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View Poll Results: Is Texas good for Cruisng/Liveaboard?
What part of "Friendship" don't you get, son? 3 15.00%
You can all go to hell; I'm going to Texas 12 60.00%
Drive fast, let the Yankees freeze. 6 30.00%
Yes, it's great. 6 30.00%
Don't mess with Texas. 3 15.00%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 20. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 15-04-2021, 16:25   #1
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Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

Hi Folks,

Recently, I read about how Corpus Christi is a great place to live aboard. Looks really inexpensive compared to New England.

I'm an experienced cruiser who likes to gunkhole around, trying to decide where I'm going to live aboard when I cut loose in a year or two.

I have a few places in mind, including my home cruising grounds here in New England.

Who's cruised/lived aboard in Texas? Looking for informed opinions.

Any snags?

A glance at the NOAA 11300 and its subsidiaries suggests that there are lots of places a keel boat with a not-too-deep draft can go along that coast, to say nothing of access to Central and South America.

Looks like the oil derricks are more of a problem north and east of Galveston. I guess you go around them to get to Lousiana and Fla.

What are the ports like? How do people relate to cruisers? Are those bays really as cool and sailexplorable as they look on charts?

I'm looking for anecdotes, thread drift, recipes, supercilious put-downs, and expressions of frustration that the poll doesn't match the OP.

And anything else lighthearted. Even Kiel puns.

(And yes, that line in choice 3 was a bumper sticker I saw in Houston during the 1972 oil crisis. I'm not looking for a U.S. politics argument, but i accept that this may devolve into one.)
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We ran aground at 2300. Dad fired off flares all night, to no avail. In the morning, Mom called the Coast Guard and demanded to know why they had not responded. "But ma'm," came the abashed reply. "Yesterday was July 4th!"
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Old 15-04-2021, 17:25   #2
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Re: Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

“ If I owned Texas and Hell, I would rent out Texas and live in Hell.”
General Philip Henry Sheridan
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Old 15-04-2021, 17:46   #3
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Re: Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

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Originally Posted by tamicatana View Post
“ If I owned Texas and Hell, I would rent out Texas and live in Hell.”
General Philip Henry Sheridan
Ooh, I wish I'd put that one in my poll!
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We ran aground at 2300. Dad fired off flares all night, to no avail. In the morning, Mom called the Coast Guard and demanded to know why they had not responded. "But ma'm," came the abashed reply. "Yesterday was July 4th!"
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Old 15-04-2021, 18:06   #4
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Re: Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

It’s great here for sailors. Inexpensive to live and plenty of great water. Main downsides are tropical storms and it is hotter than hell in the summer. I sail Galveston Bay.
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Old 15-04-2021, 20:36   #5
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Re: Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

What are the relevant politics like? That is, for example, does Texas or their DNR stick their fingers into anchoring along the ICW?

Do they have things like municipally controlled mooring fields?

Are they unreasonably concerned about anchored-out liveaboards and derelict vessels?
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Old 15-04-2021, 21:58   #6
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Re: Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

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It’s great here for sailors. Inexpensive to live and plenty of great water. Main downsides are tropical storms and it is hotter than hell in the summer. I sail Galveston Bay.
What's it like sailing with all those rigs? It looks like some of them are submerged...
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We ran aground at 2300. Dad fired off flares all night, to no avail. In the morning, Mom called the Coast Guard and demanded to know why they had not responded. "But ma'm," came the abashed reply. "Yesterday was July 4th!"
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Old 15-04-2021, 22:01   #7
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Re: Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

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What are the relevant politics like? That is, for example, does Texas or their DNR stick their fingers into anchoring along the ICW?

Do they have things like municipally controlled mooring fields?

Are they unreasonably concerned about anchored-out liveaboards and derelict vessels?
All good questions. On paper, anyway, there seems to be a lot of coastline where one could anchor, inside those long barrier islands.
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We ran aground at 2300. Dad fired off flares all night, to no avail. In the morning, Mom called the Coast Guard and demanded to know why they had not responded. "But ma'm," came the abashed reply. "Yesterday was July 4th!"
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Old 16-04-2021, 05:48   #8
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Re: Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

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What's it like sailing with all those rigs? It looks like some of them are submerged...


The platforms are no problem, they’re charted and easily avoided. There was a huge push to remove many of them that were no longer productive and it’s really made a difference. Those that are felled by a storm are still charted and usually marked by bouys. Don’t navigate over black squares unless you know the platform is gone.
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Old 16-04-2021, 05:50   #9
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Re: Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

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All good questions. On paper, anyway, there seems to be a lot of coastline where one could anchor, inside those long barrier islands.


There is a ton of open coastline to anchor within. Here’s the problem. It’s shallow water a lot of times, and there are no services. The coastline in the chart snippet of matagorda bay is completely unpopulated.
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Old 16-04-2021, 05:54   #10
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Re: Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

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What are the relevant politics like? That is, for example, does Texas or their DNR stick their fingers into anchoring along the ICW?

Do they have things like municipally controlled mooring fields?

Are they unreasonably concerned about anchored-out liveaboards and derelict vessels?


There are so few boats here outside of the clumps of populated areas that there is no problem. Anchor anywhere you like within reason off of the ICW. Mind you the icw here is used for its intended purpose, commerce, and as such there are tows running 24/7. Most of the waters surrounding the ICW are shallow, and the areas unpopulated.

I’ve never seen a mooring field here, slips are MUCH less expensive than Florida. There are a handful of anchored vessels in clear lake, they don’t last long....it’s oppressive in the summer and cold in the winter.
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Old 16-04-2021, 06:16   #11
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Re: Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

I windsurfed in CC decades ago. I think it gets decent reliable winds at certain times of the year and that is why we went. Our car was pulled over by Border Patrol for "inspection" and they were absolutely douchebags about it. I suspect boats may have similar issues down there.
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Old 16-04-2021, 09:43   #12
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Re: Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

The Texas Gulf Coast offers a lot. Anchoring is no problem at all. Plenty of nice secluded spots to explore. Skinny water in a lot of areas ( practically the entirety of Galveston Bay is 9 feet or less ) and the waters the closer one gets to Galveston Bay turn an interesting shade of brown. However, the farther south one goes the better the water.

The ICW is easily accessible and sailboat friendly as long as your rig is not too tall, but as previously mentioned barge traffic is constant. The stretch between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor is not as busy and has nice scenery. The closer you get to Houston, the heavier the commercial traffic.
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Old 16-04-2021, 10:06   #13
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Re: Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

Quote:
Originally Posted by DMF Sailing View Post
What's it like sailing with all those rigs? It looks like some of them are submerged...
I too am looking hard at that area as I'm sick of all the snow flakes and Texas seems like a place where people mind their own damned business. I'm told the oil derricks rarely move so probably not that much of a navigation hazard. I'm looking at places in San Leon, which is on Galveston Bay. Property prices, with docks are between $400,000 and $600,000 - can't touch that in the PRK
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Old 16-04-2021, 10:30   #14
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Re: Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

I was thinking of living out of Palacios, perfect bay and no commercial traffic in the area. BUT this is the home port for most of the commercial fishing fleet on the Texas Gulf. Well, the moving to the Gulf has not worked out but only because my Life is not controlled by my wants! Biggest down side in my mind is the JULY - OCTOBER heat and the spring storms but either is manageable.
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Old 16-04-2021, 10:41   #15
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Re: Is Texas a good place to cruise/liveaboard?

The muddy Mississippi water rotates with the current Southwardly along the Texas coast and doesn’t clear up until near Brownsville. There is clearwater offshore beginning at about 3 to 8 miles. If you love snorkeling and blue green waters, Texas may not be a great choice. As mentioned, it is very hot but, having been raised in Texas, I love the heat but can’t stand to be cold.
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