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Where are all the Texas Padre Island Cruisers

18K views 57 replies 20 participants last post by  ccriders 
#1 ·
I see alot of folks from up north, Cali and all around the world, but no one from N. Padre Island or Port Aransas, Rockport!! Where are all the sailing people! I see all the boats in all areas, but no posts! LOL.. C'mon now!
Lets get this thread going! ROLL CALL! Anyone out there??
 
#2 ·
I don't post much here as I'm a newbie at sailing. I'm located over in Port O'Connor with my Starwind over in Port Lavaca. Do plan on sailing down to Rockport and Port A sometime this fall. Might even make it down to CC.

Fair winds
 
#4 ·
Crewing up!

I am looking to crew up sometime this year! Weekends right now! Soon I will take a sabbatical from work...lol;) I am single and trying to get to know people in the sailing community! One day soon I would love to try a "live aboard cruise" I don't think I am too hard to look at!!..........................Hook me up! :eek: :rolleyes:
 
#5 ·
I know of a really nice clean Newport 30 that is for sale at the marina in Port Lavaca. There is also a Hunter 25 that you might pick up at a reasonable price. They do allow liveaboards. Our Starwind is not large enough to need a crew or to liveaboard. Yes I would also love to liveaboard.

At the present I don't know of anyone that needs a crew member or sailing partner.
 
#6 ·
I do some sailing in your waters. As with mdbee above, I also sailed in the Texas 200 Raid back in June, sailing from Port Mansfield to Port Lavaca (in my 15 ft boat!). I'm also heading down on Thanksgiving Week to get my bareboat certification through the Corpus Christi Yachting Center. That will let me spend a week on the water and delay winter just a little bit longer.

The Texas Gulf Coast is a wonderful place to cruise and I'm okay with it not being too crowded. ;)

John
Edmond, OK
www.tetra-sail.com
 
#10 ·
Currently out of Lake Travis

Hi,

I just got a seidelmann 25 on lake travis. The plan though is to work on it over the spring and eventually set sail for the Caribbean sometime in the late spring/early summer.
Has anyone ever sailed out of the texas coast to the Caribbean Islands or Yucatan Peninsula? Where would you set off out of? I hear theres a lot of traffic out of Galveston...

Thanks!
 
#11 · (Edited)
Has anyone ever sailed out of the texas coast to the Caribbean Islands or Yucatan Peninsula? Where would you set off out of? I hear theres a lot of traffic out of Galveston...
As I understand it, traffic isn't a huge issue; rather, it's the prevailing winds. Sailing from the Texas Gulf Coast to the Western Carib can be done, but you'll have wind and waves on the nose the whole way. Doesn't sound fast or fun. I think most people head east up the ICW or close offshore to Florida and then sail from there. During the sailing season (pre-Hurricane season, of course), you should have steady S/SE winds and good sailing right up the coast. If you sail offshore, you will need to keep a constant watch for unlit oil platforms and obstacles. From Florida, you can take short hops down the Eastern Carib or tackle the longer passages to Western ports.

Get a copy of Jimmy Cornell's Ocean Routes and study the wind patterns some. Keep us posted.
 
#12 ·
I would not do close to shore. From what I understand you will get beat up until you get 100 miles or so. Then you hit deep water. Port A 50 miles to deep water, Port Lavaca 150 mile and Galveston 100 miles. If you do the ICW carry plenty of fuel. Fuel is hard to find past Galveston to N.O. Most of my dock mates have done the trip more than once. From N.O Gulfport area you can cut across the gulf to Key West.

Its a shame you are not down here so you can do as I do "Pick their brains"

Remember one thing the Gulf can be a nasty, nasty place at times.
 
#15 ·
Oops - my bad, Lost. I actually meant Corpus! We have some friends that have a house in Rockport and we're currently looking for a cruiser to keep in the area so we can all tagteam vacations/cruises. CC actually looked like the best area.

I've been there several times, but have never looked at it from a sailor's perspective since we're still new to it.

As for the 4 reasons you just mentioned - I'm sold! What are some of the better marinas in the area? We're looking at the 41' range (Irwin CC, etc.) and would like a place that's convenient for haul-out, etc.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Oops - my bad, Lost. I actually meant Corpus! We have some friends that have a house in Rockport and we're currently looking for a cruiser to keep in the area so we can all tagteam vacations/cruises. CC actually looked like the best area.
As for the 4 reasons you just mentioned - I'm sold! What are some of the better marinas in the area? We're looking at the 41' range (Irwin CC, etc.) and would like a place that's convenient for haul-out, etc.
SmackD, I know this is an old post - but, I 've never paged down the list of topics this far - but, then I've only been on SailNet since 2002 - a relative newbie ;-)
However, the absolute best marina in the Corpus area is Bahia Marina in Ingleside on the Bay - just off the ship channel by the Naval Station. Easy access to the bay and about 45 minutes or so from the Gulf. Bahia Marina & Docks Store - Ingleside, TX- Home Page
You can also join the Naval club, almost next door, and have breakfast for $3.
 
#16 ·
Port A has a really nice marina out by the airport. For the life of me I can't remember the name. Rockport would be the best for haul out. House of Boats can handle a 41'.

Don't know much about CC. From the looks there is a nice marina there.

Me I would go for the Port A marina if they had a slip. Close to good eating,shopping for the ladies, and your place in Rockport.

A short hop out the marina and the jetties and your in the Gulf.

The next time we go over I can get more information for your if you like. We sail out of Port Lavaca. Not a fancy marina but a great bunch of dock mates. Shallow water so we have to motor quite a ways in the channel before we can do any real sailing. Winds are always in the wrong direction.
 
#17 ·
Your choices in that area are probably the Corpus public marina, Island Moorings in Port A, the Port A public marina, Cover Harbor in Rockport or Key Allegro in Rockport/Fulton. When we cruise that area, we tend to hang out in Aransas Bay rather than CC Bay, so I like the marinas between Port A and Rockport.

Port A is the most convenient area--lots to eat, crossroads between bays and access to the Gulf. I'm not sure about food in the Island Moorings marina. Never been back in there. But, there are lots of places at the public marina; Virginias is our fav.

The CC public marina, IMHO, is pretty basic, but being in the big city does have some advantages. But, we tend to just head up the ship channel to Port A and Aransas Bay as soon as we can. Although, anchoring out around Shamrock Island is a nice place too.

I really like the Rockport area and it's easy to pick up the ICW there. I just think it's prettier and less crowded there. If I retire there, I'll probably buy something back in Key Allegro. There's a little spit of land seaward of Rockport called Paul's Mott. Nice secluded beach.
 
#25 ·
Well Paul you are headed out the 29th of Dec. I hope you can find a weather window this time of year.

Bring some, no a lot of, warm cloths. Be ready to handle what is fix in to come at you. You will get hammered this time of year. The weather man, and it doesn't matter which one you look at, aint going to be correct.

I just got off the phone with a friend that made it over to Pensacola last night. The first words out of his mouth was "Don't go after Nov 1st you will get hammered". He is going to whole up there for a few days waiting on a better window to finish. He was also in 1000' of water and getting beat up. This was in a 41' Tartan.

Within the last two weeks there has been 2 rescues by the CG of sailors off Matagorda Bay. One I can't find any info on but was towed in by the CG sails ripped to pieces. A friend saw it coming in the big jetties here at Port O'Connor. The other made big time news.

I know you didn't ask for my advice but if you have to go do the ICW to Mississippi Sound.

I'll PM you my phone# if you are coming thru on the ICW. Give me a call I'll wave as you pass.

Fair winds and following seas.
David
Port O'Connor, Tx
 
#26 ·
Hey David, Bob's in Pensacola? There must be a story there...:confused:

We bought our boat in Baytown, at the Bayland Marina. The boat was one of two that survived IKE at that marina. We moved her to Clear Lake Shores, near Kemah. Our original plan was to move it to CC or Port A, but fell in love with the Clear Lake area. It is probably the best place to have work done on a boat in the state. We're heading to the Bahamas ASAP, but that will be awhile unfortunately.
 
#27 ·
Yep, I was talking about Bob. We talked for about an hour. Quite a story. Hopefully he will tell it. A couple of things he did say was he'll never do it again and the other is you had better have radar. A lot of rigs have no lights and you can't see them at night.

Once out there you are stuck. Its to far to run for cover.
 
#29 · (Edited)
The rigs are what bother me. I've heard it was bad, and of course when the northers blow, they blow like stink for a long time. Days sometimes. I've been out fishing off Port A when it was 8-10', and it's a bumpy ride on a boat twice the size of mine.

I'd probably want to head to the Bahamas as soon as hurricane season ends, but that's when the cold fronts come through. So getting to Florida is the tricky part for me...go via the ICW, or across the Gulf? It does seem like there is little info for us Texas guys. I'd love to hear from some people with experience.

I may be crewing on a boat in the Regata De Amigos in June. I will learn alot about sailing the Gulf if this happens. 610 miles worth of experience...each way. I'll be crewing on the return trip, so 1200+ miles total. Maybe then, I can offer advice firsthand? For now, I don't really have a clue.
 
#30 ·
Paloma has been on the Regata de Amigos twice, once trip to Isla Mujeres and several times from Galaveston to Brownsville and lots of other time and miles in the Gulf and the rigs have never been a problem, you can see them even when there is no moon. Twice over the years we've been caught in Force 10 storms - but never during or after the hurricane seasaon - one in March '08 and one in June back.in the 90's - the March storm was a Norther the June storm was out of the west, where cometh all bad weather.
Normally the Gulf is a delight to sail in the winter - the prevailing winds are predictably S to SE, typically from 10-15 knots and seas a comfortable 5 to 7 feet.
 
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