Take a cruise to Galveston, Texas.
By Pierce Hoover, Photo by Kemah.net
Surprisingly, both of your college-age children announced they would forgo the usual spring break destinations in order to come home to Houston and spend their vacation on the boat, with you … and a few of their friends?
"Sure, bring them along," you agree. "Wait, how many did you say"?
Not wanting to be a spoilsport, you compromise and allow the kids to invite two friends apiece, which will still mean every bunk, settee and deck cushion on your 40-footer will be occupied, and bedtime will likely come late, if at all. Fortunately, you have figured a way to host the celebratory horde and still get some rest and quality time with your spouse. This plan depends on a concerted land/sea approach to cruising.
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Photo by Kemah.Net |
The younger generation will fly in sometime in the late afternoon and make its way toward the coast. Rather than load the kids aboard while you are in the midst of pre-trip preparation, you've reserved a few rooms at the Kemah Boardwalk Hotel. (www.kemahboardwalk.com). The kids can spend the evening enjoying the adjacent Boardwalk's arcades, shops and nightclubs. Meanwhile, when you are good and ready, you can move your boat from its permanent slip in Clear Lake over to the Boardwalk Marina (www.keemahboardwalkmarina.com) with plenty of time left to enjoy a go at a piece of prime Angus over at the Saltgrass Steakhouse.
A Day on the Bay
Not surprisingly, the younger generation doesn't report for sea duty at first light. In fact, it's half past 11 by the time all are present and accounted for, and well past noon by the time personal effects are stowed and the guests familiarized with the vessel. Fortunately, you've anticipated this leisurely timeline, and today's cruise plan calls for a relaxed three-hour idle down Galveston Bay.
Though the 15-mile-wide expanse of the bay might seem like open ocean to the crew, you are actually in protected waters as you follow the markers down Bolivar Roads Channel. Houston is one of the nation's busiest ports; as you cruise, you are treated to a nonstop parade of ships hailing from every corner of the globe. Just past San Leon, you pass a small group of pleasure boats bobbing behind a granite breakwater. This is the restored anchorage at Redfish Island, and on busy summer weekends, it will be filled to overflowing.
There are a number of good anchorages scattered throughout the bay, but with the college crowd aboard, a night on the hook is not part of the plan. Instead, you turn left just shy of the inlet and follow the Galveston Channel into the heart of a working waterfront. Brawny tugs and tows abound, but they are in turn dwarfed by supply ships and gigantic drilling platforms being readied for a return to the offshore oil patch.
Situated in the middle of all this heavy metal is a stretch of renovated waterfront that houses the Harbor House Marina at Pier 21 (www.harborhousepier21.com). This diminutive hole-in-the-wall port has fewer than a dozen slips, and backs up to a trio of upscale boutique hotels. You and the better half will be checking into the Tremont House, leaving the on-board bunks to the youngsters, who are free to roam The Strand and the city's historic downtown district till closing time. But before the evening's parting of the ways, everyone convenes on the waterfront deck of the Olympia at Pier 21 for appetizers and a round of Mango Wangos (www.olympiapier21.com).
Through the Oil Patch
The front desk delivers an early wake-up call, as requested. Before heading to the boat, you detour over to the Phoenix Bakery on Mechanic Street for some savory breakfast pastries. Back aboard, you cast off with the help of two of the more sentient collegians. They return to a recumbent state as you clear the breakwater and head into the Gulf of Mexico.
The weather report calls for perfect cruising conditions along the mid-Texas coast. With a long, gentle groundswell over smooth seas, you can get up on plane and run a comfortable 22 knots without rattling the revelers. If the weather holds, you'll be able to put some serious miles under the keel today, staying outside and making the run to Port Aransas in a single day. If conditions were to change, you'd have several inlets to duck into and continue south along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
The low coastal plain is soon lost over the western horizon, but not long after that, the first oil platform comes into view. For the next six hours, you glide past an amazing assortment of metallic structures ranging from simple single-leg wellheads to towering production complexes the size of a city block. Even though you are better than 20 miles offshore, the presence of these structures somehow makes the open ocean feel smaller and less threatening.
The sun is low on the horizon when you spot the sea buoy marking the entrance channel to Aransas Pass. Ahead, a small freighter is proceeding up the fairway, while a gaggle of outbound shrimp boats fan out north and south. The channel divides; the freighter turns left and makes for Corpus Christi. You make another left and enter the protected basin of Port Aransas. Not wanting to chance it, you'd called ahead to secure a reservation at the Municipal Marina (361-749-5429). With engines stopped and lines secured, it's time for the youngsters to earn their keep with soap and sponge while you take the dinghy over to get a room at the Captain's Quarter Hotel.
After a swim and a shower, you reunite with the kids for a waterfront meal at the Trout Street Grill. You linger afterwards to listen to some acoustic guitar, while the bolder members of the crew embark on a routine that will likely include a few rounds of karaoke at the Salty Dog club, an appearance at the Back Porch Bar, and who knows what else.
Not to worry. Port Aransas will be home base for the next few days. In addition to some beach time and explorations on rented bicycles, there's the possibility of day cruises into Corpus Christi, up to Rockport, or over to the wild shoreline of San Jose Island. It's great to spend time with the kids — especially when you can maintain a little breathing room.
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