, Whit Johnston, Jason Munley and Earl Newman III.

Beyond the festival, the Bastens hope to use their batteau for commercial trips on the river as part of a company Mason and his father, David Basten, are trying to launch by mid-July. But right now, their focus is on making it through the voyage to Richmond.

The backup plan

Usually, the batteau trip is a technology-free week, away from computers and cell phones.

“This year, we’ll be making an exception,” Mason said.

To stay connected, the Bastens have prepared a birth kit with two cell phones from different providers, and a GPS device programmed with the coordinates of access points to state roads along the river.

They will also carry a global tracking device called SPOT which, when activated, will send an e-mail and text message to the Bastens’ families to alert them that Katy is in labor. They then can log onto Google Earth and track the couple’s exact whereabouts. If Katy does go into labor on the river, they will use a motorized canoe to travel swiftly to shore, and then catch a ride to the nearest hospital. The Bastens have also identified at least one doctor on another boat making the voyage, just in case.

Of course, they also packed maps and the surefire compass, and birthing kit essentials like clean towels, medicine and a sterilization kit.

Ralph Smith, who has been down the river 21 times for the festival, said that his boat, the Anthony Rucker, will be there if they need any assistance.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say it makes me a little nervous,” Smith said.

“It will definitely be an interesting of experience, and maybe it will make a bit of Batteau Festival history with the first baby born on the river.”

The Bastens' dog, Griffin, went along for the ride.
CHET WHITE/THE NEWS & ADVANCE