“I’m trying to promote outdoor opportunities for everybody,” said Gill, who noticed that there weren’t many other fishermen that looked like him. “The boating and fishing industries are not as diverse and inclusive as I think they should be. I want to shed light on new perspectives and create change in those industries because your skin color shouldn’t have any impact on what you love to do,” he said.
Gill will be joined on the journey by two of his childhood fishing buddies, Justin Shupe and Clay Wright. Parker Boats is also hiring a full-time captain for the journey, and several of Gill’s family members will join for portions of the ride.
On May 31, Gill will have a Journey for a Cause launch event in Evansville, Indiana. Gill and his friends will depart the next morning and follow their meticulously mapped out plan, logging anywhere from 20 to 120 miles per day. The plan accounts for the ebb and flow of the river, which includes water levels, and identifies 13 locks for the boat to pass through over the course of the journey.
And whenever it’s possible, Gill intends to cast a line.
“I would like to fish for as many types of fish as I can along the journey,” said Gill. “But I’ll fish for whatever is biting that day!”
The journey will be periodically live-streamed for family, friends, and donors to follow along. To learn more about Gill’s journey, or to support the cause, visit journey4acause.com.
Parker Boats builds premium offshore and inshore fishing boats in Beaufort, NC. As a subsidiary of Correct Craft, Parker delivers a lifetime of enjoyment and rugged fish-ability focusing on strength, simplicity, and seaworthiness. To learn more about the Parker experience visit www.parkerboats.com.