It's that time of year again when I am looking for someone to sail with me on the 2014 Texas 200. For those that do not know, the Texas 200 is an event sailing up the coast of Texas, 5 days of sailing and 4 nights of camping. The sailing days of the event start on Monday June 9th and sail to the end on Friday June 14th. http://www.texas200.com/
The event this year will not be as hard as 2013 as we will be having at least (at present) 14 PDR's (Puddle Duck Racers) sailing with the fleet for cancer awarness. One of the Ducks is painted yellow with a line down the center. They are having people sign names on one side in honor of cancer survivors and the other side in memory of those who lost the fight against cancer. The sail above the reef points will also having signing space on each side. Those not familiar with PDR's, they are homebuilt, 8' LOA with a 4' beam, and they sail typically at 2 to 4 knots. Because they are slow the longest leg of the event will be about 40 miles, most of the other legs will be about 35 miles. The total distance this year will be about 180 miles (2013 distance was about 220 miles) over the five days of sailing.
This year the event will start at Port Mansfield, Texas and end at Magnolia Beach on Matagorda Bay (near Port Lavaca, Texas). The event will require getting down to Port Mansfield on Friday June 6th, get the boat in the water that evening or the morning of the 7th. That provides getting the boat ready on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday the 8th I drive the Jeep and trailer to the end point at Magnolia Beach, the crew gets to stay behind in Port Mansfield and relax or socialize with other sailors who stay. Only one person per boat moves vehicles. I return via the chartered bus Sunday evening. Monday morning, sailing starts. First night camp will be in the land cut. Second night's camp is still be scouted out at a point near Corpus Christi. The third night's camp will be at a place called Paul's Mott (oyster sheel beach). The last night's camp will be at Army Hole which is an old WWII Army Air Corps base closed in 1946. Army Hole is patially maintained by the state and has a good mowed area with picnic tables to set up tents. All camping along the way is primative. All supplies, water, food, and camping gear will be carried in the boat.
If anyone is interested in joining me on this years' adventure let me know in a post or send me a private message as some did last year.
John