Dick Conant

{{Short description|American boater who vanished at sea under mysterious circumstances}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Dick Conant

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = 1951

| birth_name =

| alias =

| birth_place = U.S.

| disappeared_date = December 2014

| disappeared_place = U.S.

| body_discovered =

| education =

| occupation = Boater

| spouse =

| partner =

| known_for = Mysterious disappearance

}}

Dick Conant (born 1951) was an American boater who disappeared near the Outer Banks in December 2014 while on an eight month trip from Plattsburgh, New York to south Florida.{{Cite news |last=McGrath |first=Ben |date=2015-12-07 |title=The Missing Boater |language=en-US |work=New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/12/14/the-wayfarer |access-date=2022-07-04}}

The 2022 book, Riverman by Ben McGrath was written about Conant and his final journey.{{Cite news |date=2022-05-23 |title='Riverman' chronicles the life of Dick Conant, genial nomad of America's rivers |language=en |work=WBUR |url=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2022/05/23/dick-conant-riverman-ben-mcgrath |access-date=2022-07-04}}{{Cite magazine |date=2022-04-23 |title=Paddle alongside Dick Conant in "Riverman" |url=https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/04/23/paddle-alongside-dick-conant-in-riverman |magazine=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}} It is believed that some of Conant's trips also inspired fellow canoeist Neal Moore.{{Cite news |date=2021-04-11 |title=Discovering America in reverse |language=en-US |url=https://cdispatch.com/news/area/2021-04-11/discovering-america-in-reverse/ |access-date=2022-07-04}}

Conant was a Navy veteran (1983–1989) and one of nine children. As a child he spent time in Germany and Pearl River, New York. His boating journey began in Idaho in 1999 when he canoed the Yellowstone River and he became known for his long journeys.{{Cite magazine |last=Hightower Allen |first=Elizabeth |date=2022-04-08 |title=Our April Book Club Pick Investigates the Disappearance of a Modern American Folk Hero |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/riverman-dick-conant-ben-mcgrath-book-club-pick/ |magazine=Outside |language=en-US |access-date=2022-07-04}}{{Cite news |title=Dick Conant on the upper Mississippi |work=New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/notes-from-all-over-dick-conant-on-the-mississippi}}{{Cite news |last=McGrath |first=Ben |date=2014-09-15 |title=Southbound {{!}} The New Yorker |work=New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/22/southbound |access-date=2022-07-04 |archive-date=2022-07-04 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220704215536/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/22/southbound |url-status=bot: unknown }}