Texas Bay Sailing

[crakins]

Hi all, I'm new to the site and recently purchased a 26s. We have successfully sailed our local lake and want to plan a trip to the Texas bays this Spring and looking for advice. We are based out of Dallas/Ft Worth.

After lurking through threads and other sites it looks like Matagorda Bay is a great place for our first saltwater sail. We would like to spend 3 - 4 days on the water and any advice on trip reports, anchorages, etc is much appreciated.

Open to locations and best times of year.

Thanks!

[vizwhiz]

Welcome to the site!!
You should hook up with members "grady" who has a 26S in grapeland and "mrron_tx" who has a 26M in dallas!!

[mrron_tx]

Welcome...BTW, New guy buys the pizza I am not going to assume (I know) that You are new to boating/sailing....but maybe new to the Texas coast In My limited time , I have been from Baytown over to Galveston bay.... A white knuckle trip due to massive container ships , tugs/tows etc etc., I thought it would be cool to boat down to Kemah I have been on the ICW from surfside down toward Corpus.....Matagorda Bay is tricky and the channel is skinny....and of course the tugs,tows & commercial traffic have the right of way..... I made it ok... but , I was motoring with the daggerboard up Enjoy Your voyage Fair Winds. Dauntless. Ron. BTW....I am located in East Tx.

[mrron_tx]

Welcome to the site!!
You should hook up with members "grady" who has a 26S in grapeland and "mrron_tx" who has a 26M in dallas!!

Vizwiz.....Flip that around and Were good to go. Grady is around Dallas and I'm in Grapeland Ron.

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

Hi Crakins...I would suggest coming to Kemah, Tex., and you can secure a "Transient Slip" at a very reasonable rate, and the Kemah area is IDEAL for a vacation with access to shopping, food, and excellent sailing. Or, you can stay on the hook (anchor) in nice areas around here. This vicinity is said to have the 2nd largest concentration of boats, and these waters are fairer winds for sailing in my opinion over Matagorda. The ICW is near, and many folks sail to Galveston from local marinas. Many sights to enjoy here. Before I had a permanent slip, I would rent slips as a transient, and the accomodations are upscale, and VERY user friendly. If you "google" marinas in Kemah, you can look at the accomodations, waterways, and awesome family surroundings. Hope this helps.

[dlandersson]

Sounds warm too.

Hi Crakins...I would suggest coming to Kemah, Tex., and you can secure a "Transient Slip" at a very reasonable rate, and the Kemah area is IDEAL for a vacation with access to shopping, food, and excellent sailing. Or, you can stay on the hook (anchor) in nice areas around here. This vicinity is said to have the 2nd largest concentration of boats, and these waters are fairer winds for sailing in my opinion over Matagorda. The ICW is near, and many folks sail to Galveston from local marinas. Many sights to enjoy here. Before I had a permanent slip, I would rent slips as a transient, and the accomodations are upscale, and VERY user friendly. If you "google" marinas in Kemah, you can look at the accomodations, waterways, and awesome family surroundings. Hope this helps.

[mrron_tx]

Sounds warm too. LOL David.... It is warm for now...but sure a Easter gets close the weather will be cold and wet....at least for a short while Then it becomes Texas warm But , I do agree that Kemah is a blast. Ron.

Hi Crakins...I would suggest coming to Kemah, Tex., and you can secure a "Transient Slip" at a very reasonable rate, and the Kemah area is IDEAL for a vacation with access to shopping, food, and excellent sailing. Or, you can stay on the hook (anchor) in nice areas around here. This vicinity is said to have the 2nd largest concentration of boats, and these waters are fairer winds for sailing in my opinion over Matagorda. The ICW is near, and many folks sail to Galveston from local marinas. Many sights to enjoy here. Before I had a permanent slip, I would rent slips as a transient, and the accomodations are upscale, and VERY user friendly. If you "google" marinas in Kemah, you can look at the accomodations, waterways, and awesome family surroundings. Hope this helps.

[crakins]

Great information all, much appreciated.

I am new to sailing but have owned a ski boat in the past. I sailed sunfishes as a kid so I am able to get around my local lake just fine. I'm sure I am not efficient but I can get where I want to go.

Galveston sounds to be the better choice. I really want to sail (assuming there is wind), not motor around with the keel up.

Dumb question, can you sail the ICW or do you motor most of the time? I've read conflicting stories on around the web.

Also, is there a "best" time to sail Galveston bay for a trip down from Dallas? I can take vacation whenever I want but we have a trip planned for San Antonio in March and were thinking about extending it to the bay.

Wait, no S icon???

[Brian]

I will chime in here since you are asking about my home state.

Q: Can you sail the ICW, or do you motor most of the time?

A: The prevailing winds are SE to SSE, so sailing north on the ICW is usually a pleasant reach.

Q: Is there a "best" time to sail Galveston bay for a trip down from Dallas? I can take vacation whenever I want but we have a trip planned for San Antonio in March and were thinking about extending it to the bay.

A: I would avoid the last two weeks of March because that is when most of the college kids will flock to the coast. The majority of them will be concentrated on South Padre Island, but there will be kids spread out from there all the way to Galveston. It would also be best to avoid the dates of any fishing tournaments because marina space will be scarce during those times. Spring and fall are generally the best time to visit to avoid the bugs and heat. Galveston/Kemah is the closest point on the Texas coast if you are coming from your home in DFW. However, if you are coming from from San Antonio, Kemah is about 230 to the east. From San Antonio I would recommend traveling the 140 miles to Corpus Christi bay instead. It is closer, easier to get to, and a nicer place to sail.

You might want to purchase this cruising guide in order to get more detailed information.
http://www.waterwayguide.com/guide/southern

Fair Winds!

Brian

[grady]

Welcome to the site!!
You should hook up with members "grady" who has a 26S in grapeland and "mrron_tx" who has a 26M in dallas!!

Vizwiz.....Flip that around and Were good to go. Grady is around Dallas and I'm in Grapeland Ron.

I am glad we got that straight.

Crakins where are you going to sail in the Dallas area? We will have to get together some time.

[RobertB]

Hi all, I'm new to the site and recently purchased a 26s. We have successfully sailed our local lake and want to plan a trip to the Texas bays this Spring and looking for advice. We are based out of Dallas/Ft Worth.
After lurking through threads and other sites it looks like Matagorda Bay is a great place for our first saltwater sail. We would like to spend 3 - 4 days on the water and any advice on trip reports, anchorages, etc is much appreciated.
Open to locations and best times of year.
Thanks!

I used to do a lot of boating around Ft Worth. Lake Worth was about 20 inches deep if I remember I also have fond memories of dragging my canoe behind me over the rocks down the Trinity River.
Good you have a trailer sailor so you can drive where there is more than a puddle.

[crakins]

Hi Grady, Lake Arlington right now. It's 5 minutes from my house.

Would love to meet up and sail other lakes. Sending you a PM.