We have decided to bite the big salt bullet and head down to the Gulf
coast (Houston/Galveston) come August 1 (end of this lease).

We are concentrating on the Seabrook - Clear Lake - Kemah area - maybe
as far as Webster.

I can deal with an apartment for a year to have a chance to look around
for a house. I've found dozens of links and have started calling them
for availability and details. Looks goo so far.

But I'm having a hard time turning up good information on marinas.

I'm (obviously) taking my 18 with me. But we looked at a gorgeous
1984 Ericson 30 plus last night. The price is certainly within
reason, and did I mention the boat is immaculate? It's the best
kept boat I've seen since I started looking at bigger boats.

Now I can park the 18 on the trailer just about anywhere.
But not a 30!

So...

Thought I'd ask here and see of anyone in that area can offer some
advice. Where is good - or more importantly - where is bad!

Richard

Check out www.activecaptain.com. Has reviews written by locals about
marinas all over the world. Just search for "Clear Lake, TX" or
navigate there using the graphical interface. www.marinas.com has lots
of pictures of the marinas, but no local input.
Here's a phone/address only list: http://photohome.com/clearlake/marinas.html
I stay at South Shore Harbour marina and love it. There are lots of
good ones around... you might tell more what you're looking for. Close
to the bay, cheaper, amenities, Liveaboard?

Keith wrote:
Check out www.activecaptain.com. Has reviews written by locals about
marinas all over the world. Just search for "Clear Lake, TX" or
navigate there using the graphical interface. www.marinas.com has lots
of pictures of the marinas, but no local input.
Here's a phone/address only list: http://photohome.com/clearlake/marinas.html
I stay at South Shore Harbour marina and love it. There are lots of
good ones around... you might tell more what you're looking for. Close
to the bay, cheaper, amenities, Liveaboard?


Thanks, Keith,

That's exactly what I'm looking for.

Richard

We purchased our Beneteau 461 in the area you are looking at. The
previous owner had it in a private marine "Waterford Yact Club". The
marina is surronded by apartments on one side and very expensive homes
on the other. I think our slip rate was something like $360 per
month. The are is very protected from any type of storm, short of a
Huricane. We lived on the boat for about 3 months before we had is
shipped out.

You have acess to pools, yacht club, showers......

I was never in one of the Waterford apartments, but from the outside
they looked very nice. 24 hour security, gated, etc.

I recommend the area and the marina. Excellent boatyard there also if
you need any work done.

-Mark Read
http://GoReads.com

On Jun 18, 4:10 pm, cavelamb himself wrote:
We have decided to bite the big salt bullet and head down to the Gulf
coast (Houston/Galveston) come August 1 (end of this lease).

We are concentrating on the Seabrook - Clear Lake - Kemah area - maybe
as far as Webster.

I can deal with an apartment for a year to have a chance to look around
for a house. I've found dozens of links and have started calling them
for availability and details. Looks goo so far.

But I'm having a hard time turning up good information on marinas.

I'm (obviously) taking my 18 with me. But we looked at a gorgeous
1984 Ericson 30 plus last night. The price is certainly within
reason, and did I mention the boat is immaculate? It's the best
kept boat I've seen since I started looking at bigger boats.

Now I can park the 18 on the trailer just about anywhere.
But not a 30!

So...

Thought I'd ask here and see of anyone in that area can offer some
advice. Where is good - or more importantly - where is bad!

Richard

I've lived in the area aboard for 13 years. Waterford is nice, South
Shores nice bit more expensive, houston yacht club is cheaper, Baytown
marina is cheaper but a bit out of the way, Seabrook Shipyard has to
many assholes IMO, Kemah boardwalk is nice, but crowded and expensive,
Clearlake marine center is the best but doubt they have an empty slip,
the Hilton has a marina, and there are another 3-4 marinas that are OK
but a bit shallow. Oh and Watergate is nice too.

Tell me more about your boat, draft, are you living aboard? What you
like, and I can give you a better suggestions.

You can see my boat here
http://marinas.com/view/marina/4117

Joe

FYI, Joe... the Hilton demolished their marina. New owners of the
hotel decided they weren't in the marina business. It was pretty ratty
anyway.

Mark R. wrote:
We purchased our Beneteau 461 in the area you are looking at. The
previous owner had it in a private marine "Waterford Yact Club". The
marina is surronded by apartments on one side and very expensive homes
on the other. I think our slip rate was something like $360 per
month. The are is very protected from any type of storm, short of a
Huricane. We lived on the boat for about 3 months before we had is
shipped out.

You have acess to pools, yacht club, showers......

I was never in one of the Waterford apartments, but from the outside
they looked very nice. 24 hour security, gated, etc.

I recommend the area and the marina. Excellent boatyard there also if
you need any work done.

-Mark Read
http://GoReads.com


Hi Mark,

Thanks for the lead.
I'll look then up.

Beneteau 461, huh?
Man, you and I are at opposite ends of the bragging spectrum.
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~cavel...rit.htm#spirit

I've located an older apartment complex in Seabrook - on Clear Lake.
They were receintly renovated. Looks pretty good.

that one provides a slip for $40 per month and 25 feet from my front
door.

Only down side is the tiny "stackable" washer and dryer set up.
Maybe I need to upgrade my wardrobe to shorts and sandals?

I've been sailing fresh water exclusively.
Going into salt (I assume Clear Lake is salty) I think the boat will
need the bottom redone with very good anti-fowling paint.
Otherwise she's in pretty good shape now.

Well, this is what dreams are made of...

Richard

Joe wrote:

On Jun 18, 4:10 pm, cavelamb himself wrote:

We have decided to bite the big salt bullet and head down to the Gulf
coast (Houston/Galveston) come August 1 (end of this lease).

We are concentrating on the Seabrook - Clear Lake - Kemah area - maybe
as far as Webster.

I can deal with an apartment for a year to have a chance to look around
for a house. I've found dozens of links and have started calling them
for availability and details. Looks goo so far.

But I'm having a hard time turning up good information on marinas.

I'm (obviously) taking my 18 with me. But we looked at a gorgeous
1984 Ericson 30 plus last night. The price is certainly within
reason, and did I mention the boat is immaculate? It's the best
kept boat I've seen since I started looking at bigger boats.

Now I can park the 18 on the trailer just about anywhere.
But not a 30!

So...

Thought I'd ask here and see of anyone in that area can offer some
advice. Where is good - or more importantly - where is bad!

Richard


I've lived in the area aboard for 13 years. Waterford is nice, South
Shores nice bit more expensive, houston yacht club is cheaper, Baytown
marina is cheaper but a bit out of the way, Seabrook Shipyard has to
many assholes IMO, Kemah boardwalk is nice, but crowded and expensive,
Clearlake marine center is the best but doubt they have an empty slip,
the Hilton has a marina, and there are another 3-4 marinas that are OK
but a bit shallow. Oh and Watergate is nice too.

Tell me more about your boat, draft, are you living aboard? What you
like, and I can give you a better suggestions.

You can see my boat here
http://marinas.com/view/marina/4117

Joe


Tiny little Catalina Capri 18.
Ballasted fin keel less than 3 feet deep.
1500 pounds displacement.
Crew of one - sometimes two.

And no -LOL- not living aboard this one.
Although we do camp out occasionally.

http://www.home.earthlink.net/~cavel...rit.htm#spirit


At the moment I'm just looking forward to getting my bottom
salted. That's mostly the reason for looking at this particular
area - good protected water with access to the bay.

I just want to get some sea going experience - in moderate steps.
Not jump in over my head first time out.

Thanks, Joe.

Richard

My experience was that Clear Lake (really just a backed up creek that
did not exist too many years ago) was too shalow to do any sailing.
They dredge very defined channels for the boats to navigate through.
When there is a strong North wind for several days, it literally blows
most of the water out of Clear Lake.

I think you will spend most of your sailing time in Galveston Bay.
Buy a navigation chart of the Bay and I think you will be shocked to
see so much water, and almost all of it is 8 feet deep or less. They
dredge a hugh channel down the middle of it for very large cargo
ships, and yet on either side of the channel, 8 feet. The tide is
about 1 1/2 feet.

We had a lot of work done in a boat yard called South Texas Yacht
Services. You can do as much work their on your own as you want.
Friendly, knowledgeable, and fair in respect to price.

Click here for a posting on our site about our experience there
http://goreads.com/blog/2005/03/hot_...n_houston.html

On Jun 21, 12:47 am, "Mark R." wrote:
My experience was that Clear Lake (really just a backed up creek that
did not exist too many years ago) was too shalow to do any sailing.
They dredge very defined channels for the boats to navigate through.
When there is a strong North wind for several days, it literally blows
most of the water out of Clear Lake.

I think you will spend most of your sailing time in Galveston Bay.
Buy a navigation chart of the Bay and I think you will be shocked to
see so much water, and almost all of it is 8 feet deep or less. They
dredge a hugh channel down the middle of it for very large cargo
ships, and yet on either side of the channel, 8 feet. The tide is
about 1 1/2 feet.

We had a lot of work done in a boat yard called South Texas Yacht
Services. You can do as much work their on your own as you want.
Friendly, knowledgeable, and fair in respect to price.

Click here for a posting on our site about our experience therehttp://goreads.com/blog/2005/03/hot_days_in_houston.html

It is not a backed up creek! Sorry, I have a chart of the Galveston
Bay area from the 1800's, before the Civil War that shows Clear Lake.
Now the word "Clear" must have been thought up by a marketing person
trying to sell land, because it's anything but. The tidal range is
almost nothing here, but the North winds in winter literally do blow a
lot of water out of the lake. OTOH, the South winds blow it into the
lake in the Summer, so you can sail all over then. Just have to watch
the winds more than the tide. The Houston Ship channel goes through
Galveston bay, and is around 50' deep. As with any cruising area, get
a chart of the area so you know where to go and avoid.