Mission Kayak reopens on San Antonio River after brief closure

The latest: David Morin, who originally owned the business in 2013 before selling it to Sarah Neal in 2016, tells Axios he is taking over again.

• He was saddened to hear that Neal had decided to close due to rising insurance costs.
• Neal is retaining some ownership and remaining involved, Morin says.

The big picture: Morin, who works in real estate development, says the company is more of a passion project than a main source of income.

• He says he originally sold Mission Kayak while living in Austin, but now that he's back in downtown San Antonio, running the business is much more manageable.
• "I want to do something really cool for the city."

What they're saying: "Maybe I can help with this — get it back on track, staffed and running and do a lot of fun and creative things on the river," he says.

• While Morin is hinting at expanded offerings, he says plans depend on partnerships with the city, Go Rio Cruises and the San Antonio River Authority.
• "There should be some fun and interesting paddling trips, as well as other rental services — the kinds of things you see in world-class public parks throughout the country."

• He's confident the new tours and offerings will help offset the operating costs that led Neal to close the business.

What's next: Mission Kayak is offering self-guided tours on the King William stretch of the water, with rentals available this weekend.

• Grand reopening plans will be announced in a few weeks.
• More routes are expected to relaunch later this year, including a return to the Pearl area of the river.

If you go: 90-minute tours are $30 for adults and $20 for kids ages 6-12.