Galveston Bay boaters(Our home turf)

[Baker]

I just wanted to share a few photos of the lay of the land where we boat.* I was sitting behind my computer when my phone rang.* It was Hugh...he is on here but hasn't been here in awhile.* He said that he had a Cessna 172 ready to go and asked if I wanted to go flying.* I was right in the middle of something and my initial response was "no".* But then I thought I hadn't been in a small airplane in so long so I called him back and said to COME ON!!!* SO I went up with hugh and got some great pics.

I think we all take for granted to some degree the life that we are able to live around the water.* I live 3 miles from my boat and very often just go down there and untie and take a cruise.* We are very fortunate to be able to something like that.* Anyway. I will post these pics in series.

This first one is pretty much of the whole Clear Lake area(we are looking West/Northwest).* "Clear Lake" first off, is not clear.* Secondly, it is not a lake.* It is actually a wide part of Clear Creek.* Clear Creek is the County Line between Harris and Galveston Counties.* In the very foreground is Galveston Bay.* In the background you can see downtown Houston(the visibility was great and a great day for flying).* The first part of land is the Kemah(Tx) Boardwalk which is the showpiece of Landry's Corp.*

 

[Baker]

This is pretty much the "meat" of Clear Lake.* The marina in the foreground with the covered shed slips is where Brent and Troy and Jim M keep their boats.* I wish y'all could see these pics in full resolution....they are amazing!

And I will edit because it is something again I take for granted.* The group of buildings on the "other" side of the lake(top and center and slightly to the left) is the Johnson Space Center....Mission Control!!!


-- Edited by Baker at 23:36, 2008-07-16

 

[Baker]

This is more of a close up of Kemah proper and Seabrook(the right/North side of the pic).* The Boardwalk is pretty much in the foreground and my marina is the first one on the left(South of the Parking garage).

The group of trees in the background and to the left is Clear Lake Shores.* Clear Lake Shores is actually an Island.* Back in the 1950s the Houston Chronicle was giving parcels of land on this island FOR FREE if you would subscribe to the newspaper.* A parcel("lot") was actually about a third of the size of a normal lot...just enough to get a trailer onto.* While it is now somewhat prime real estate, there are many people that are grandfathered and you can still see the effects of the "giveaway" by the Chronicle.* It definitely adds some spice to the Island!!!!!!* There are still some very small and skinny homes(trailers) left on the Islands along with some very nice homes.*

 

[Baker]

I was shooting RAW and very glad that I did. I am shooting an Olympus E510 that has stabilization built into the sensor. I had a fairly big lens(50x200) and with the bumps in the airplane, I was very surprised that pics came out as good as they did. RAW gave me a lot of flexibility to produce the pics that you see here.

On another note.....we have Galveston County to the South....Harris to the North....Kemah,Tx to the South...Seabrook, Tx to the North...We have Clear Lake Shores....We have League City and Nassau Bay.........................What I am getting at here is that there are probably 8-12 "jurisdictions" of law enforcement in this 1 mile by 5 mile area. Sprinkle in the Game Warden and the USCG and it is a powderkeg of guns and badges. The Game Warden probably has the most power and also happens to be the most professional of the bunch. They just wanna know if you have all the proper safety equip and proper permits. Then the USCG patrolling with their 50 cal on the front of their inflatable. Then the County and City guys.............

 

[Jim Spence]

John, you've got a nice home base. Looks like there are a lot of places to cruise for lunch/dinner and maybe an overnight on the hook. Is the creek navagatable? How far?

 

[RT Firefly]

Mr. Baker,
*** Nice pic's.* Why all the "cops'?* I am not familiar with Texas at all.* Is Seabrook TX a particularily "sensitive" area?* No need for a response to THAT question-everybody is a bit "sensitive" these days.
** *I was recently stopped 4X in the space of an hour in the*FL area.*TWICE by the USCG-different boats, once by the Game Warden who wasn't really interested in safety but saw the fishing poles and wanted to see my fishing licence, and again by the local sheriff, who I suspect,* just wanted to get a closer look at our "deck hardware" (daughter and friends).* Why don't all these people talk to each other?* I am in*<u>full</u> compliance with all the regulations, navigate carefully, watch my wake and just out for a cruise and a bit of fishing.
** I will say, ALL law enforcemnt officials conducted themselves in a most professional manner except for the sherrif who was a bit*full of himself.*
** I really like the USCG, the men and women are doing a great job in tough times.*

-- Edited by RT Firefly at 08:05, 2008-07-17

 

[Keith]

Heck, cops like to be on the water too! Not to mention it's a good source of revenue. Cheap little boat or even a cop on a jetski can issue $1000's of tickets in a few hours. One of my friends wives and girlfriends regularly sunbathe topless out in the bay. Guess how many times they've gotten "inspected"? Me, never. One of the advantages of having a trawler I guess.

All those little cities around Clear Lake couldn't figure out who had jurisdiction where for a long time, and fought over who could give tickets out. They finally came to some agreement where ANY of them can ticket you ANYWHERE on the lake. They probably have to give a percentage to the other 6 municipalities bordering. You know, it's like speeding tickets... just a revenue collection device guised as a "safety" initiative.

 

[Baker]

Jim Spence wrote:

John, you've got a nice home base. Looks like there are a lot of places to cruise for lunch/dinner and maybe an overnight on the hook. Is the creek navagatable? How far?

The creek is not too navigable much past the reach of the pictures.* I can maybe go a coupla miles more than pictures show.* There is a bridge that limits the progress.* You can see even how low my boat is and I can't get under it(TX HWY 3).* A smaller boat or dinghy and you can go for miles......I have gone in my dinghy until the prop was draggin' in the mud!

 

[ancora]

Why are the slips covered? I don't think I would like spending any time on boat under a cover.

 

[Keith]

You're in the shade, so it's much cooler and less UV degradation on the boat. You can walk to the boat in the rain without getting wet, and stay outside on your boat when you get there. Bad parts: spiders and stuff can nest above your boat, leaving little droppings. If a hurricane comes, the tide may get so high your boat crashes into the roof, or it may go flying and damage the boats. There is one marina here that actually has floating, covered piers, but the rent is $$$! It's a matter of personal preference. I've never kept a boat under a covered slip though.

 

[Baker]

ancora wrote:

Why are the slips covered? I don't think I would like spending any time on boat under a cover.

Everything Keith said.* I cannot work on my boat right now in the middle of the day simply due to the heat.* If it were under cover, then it would be easily comfortable to do some work.* It also preserves your boat since it is not in direct sunlight......especially if you have lotsa teak.

 

[ancora]

Thank you for the enlightenment, it sure makes sense to me now.