The Texas 200 is a yearly 200 mile event up the Texas coast.
Last year the wind was howling from behind. This year there was a fair bit of upwind stuff and the wind was somewhat lighter.
John And his son sailed their lime green and newly built Goat Island Skiff (named GIR) in the event and it sounds like they have done quite well.
This year it looks a bit calmer. Or at least in the 1/250 second of this photo.
I will try to find more
From John in the Morning
GIR crew left this morning shortly after 8:05 am. It had rained lightly during the night. Fortunately it had already stopped by morning. They are off to the next stop – Paul’s Mott where Long Reef runs into St. Joseph’s Island in Aransas Bay. Let’s hope they’ll have some cell reception and good weather!
In the Afternoon
Day 3 was another day of sailing upwind.
The winds are coming from the East so there was a lot of tacking upwind. Both sails were in use today with no reefing. There were not head bumps today but some pretty scary moments were had. While crossing the ship channel the wind died at the most unnerving times. All the boats felt stressed crossing it. It was a relief that no one got run over. David says they were in danger 3 times!
After the channel crossing they went around Shamrock Island (which was the long route) then headed for Blind Pass. They missed the channel for Blind Pass and hit bottom, but the second time around they found the way in by staying close to the grass (10 feet off shore). They are camping tonight at Paul’s Mott on the beach there.
They’ll be off early again tomorrow. Tonight’s menu was Chicken Fajitas for David and Spaghetti and Meat Sauce for John. MMMMMM
Tomorrow’s destination is Army Hole. David says they are pretty fast and will beat almost everyone.
Goodnight until tomorrow.
Next day
First half of the day had light winds and it was very hot . It was a good opportunity to put up the bimini which helped a lot! After leaving Paul’s Mott we took the inter coastal waterway to marker 31, then we sailed to Panther Reef Cut.
Going through there we saw a big school of redfish about 36 inches big that were probably spawning (they were stirring up the bottom). Then we headed for South Pass to Army Hole.
We outpaced a Core Sound 17 and a Sea Pearl 21 . We were the 2nd boat to sail in (we don’t have a motor) after a Hobby 16. We docked at about 5ish in a beautiful slip in Army Hole and enjoyed the rest of the day.
Tomorrow will be a short day and we might just wait till the wind picks up before we set out.
We should be arriving around noon.GIR out.
To beat a core sound is quite an accomplishment … they are quick. Could be extra sail area from the bimini! Glad that they only used it in the light wind.
The Core Sound designer is also from Australia.
Day 3
Day 3 was another day of sailing upwind. The winds are coming from the East so there was a lot of tacking upwind.
Both sails were in use today with no reefing. There were not head bumps today but some pretty scary moments were had. :shock: While crossing the ship channel the wind died at the most unnerving times. All the boats felt stressed crossing it. It was a relief that no one got run over.
David says they were in danger 3 times! :shock: After the channel crossing they went around Shamrock Island (which was the long route) then headed for Blind Pass.
They missed the channel for Blind Pass and hit bottom, but the second time around they found the way in by staying close to the grass (10 feet off shore). They are camping tonight at Paul’s Mott on the beach there.
They’ll be off early again tomorrow. Tonight’s menu was Chicken Fajitas for David and Spaghetti and Meat Sauce for John. MMMMMM :P
Tomorrow’s destination is Army Hole. David says they are pretty fast and will beat almost everyone. :lol:
Goodnight until tomorrow.
Final Day – Finishing note
The first GIS Yawl has finished it’s first 200 mile shake down cruise up the Texas coast. We are very happy with how the boat performed. We had no wind up to about 15knot gusts during the 5 day event.
We just rolled in and I am ready for a shower. Will post more details later.
What a great sailing boat!
Here is John or David looking quite salt encrusted
Finishing Day – Report
GIR Day 5
At end of day 4 we had had a great sail to Army Hole and quickly set up camp. David crawled into the tent and took a 4 hour nap. I broke out some of our comfort food and a group of sailors enjoyed it with some great conversations. Comfort food was crackers, hard salami and cheese-n-a-can. Nothing any of us would eat while at home, but it sure tasted good after a very long day.
My right hand and shoulder were very tired, sore and swollen from sailing on starboard tack all day. The moon rise was beautiful, the evening cool and a slow stream of people brought their boats into Army Hole as the sun set. The arrival of the Puddle Ducks (smallest boat in the fleet) brought everyone out to cheer them into the harbor. Those guys are tough.
We slept in and cleaned up the boat and were the last ones to leave. With a light wind and a adverse current we spent some time sailing along with some of the other boats talking about boats and other things. With a light wind hard on the nose, the channel was not fun with lots of power boaters and barges making the water feel like a washing machine.
After we turned the corner at the end of the jetties a slow downwind sail to Magnolia Beach began. We put up our umbrellas, extra sail area and shade, and drifted. The waves were building, but the wind didn’t. Balancing the boat was getting to be a challenge for David who had been at the helm since we left Army Hole. After we switched the wind increased and made it a lot funnier to surf the boat down the waves. (very small waves)
We pulled up onto the beach and were greeted by my wife Rosa and my parents. We did it!
A couple more pics of their boat are here
While the Goat Island Skiff is designed for more conservative sailing than this, it shows that with care small boats can be used for quite adventurous outings. The things in favour of this event are that it is protected from the ocean by low sand islands most of the way, the water is very warm so little risk of hypothermia, except for the main channel and some of the bays standing water depth is not far away, and there are a lot of other boats in the event to keep track of you.
