One of the things that makes sailing on Galveston Bay interesting. The breaking wave, about 3 feet high, is the bow wave of the tanker in the background. The picture is deceptive: the tanker is much further away than it appears, owing to the angle at which I took the photo. The tanker appeared to be traveling slowly enough, but after I was well passed it I heard a low roar, turned and saw the wave (three of them actually) heading toward me. The waves come in quick succession. Take them at a 45 degree angle so you don't broach. Today was no problem. I kept heading S while the tanker headed N, so the bow waves dissipated into swells. This all occurred north of the Texas City Dike. South of the dike, between Pelican Island and the end of the dike, in the Texas City Channel, you must be careful of these bow waves since you have little room to maneuver. Conditions on Galveston Bay can be choppy when there is allot of traffic going in and out of Houston. Some days you must circle and wait for traffic to pass before crossing the Channel.
Your federal tax dollars at work. The Coast Guard has its own tugs and barges to do maintenance on the Ship Channel. Here they are replacing a damaged channel marker.
A container ship passes the barge at work. The barge was on the edge of the channel, which is about 400 feet wide.
We even have a member who doesn't sail a Potter. This is Randy Watkins in his Montgomery 15 on the West Bay.
Pirate's Cove on West Bay has nice facilities for spending the night. If you want to launch here be aware that West Bay has lots of shallow areas. You can reach the cove by driving about hal-way down Galveston Island. The cove is part of a resort development and has a nice restaurant with a big red roof, making it easy to spot from the bay.
