Recommendations for best marina on Lake Travis, TX

[longterm]

I'm moving to Austin, Texas in the next few months and will be relocating my Catalina 30 to Lake Travis. I would appreciate any recommendations for the best sailboat marina; I don't want to moor the boat (been there, done that), and am looking forward to exploring new water.

Thanks,

Bob

 

[Kermit]

I can't answer your question but I can tell you the Gnarly Gar is a fun place to eat. The catfish won't let you forget to feed them. And while you're there, would you please pick me up a Gnarly Gar t-shirt? I regret not getting one while we were there. Thanks!

 

[longterm]

I can't answer your question but I can tell you the Gnarly Gar is a fun place to eat. The catfish won't let you forget to feed them. And while you're there, would you please pick me up a Gnarly Gar t-shirt? I regret not getting one while we were there. Thanks!

Thanks, we'll have to watch for it; I'd send a t-shirt, but I have to wear it for a few years first...

Bob

 

[Ron20324]

... but I have to wear it for a few years first...

Send it to him then- so you won't have to wash it

 

[JRacer]

We have done a lot of racing at Austin Yacht Club over the years. Nice people, good facilities. Give John Bartlett a call, he's been there forever and can give you details. http://www.bartlettsails.com/

 

[Tejas]

We've used two marinas and like both. The reservoir only just recently has filled up a bit, so an important consideration is how the marina deals with boats when the water is low.

Lakeway Marina: liked it a lot but left when boats were moved out into the lake with no shelter from wind and waves; shuttle; no shore power

Sail & Ski Yacht Club: boats moved closer to stream mouth but still exposure to storms; shuttle; usually shore power

Good tip on talking to John Bartlett. He has decades of lake experience. His boat is at Lakeway Marina but that might be because it is in an owner-rental fleet.

Send PM if you would like to discuss further.

 

[longterm]

We have done a lot of racing at Austin Yacht Club over the years. Nice people, good facilities. Give John Bartlett a call, he's been there forever and can give you details. http://www.bartlettsails.com/

Thanks, I'll call him today.

I've been looking at a couple of places so far: Sail & Ski and Commander's Point. I'm leaning towards the former because they have a mechanic nearby, and the issue with having shore power when the water is low is a huge one...

How are things in the lake right now? Is the water back to where it's supposed to be? Hard to sail safely in the lake?

 

[longterm]

We've used two marinas and like both. The reservoir only just recently has filled up a bit, so an important consideration is how the marina deals with boats when the water is low.

Lakeway Marina: liked it a lot but left when boats were moved out into the lake with no shelter from wind and waves; shuttle; no shore power

Sail & Ski Yacht Club: boats moved closer to stream mouth but still exposure to storms; shuttle; usually shore power

Good tip on talking to John Bartlett. He has decades of lake experience. His boat is at Lakeway Marina but that might be because it is in an owner-rental fleet.

Send PM if you would like to discuss further.

Thanks for the info; I hadn't looked at Lakeway Marina yet, but I also hadn't considered the fact that the lake's been so low. I'll add it to my list just in case...

 

[Tejas]

How are things in the lake right now? Is the water back to where it's supposed to be? Hard to sail safely in the lake?

Here's a link to spredsheets for all of the Hiland Lakes including Lake Travis. Lake Travis is now just about average for June / July but up about 30 feet from May.

http://www.lcra.org/water/river-and-weather/pages/historical-lake-levels.aspx

As for sailing safely, sailing Lake travis is different but can be done safely. The lake is actually a reservoir, and there are canyons leading into the lake that can cause sudden and dramatic wind speed and direction changes. Travis is a variable level lake, and there also can be sudden depth changes because of the underwater terrain and the not so sudden changes in water level variation. We have our sounder set at 20 feet that provides sufficient warning except for cliff-like underwater terrain.

Another difference is that the lake is long and narrow, and mean time between tacks can be in less than ten minutes.

 

[longterm]

Here's a link to spredsheets for all of the Hiland Lakes including Lake Travis. Lake Travis is now just about average for June / July but up about 30 feet from May.

http://www.lcra.org/water/river-and-weather/pages/historical-lake-levels.aspx

As for sailing safely, sailing Lake travis is different but can be done safely. The lake is actually a reservoir, and there are canyons leading into the lake that can cause sudden and dramatic wind speed and direction changes. Travis is a variable level lake, and there also can be sudden depth changes because of the underwater terrain and the not so sudden changes in water level variation. We have our sounder set at 20 feet that provides sufficient warning except for cliff-like underwater terrain.

Another difference is that the lake is long and narrow, and mean time between tacks can be in less than ten minutes.

We're used to lots of tacking here in Old Hickory Lake in Nashville; it's even narrower than Lake Travis, I think.

I read online that it's over 4 miles at its widest; I'm hoping that's a good area to sail...

I spoke to someone this morning, who told me that the lake is back to normal levels--about 10 feet low today but he said that can change after a really hard rain.

I'm considering Sail & Ski Yacht Club Marina at this point; pricey, but that may be par for the course for larger marinas. I'd be interested in hearing any negatives (if any) about that marina...

Thanks for your feedback!

Bob

 

[Tejas]

I read online that it's over 4 miles at its widest; I'm hoping that's a good area to sail...

I'm not aware of a four-mile width. Looking at the google maps link below, the widest is close to the dam and there are shallows -- called Sometimes Island -- in the middle. The map might depict a really full lake. The Sail & Ski marina is at the end of Stewart Road, shown on the map, and the width there is less than a mile.

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.4368602,-97.9547823,13z

 

[WayneH]

A couple of websites for the Lake Travis water level...
http://hydromet.lcra.org/riverreport/ This is the agency that controls Lake Travis levels. The information is in this but it's hard to dig out.

http://www.waterdatafortexas.org/reservoirs/individual/travis I like this site as they graph the water level for you. We got a bit of rain over Memorial Day Weekend this year.