Any info on Texas-south?

winderama · Joined: 08 May 2000 Posts: 4

Could someone please give me correct info for the Texas-south area. It looks like winds were generally blowing 15 and up for the past few weeks in parts near Corpus Christie and also near S. Padre IWindsurf says S. Padre is blows 7 and Pt. Isabel (3 miles away blows 20. I called down there and the S. Padre guy said the wind blows the same in Pt. Isabel as in S. Padre and S. Padre blows the same as Corpus. I dont get it. He also says poeple only windsuf at S. Padre and not Pt. Isabelle. Could you please give me some honest, unbiased info. I live in NY and am trying to decide of I should take a trip down there or go to Cape Hatteras, but I was skunked in Hatteras 2 out of 2 times already.

Thanks

rlshirey · Posted: Mon May 07, 2001 12:20 pm Post subject: RE: Any info on Texas-south?

I sailed South Padre Island for the first time 4/17 thru 4/22. The 1st day I started out on a 6.6 sail and within an hour had to switch to a 4.6 sail. The next 5 days I was sailing on a 5.8 to a 5.5 sail. I weight 190 lbs and was on a Hifly Maxx.

I dont think you can sail out of Port Isabelle but I am not sure. Two places rent gear on SPI, Windsurf Inc and Boatyard. Both are on the Web. I used Boatyard and the owner Jibber was great. Jibber had us launching from a public beach called the Flats which is just North of the convention center.

Sailers I met there told me they had no wind the two days prior to my arrival and the day after my departure. I was lucky but I am told during March and April, 5 of 7 days of sailing is normal.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

In my dozen trips to Corpus, ranging from 9 days to 22 days each, all in its three windiest months (Mar, Apr, and Nov), scattered over 3-4 years, my best week ever was two days of sailing. 4-5 trips saw no sailable wind anywhere near Corpus (Bird, Bay, or Port A). (I weigh 180, my biggest board was a 12.5-foot Equipe, my biggest sail was a 7.5.) Although it was just a days drive from my Albuquerque home, I and many of my homeys quit going.

Form your own conclusions, and realize that todays huge, wide boards and 10-meter sails will plane much earlier than the gear I had then (late 80s). I have also had my butt kicked on my 3.2 there.

Mike \m/

allen · Joined: 13 Aug 1996 Posts: 237

If youre from NY youd have to fly to TX, so if youre going to fly if would seem like a wiser destination at this time of year, late May into June, would be SF or the Gorge. Both these places guarantee at least 5 days/wk of wind and have far more diverse conditions than South TX. East coast/SE coast sailing is too unreliable past Memorial Day.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

I cant speak for the Bay, but the Gorge NEVER guarantees five days of wind in any single week, not even on a 9.0 and a GO. Five days a week on a shortboard and a 5.0 or better even its premiere month -- July --is a bonus, in fact. If I were going to fly there or drive from further than Salt Lake City (an easy days drive), it would be risky to go for just one week just for windsurfing.

Mike