3rd Annual 2005 Raid to be announced soon
with overnight camp on the beach
Invitation:This Raid/Cruise is an unorganized event where we sail out to a beach and camp there overnight, head back the next day. Some of us sleep in tents on the beach, and some of us anchor out. Anyone is welcome to join us in any type of boat. Would be neat to see the smaller pocket cruisers, board boats, pdracers, kayaks & dinghies . If you don't have a boat, you might be able to catch a ride with someone else, post up a message at pds-tx discussion group to see if someone can take you as crew. If you plan to go, please send me an email with your name & info so I can put your name on the list, and email everyone each other's cell numbers a couple days before the event. When we return on Sunday to Palacios, there are some very nice restaurants we can visit for lunch, but most close at 2pm.
For inspiration, see stories on the Board Boat Cruising page. Here are pics from last year List of other events on the PDRacer Schedule
Warning:
Boating is a dangerous sport, and this is potentially a dangerous trip. By going on this trip you are responsible and liable for your own actions. There is no committee or organizing body that will provide any support or safety.
Launch Point:
#1 Palacios Public Ramp N28-41.924 W096-13.111
Free public boat ramp which is 1/2 block west of the Luther Hotel, which is at 408 S Bay Blvd, Palacios, TX 77465. You can use MapQuest to figure how to get there.
Directions from Houston: S on I-45, go 30 miles from The Woodlands
S on 59, go 69 miles
L (south) onto TX-71 go 21 miles
slight Right onto TX-35 W. go 12 miles
road curves right, continue for 2 blocks
turn left at 6th Street
ramp is near the south end of 6th street
Map 2 Detail of Palacios area, the star is the launch ramp
luth1.jpg The beach and break water in front of Luther Hotel.
luth2.jpg The Luther Hotel
luth3.jpg The launch ramp near Luther Hotel. It has a parking lot to the right, and just beyond the ramp to the right is the beach area shown in the next picture
luth4.jpg Beach area at the launch ramp, inside the break water. Plenty of space to setup a boat with a complicated rig.
Destination:
Palacios Point Beach N28-35.172 W096-13.771
Pic 1 The beach, looking North
Pic 2 The beach, looking South
There is a geocache there.
Maps & Tide Data:
Here is the tide data from TexasMojo.com. A 15-20 mph wind from the North can blow a lot of water out of the bay in just a few hours, so if there is a wind like that you can throw the tide predictions out the window.
09/25/2004 Sat 10:10AM LDT 1.3 H 11:01PM LDT 0.3 L
09/26/2004 Sun 02:08PM LDT 1.2 H 11:55PM LDT 0.5 L
Map 1 Overall map of area
eroute Easy route in protected water
Map 2 Detail of Palacios area, the star is the launch ramp
Map 4 Chart of area
Maptech.com nautical map of area
FishNMap.com Sells good maps that cover this area
Local Accomodations
The Luther Hotel is less than a block away from the launch point. Very handy !....It is a very old hotel, but very clean and comfortable. No phones in the rooms or elevators, but other than that good place to stay. Toll free number is 1-888-585-7067 for reservations, and you will talk to either Billy or Dolly Hamlin (managers and VERY nice). Other places are available and you can contact the Chamber of Commerce in Palacios for numbers, etc.
Communication:
Please Please Please !...either email me at one of the links on this page to confirm that you will be coming, or call me at 903-743-5555 to let me know. We plan a launch time from the Palacios ramp at 10:00 AM on Saturday October 9, meet at the beach area on Palacios Point to camp out. We suggest you try to make it to the beach area by no later than 4:00 PM. It only takes a couple or so hours of sailing from the ramp to the beach, but the sooner you get there, the sooner we will know you are OK.
VHF radios on channel 16
FRS and GMRS family radios on channel 3
The FRS and GMRS family radios can be purchased for as little as $10. The FRS only has a range of 2 miles, and the GMRS a range of 5 miles, so is probably only good for chatting between near boats. Also suggested is to keep it in a ziplock or other waterproof bag. (you can talk on it while it is in the bag)
Bad Weather Cancellation:
On the Friday before the raid we will decide if it should be postponed. Will talk about it at pds-tx discussion group .
A Few of those previously signed up (some made it, some did not)
| Name | Boat | From |
| Shorty |
ODay - 19 | The Woodlands, TX |
| Chuck Leinweber | 13'9" LadyBug | Harper, TX. |
| Doug Day | 15'6" Windsprint | NW Houston, TX. |
| James Banik |
16' AF3 | NE Houston, TX. |
| Mike Malone |
17'6" Stevenson Pocket Cruiser | Dallas, TX. |
| Kevin O'Neill |
18' Proa | Houston, TX. |
| BlackDog |
19' Prindle Catamaran | Houston, TX. |
| Gerard Mittelstaedt |
13' "Ocean Breeze" | McAllen, TX. |
| Bill Tosh |
14' Meadowbird | Rusk, TX. |
| Andrew Creamer |
15' Dolphin Sr. | The Woodlands, TX. |
| Randy Watkins |
15' Montgomery | College Station, TX. |
| Tim Cowden |
16' Binder Clip Canoe | College Station, TX. |
| Hugh McKean |
17' Hunt 5.2 | Rusk, TX. |
| Richard Rudis |
??' SneakBox | California |
| Robert E. Lee |
12' Sparrow | Reese, TX. |
| Wayne Yeargain |
17' Montgomery | Manvel, TX. |
| Roger Harlow |
11' Piccup Pram | Portland, TX. |
| Louis Cisnero | P-15' ~Tortuga~ | Jordanton, TX. |
| Jim Bilner |
First Mate for R. E. Lee | Omaha, NE. | Christopher Judd |
Capri 14.2 | Huntsville, TX. | Gregg Hill |
WWP-15 "Daphne" @2034 | Bellaire, TX. | J.N."Noel" Nicholls |
Cortez 16 | San Antonio, TX. | John Hargrove |
O'Day 19~Mariner | Pearland, TX. | Mike Jepson |
21’ Dovekie | Houston, TX. | Les Rhodes |
Crewing with Mike Jepson | Houston, TX. | Walter Owens |
12' Flat Rat | Garland, TX. |
Emergency Numbers:
Local Palacios police direct number: 361-972-2112
I talked to a local police officer, he said that there is hardly any crime there and our cars should be very safe if kept locked up and parked for the night.
Tow Boat U.S. -Port O'Conner- Capt. Steve Pfuntner, mobile- 361-920-0600, VHF 16 -- $450 for a tow !!!!
| Ya'll come,,,We'll see you at the ramp OR Palacios Point Beach!!!!!---Please be sure to remember to bring "3" (three only) sticks of firewood for the beach fire.!!!! | Email - |