by jeadstx » Tue Jun 07, 2016 3:38 am
Thanks Tim. Didn't ever finish writing my article last year, may still try to finish it. I do plan to write one for this year. Data should start showing up on the SPOT tracker on Friday as we head to Port Isabel.
As to your questions Shagbark, I'll try to answer a few. It is recommended to be able to carry all gear and provisions for the entire trip. However there are a couple places along the way to re-supply with water and ice. Port Mansfield has supplies available. Port Mansfield is where the first night's camp is at although the camp is officially at the Port Mansfield Jetties about 6 miles east of Port Mansfield on the barrier islands at the opening going into the Gulf. On day 1 we have a choice of routes. We can take the inside route which follows a channel of the ICW in the South Laguna Madre and goes to Port Mansfield. Some of the boats will camp there rather than come out to the jetties. The other option is to take the Gulf (wind and weather permitting) route and sail a couple miles offshore up to the jetties. I've taken both routes. The area between Port Isabel and Port Mansfield is about 42 miles of no civilization. It is the area that crosses the King Ranch (a very big ranch).
Re-supply is pretty much non-existent from Port Mansfield to Corpus Christi. Just before the Kennedy causeway near Corpus Christi and a couple miles before Corpus Christi Bay there is a place many have stopped at called Marker 37 (oddly enough it is at buoy 37 as well). There are docks to tie up to there. They have ice and water. There are also two restaurants there, Snoopy's and Doc's if one is so inclined. A ramp with a small store are on the other side of the causeway. Some years we camp at Padre Island Yacht Club and club members will take folks to the store. PIYC is near Marker 37. The next re-supply is at Port Aransas, but you have to get into the harbor, dock and walk a mile or so to a store. Corpus Christi area is about mid way. The rest of the trip, re-supply is a little sparse unless you follow the ICW channel which may get you near a coastal town. At Corpus Christi bay routes begin to vary more than just taking the ICW channel. Boats with deeper draft have to pretty much stick to the rather boring ICW channels and play with barge traffic. Boats that can handle skinny water like the Day Sailer can try the navigational challenge routes (that's the way I take), no re-supply along those routes. On the last day there is Port O'Conner where you can stop, but it is so close to the finish that few stop unless they really need to.
One thing we do is to drive our vehicles and trailers to the finish at Magnolia Beach on the day before sailing starts. The Tx200 committee has a safe parking area for the vehicles. We meet at the parking area, at a store there and the Tx200 club buy the skippers (or whoever drove the vehicle and trailer) lunch. We then get on a chartered bus for the ride back to Port Isabel. At the end of the event we hitch a ride over to the parking area to get the cars/trailers. We can retrieve boats at the ramp or right off the beach. We then have a big shrimp boil.
It is a good trip, a long sail, and mostly on the same tack. The barge captains are friendly to the sailboats, but care is still taken not to get in their path. You definitely know your boat by the end of it. any other questions, please ask. There have been a few other boats from this forum that have sailed the event. The Texas 200 is always the 2nd full week of June each year.
John
1976 Day Sailer II, #8075 - Completed the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Texas 200
1952 Beetle Boat Swan Catboat
Early Rhodes 19
1973 Mariner 2+2, #2607 - Completed 2014, 2015 and 2016 Texas 200
1969 Day Sailer I, #3229
Fleet 135; Canyon Lake, Texas