Monday, September 29, 2014 Lake Jackson, Texas My cousins, Ernie and Barbara, drove with me back to Kemah, which is the town that borders Clear Lake, so that we could take a look at some of the marinas there. I had done some exploring on the internet using Active Captain to identify marinas in the area so I had a fairly good overview of what was available. We encountered little if any traffic in the hour of so it took to drive there which I found encouraging. The drive took us along the coastal flatlands bordering the Gulf of Mexico in this part of south Texas, and while it lacks spectacular geographical aspects, it has a calm rural feel to it. Arriving in Kemah we wended our way through local road construction efforts to find Portofino Marina. I had written them an email a month ago inquiring about the possibility of renting a slip. The information on the internet made the place seem attractive so I had given it a high priority for further investigation. We parked the car near the office and I went in to see about taking a tour. The lady behind the desk didn’t seem to be very welcoming, which was a bit off putting, but I did get a parking pass and directions so that I could look around on my own. We moved the car into the marina’s gravel parking lot driving towards the club house. There was a small pool by the water’s edge, showers and laundry room down stairs, and topside a television lounge and a full kitchen and dining area. All in all an inviting place. Ernie and I walked out onto the docks to look around and I found a couple who were leaving and asked them about the marina. They said that they were there looking at a boat to buy and that they currently had a sailboat at Waterford Harbor. They pointed out that the bridge, which was nearby, was going to be under construction to expand its width and that the Portofino Marina was infamous for being a loud, noisy party marina where they fished drunks out of the water nightly. They suggested I take a look at Waterford Harbor saying that it was a hundred times better than Portofino. Ernie and I spent a little more time dock walking, and while I found the docks to be in fairly good shape, I could hear the heavy traffic on the bridge and the noise from the bar across the inlet. I suggested to my cousin that we head over to Waterford next. A short five minute drive later we entered the Waterford Harbor Marina complex. The grounds were beautifully landscaped and the parking lot was paved in brick and paving stones. Very elegant. Parking near the office we went inside to a gracious welcome by the staff. It was already looking much better than Portofino and we hadn’t even seen the docks or other amenities. The price for docking here was about $200 less than where I’m staying in Vero Beach which made it attractive, but I wanted to see more. I asked if we could take a look around and they provided a golf cart and driver to give us a guided tour. Sweet. A large pool and spa were situated below the restaurant’s outdoor seating area. Behind the spa were tennis courts and the sauna. In the same building as the sauna was an exercise room with weight training equipment all in excellent condition. We drove along the walkway bordering the docks where we passed the sailboat used in the filming of the movie Captain Ron, one of the cruising communities’ favorite movies. We all got out to take pictures. Continuing our tour, Craig, our guide, talked about how nice the people were who kept their boats in the marina. Asking him to stop, Ernie and I walked out one of the docks to check them out and to see if we could find someone to talk with. The docks were in great shape and all the slips had dock boxes, which I hadn’t seen since I was in California. We met a fellow who was leaving his boat and inquired after his opinion of the marina and the community there. He had nothing but good things to say. Heading back towards the golf cart, I spotted the couple I’d met over at Portofino and introduced my cousins to them. We visited for a while before climbing aboard the golf cart to continue our tour. We saw that the several shower and laundry facilities were evenly spaced within the marina, some of them floating among the docks. We returned to the office and decided to have lunch at the restaurant. We sat in a casually elegant dining area at a table with linen table cloths and a view of the harbor. The service was attentive and the other dinners were friendly as we visited with those nearby. I told Ernie and Barbara that I didn’t need to see any more, but had decided that Waterford Harbor Marina was just exactly what I was looking for. A place that had all the comforts I’d like, easy access to different levels of sailing venues, good hurricane protection, and an easy commute to visit with my cousins. During the drive back to Lake Jackson we talked about what we’d seen and agreed that Waterford was a good choice. Our discussion turned towards the voyage from Florida to Texas and we made a plan to call our friend, Tim, who was going to make the voyage with us, in order to discuss dates and other concerns we had about the trip. All in all it turned out to be a splendid day. I found a place to dock my boat and enjoyed some quality time with my cousins. Life is feeling very good right now. This is Captain John thanking you for joining me. May the wind gently blow you in the direction you need to go.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 15:56:18 +0000
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