Marinas Near Corpus Christi TX

[Garrettw]

Originally Posted by sailjumanji

My perspective, having owned a house in IM for three years now, and boat in the marina for a couple of years up until this summer. I don't know what IM draft is, but there are a bunch of very large boats in here. If over six feet though, I can imagine there might be some spots in Piper Channel that you bump. I seem to remember everything before over 8 ft, except maybe getting too close to the side of channel.

I was there last summer and logged my corrected depth telemetry to Navionics' database ( https://webapp.navionics.com and click the sonar icon in the lower left when you are zoomed to the IM channel). I saw slightly less than 7' at the dogleg and also around marker 13 at a summertime low tide. Everywhere else was 8-9'. Sand/mud bottom.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by Zhim

Just wanted to say thanks one more time to everyone who replied and gave me advice!

I'm all set to leave the Municipal Marina tomorrow for a slip I've rented in IM. It does seem rather expensive but I think it will be good for at least my first two months aboard. I'll mostly be taking sailing lessons on other boats and completely redoing the electrical on this Catalina 22 I bought, so that long channel between the marina and bay won't be so bad.

Once again a big thanks to all of you!

We lived at IM for a year or so on a 34 ft vessel. The management is really really nice. Not sure about livaboard length minimums. There is a catamaran called Stray Cat( can't miss her), Captain Chester is really nice and could help you get the lay of the land. Tell him erika sent you ( I owned Stray Cat many many years ago).
We had AT&T. My hubby works remote also, he liked to hop over to the coffee shop with nice comfy chairs that is less then a mile away to do most of his computing.
Will write more if I can think of anything helpful.
Have fun on your great adventure :-)
Erika and Brian
sv Rain Dog

[Ocean Girl]

PS
22 is small for a marina to allow as a livaboard. But you may explain that you will possibly upgrade to a longer length if this floating life agrees with you. They may be more forgiving knowing it could be a temporary situation.

[sailjumanji]

So did you make it? Thought I saw a Catalina 22 with a pretty tall dodger go by earlier today, motoring thru the marina. You picked a crappy week for a move. At least the wind laid down a bit today. Drizzle and cold. You should have been here a week ago! Shorts weather.

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by sailjumanji

So did you make it? Thought I saw a Catalina 22 with a pretty tall dodger go by earlier today, motoring thru the marina. You picked a crappy week for a move. At least the wind laid down a bit today. Drizzle and cold. You should have been here a week ago! Shorts weather.

We used to walk by your boat and drool :-). Love the seawinds
Cheers
Erika

[Zhim]

Thanks Ocean Girl, I'll look for it and stop by to say hello to Captain Chester. From my limited experience so far I've come to believe that the sailing community is made of some of the kindest people who ever lived! It's a very friendly environment.

@Sailjumanji

I did make it, with the help of a friend I was able to get from the City Marina to IM with no problems, we were even able to sail most of the way. That was on Tuesday and the weather calmed down a bit then. I think it was about the best weather I could hope for with my schedule. Had to buy the boat before the 27th and that storm was closing in from the North just a day earlier!

I don't have a dodger on mine so that must have been another, I know I saw several Catalina 22's around the docks. It's always fun to see another one, makes me extra motivated to get mine cleaned up and looking all fancy.

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

We used to walk by your boat and drool :-). Love the seawinds
Cheers
Erika

Thanks Erika. Not sure we ever met, but I think not. Seems like I sure knew a lot of the guys there. Before we left IM, we replaced a lot of electronics and always had people stopping by asking what we were doing. That's cool. We put in new electronics, added AIS and broadband radar, and went N2K system. That drew a pretty good crowd. Ha HA We moved the boat to Kemah later in the summer, as we were still working in Houston. There we had the mast pulled and all standing rigging changed out, and the mast wiring and lights all changed. And I put in a watermaker.

The boat is now in Alabama, waiting for us to return next year and we are taking it down thru Florida, stay in the Keys for about a month, and then two months in Exumas. It'll be an adventure, as we have never spent more than a couple of weeks on it at a time. Have been prepping for this for about six months though, so I think we will be ready. Hoping for the best. We have two other Seawinds that we are buddy-boating with in the Exumas - one coming from Florida, and the other from Louisiana. Should be a real hoot!

[sailjumanji]

Chester's boat is the first cat on the transient dock. We stayed in the next slip - also on transient dock. At almost 19 ft wide, it was either there or on a T-head. Now I see there are a lot of catamarans there.

The motor in and out of Piper channel takes some time, but that gives you an opportunity to put the sails away, get everything ship-shape for dock arrival, and to have a beer. Usually some dolphins hanging out around the Piper channel jetties, and we have been know to take a load of people out just to see them there when otherwise the weather was crappy.

Our favorite sailing area is the Lydia Ann Channel, where the wind is almost always a beam reach from Corpus Christi channel to the Aransas Bay. Gotta watch Aransas Bay as there are some shallow areas if you get out of the channel too early. Corpus Christi Bay is also nice place to sail, but it is a pretty big bay, and can get choppy easily. Corpus Christi Channel is very wide and you can sail up and down it in very flat water. Offshore of course, when the weather is nice. Lots of good sailing, and the water is pretty clear. No Bahamas clear, but about as good as it gets in Texas, in developed areas.

If you don't have a car, there is a bus that runs thru Port Aransas called the B Line. I think it costs $0.50 each time you board. There are some great places to eat in Port A, but some are pretty pricey. Worth the money, but will have to limit if you are on a budget. Closest West Marine is in Corpus, south side. I think there is one place on the island to get boat parts, but I never tried it. We were going thru very large scale updating of the Seawind systems, and went to West Marine for all of the B&G stuff (on triple points weekend), or Defender for the rest of the electronics. And we had a commercial account at a wholesaler in Kemah, for everything else. Not sure what you need for your Catalina 22.

Hope you enjoy it there. When the weather warms up, the island will start getting visitors, and the complexion changes. You will learn to deal with the traffic. Hint, most of the heavy drinkers are still in bed until noon, so get all of your running around one before then in the peak summer months.

[SSgtPitt]

If you change your mind, I've got a 40' slip in the new area at CC Muni Marina. Security is high, regular patrols, baths and laundry at every T-Head, live aboard ok, nice and quiet way over here and it's an easy walk to Whataburger, Convenience stores and Enterprise Rent a car. We were at the 1st T Head until they opened up the new area. Landrys and the other bar are great for food and drinks but it can get loud if you're trying to sleep.
Good luck.