Question for Texas Sailors

[PrincessoftheLake]

There is a small (and I do mean small) possibility that I may look at relocating to Texas in the next year or two. The area I would be in is near Lake Travis. Having been a Lake Superior sailor these last few years with a barely 5 month sailing season what can I expect if I head south? I love Lake Superior because we have the Apostle Islands to cruise which means that once we leave the marina we have lots of achorages to choose from that are only a couple hours sail away. Does Texas offer something comparable?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

POTL

 

[Ross]

I don't live anywhere near Texas but I have the internet. this link to the parks and recreation information seems pretty good.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/recreational/lakes/travis/

 

[TFrere]

I live in Louisiana but have never sailed in Texas. One thing you'll find is that you will find time to sail year round. It was in the mid 20s this morning but Thursday it will be in the mid 70s.

 

[Joe]

Well... I have been there. Lake Travis is a large lake... long and serpentine .. nothing like Superior. There's an active sailing community on Travis... and some wonderful opportunities for serious gunkholing. When I was first there in the summer the lake was way, way down... so low that the Austin community had organized a lake bottom cleanup campaign... also it was very, very hot. (that's Texas, podner, so deal with it)

I went back a few years later in April and the lake was close to full.... and it was magnificent. My cousin lives in Pt. Venture so we ferried across to the Lakeway marina where I rented a Cat 22 for a half day. The sailing was very nice... although I just stayed within a few miles of the marina.

So.. I'd say you'll have some great sailing... but on a much smaller scale than the great lakes.

 

[Rick Webb]

Do It!

That area has always been home for me but I think Florida is home for me now. I'd look more at Canyon Lake than Lake Travis. Lake Travis is more of a powerboat or daysailer kind of place, it's wonderful but not what your looking for I suspect. Lot's of fond memories there my wife and I's first date was waterskiing up Lake Travis to the Perdanales River. Another alternative would be to keep the boat in the Gulf at Port Aransas or Corpus Christi which would be about a three hour trip from Austin but opens up all sorts of alternatives from there. Then join the Lake Travis Yacht Club and sail their boats if you do not want to make the trip to the coast.

 

[Mike B1026]

You might also check out Rockport / Port Aransas area. The bays are nice and of course the Gulf. The water is a little skinny in the bays... of course the ICW runs through here.

Like the other poster said, Lake Travis is crowded in the summer... lots of power boats but maybe a local sailor from the Austin area will chime in.

 

[Ross]

Mike , How far is it from Austn to Port Aransas?

 

[Mike B1026]

mileage

195 mi to 233 mi depending on route.

Mike , How far is it from Austn to Port Aransas?

 

[Patrick17430]

Texas is a great place to be an armadillo

With the exception of Corpus to South Padre and a couple of inland lakes that have been mentioned already, the heat, humidity and the water in Texas leaves alot to be desired. We work & live in Houston,Texas and sailed our boat on Galveston Bay before we moved our boat to SF.CA for just those reasons. Well..... there's more reasons than that but I wont go into that so I don't offend the locals. My suggestion to you would be to visit here in July or August and see for your self before you move your family and ship your boat here. Its definitely not for everybody. Texas will offer you a very different life experience than anywhere in the rest of the country. Its not my cup of tea but you might just love it here. Good luck !

 

[Tejas]

PrincessoftheLake,

I think that sailing in Texas, either on a lake or the gulf will be quite a different experience for you.

Our boat is on Lake Travis that is actually a reservoir and is not a constant level lake that historically has varied almost 100 feet in elevation but in recent times a more manageable 50 feet. The lake is long and narrow and the time between tacks is typically tens of minutes or even less the higher up the lake. Canyons made by streams coming into the lake can cause a venturi effect that results in an abrupt gusty wind shift.

Refer to www.lcra.org for general information the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and to http://www.lcra.org/water/conditions/historical.html for detailed lake-levels spreadsheets.

As for the Gulf, my experience is more limited. The Texas Gulf Coast is buffered by barrier islands with the Intercoastal Waterway in between running from Louisiana to Brownsville. There are only a few cuts suitable for sailing a boat into the gulf. For more information, refer to Campbell’s Guide to Cruising Texas
http://www.waltereden.com/CGCT.html.

 

[Rick Webb]

Texas Gulf Coat in August May be Miserable but...

the Hill Country is just unpleasant. It gets hot but there is usually a breeze especially in the evening to mitigate the heat. On the other hand I have waterskied every month of the year a couple of years in a row. That won't happen anywhere north of the Lone Star State.

 

[Jackdaw]

POTL,
Lake Superior sailor, with a boat currently IN Texas, coming home in the spring. Lots of good stuff already. If you are looking at Lakes (like Travis), someone has mentioned that all are dammed rivers and streams. Water levels and clarity can vary wildly. Get good local knowledge, in many places there will be deep water obstructions like telephone pole and trees in 30-50 feet of water.

You can leave you boat in the water for sure year round, but best sailing is in the spring and fall. Summer is amazingly hot. ALL boat have central air. Heat brings out the zanies on the PWC. Texans LOVE a party, and that will carry over to the water. Expect HUGE raftups of powerboats and PWC all over the lakes. Winter will be OK for you; very much like summer in Bayfield ;^) Days in the 40s-60s, sometimes a 70. Nights cold.

Our Beneteau First 36.7 is on Lewisville Lake for the winter near Dallas. We were down in November and had the lake to ourselves; only two other boats out, and temps were in the 60s.

 

[Texas Lake Sailor]

I am on my 2nd boat on Lake Travis. The season is year round as far as sailing. It can get crowded on a holiday weekend, but if you go out early take a swim break in the middle of the day and go for a run in the afternoon it isn't too bad. Lake Travis's level will change drasticly due to heavy rain or lack of it. we enjoy Travis as it is close, not to expensive and friendly. The coast is an option but is 3 to 4 hours away. Checkout Lake Texoma or Lewisville. The Austin yachet club is pretty active and there is UT sailing club on Lake Travis.

 

[Tejas]

Seconding Texas Lake Sailor, I just came back from the boat -- sunny, no clouds, 73 degrees and essentially an empty lake.

Moreover, no state income tax.

 

[Richard9547]

I'm up on Lake Texoma, an hour or so north of Dallas.
About 90,000 acres - about 75,000 this side of the two bridges.
It's a flood control lake (like Travis) but on the Red River.
And it's not so "river-like" - nice and wide.
Under the right conditions we can go 2 to 4 hours between tacks.

Holidays get crazy as all the drunks come out to play boater.
But the rest of the times it's really nice.

Summer temps can get well over 100 F.

Last winter we had real snow 5 or 6 times.

I've only been out once this month (December).
Last Wednesday(>) 71 degrees, sunny, 15 mph winds.
But it got pretty chilly when the sun went down.
Tonight's low is supposed to be 30.

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

Thanks, you have all given me something to think about. Contemplating a move to a warmer clime is paticularly attractive given the cold and snow we have been having here in Minnesota for the past month. It would be so awesome to be able to sail year round. I would much rather have to deal with hot days than cold ones that's for sure. I am sitting here in the office with a sweater and a pashmina and I'm still cold. I need a vacation!

 

[Honeyman]

I've been on Travis with 3 boats (23.5, 28.5, 35.50 over 20 years. I've sailed St. Andrew Bay and the Gulf of Mexico out of Panama City, FL. and Kemah, TX. Travis is good to great, but still an "aquired taste" that takes some getting used to. 60 mile long lake that I've sailed approx. 26 miles of. Nice big "main basin" behind the dam that you can spend lots of time in. As you head west by north it turns into a fairly wide river with twists and turns. Lots of "venturi winds" that change direction as you progress through the next bend. Some days it's 2 long tacks for 8-10 miles other days you'll tack 8 times to gain 1/4 mile. Hot summer days...I night sail and no one is out there. Good steady night breeze kicks in about 1 hour after sunset. Most of the year, any week day mid-afternoon, no one is out there. Many places to anchor out if you study the charts. Virtual year round season...had 74/76 2 days ago...it'll be in the 70's Christmas week. Jan./Feb. are coldest, but 20's in the morning turn into mid-50's or better during the day time. Best thing is, depending on where you live, you're usually within 45 min. to your marina...I'm 8 minutes from mine. Lake levels do change alot, but all marinas are floating docks. Lake is still sailable at 50 ft. down, just more narrow! You will NOT drive to the coast enough to enjoy keeping a boat down there, BELIEVE me.

 

[knotalot22]

Princess of the Lake - Lake Travis is great, but it's not a big, wide, open space. The weather is amazing. We'll be spending christmas weekend on the boat. I used to have a fishing boat in Corpus, but the drive was tedious. The other commenters are right, you may want to think about how hot it gets. I'm from florida, so am used to it. But my friends from up north have told me it's insufferable.

Any of you know about Sam Rayburn Lake? We had a weekend house there years ago and I remember it being very large & open....

 

[Tejas]

Princess of the Lake,

In our experience, I think Knotalot22 is essentially correct. Originally, we planned to acquire a boat on the Gulf. We'd shalow-water fished on the gulf and knew the time involved getting there an back. We have no doubt that we sail much more locally that could be possible on the gulf. Driving 30 minutes for boat maintenance and repairs is certainly much more acceptable than a wasted weekend.