For many boaters, the only thing better than a food festival in the gulf is a food and music festival near a marina. Check off all three categories at mid-January events in Galveston, Texas, and Sarasota, FL.
Galveston
Galveston hosts Yaga’s Chili Quest & Beer Fest January 18-19 at Saengerfest Park in the historic Strand District. It features live music, of course, as well as chili and craft beer tasting, a margarita contest, and a 5K “Fun Run & Walk.” Galveston Yacht Basin is conveniently located within a short walk from the venue.
Downtown Sarasota’s Seafood & Music Festival January 18-20 is a couple of blocks from Marina Jack. Gulf-fresh seafood options include grouper, oysters, stone crabs, shrimp, and softshell crabs. Music venues include jazz, Caribbean, soul, rock, and R&B.
If you want to take a break, you have permission to slip away for a day or so and tour The Ringling, the state art museum of Florida. It has three centers of attention. One is John and Mable Ringling’s 50-room Mediterranean-revivalist palace on Sarasota Bay. Another is a circus museum, a historical testimonial to “The Greatest Show on Earth.” The third is an amazing 21-gallery art museum with sculptures and artwork by Rubens, van Dyke, Velazquez, and other European Old Masters.
What’s on your coastal city wish list? There is something inexplicably better about a city on the water. It could be the scenic views or the attitudes of the locals or it could be the access to boating.
I’ve been lucky to travel to a lot of coastal cities. That’s in part because I grew up on a tiny island, went to college in a coastal city (Go Seahawks!), and worked as a stewardess on a yacht that cruised the ICW from Annapolis to Miami, and then had the opportunity to work in The Bahamas. I got a pretty good head start on the coastal city circuit!
But there are more cities I dream of visiting. I still get the stunned, chin-on-the-floor look from most when I say I’ve never been to Charleston, SC. That look is usually followed up with a “What? You have to go!”
Where else do I have to go? Let me know in the comments.
Seattle, Washington What I’ve heard: Eco-friendly, scenic and very boater-friendly. Bring a raincoat. Go fishing or at least eat some salmon.
Charleston, South Carolina What I’ve heard: “You haven’t been to Charleston? It’s beautiful and so charming! It’s the perfect Southern city! You have to go. You have to GO!” …and so on and so on forever.
Captiva Island, Florida What I’ve heard: Apparently no stoplights to see, but some of the best fishing and boating in the state of Florida. Boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. I also heard it’s physically impossible to leave without a souvenir shell.
Galveston, Texas What I’ve heard: Rife with retro amusements, historic houses, and spectacular fishing. There’s also a museum that created from an older offshore drilling rig—that has to be a must-see.
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin What I’ve heard: Go in the summer because you’ll eventually get hot enough to dip your feet in the clearest water you’ve ever seen. Also cheese curds. Did I mention cheese curds? I <3 cheese.
I know there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of coastal cities I’m missing. What’s on your coastal city wishlist? Tell us in the comments— you could win a bottle of Oak & Cane rum!
Everything is bigger in Texas and this includes fishing tournaments. With more than 367 miles of coastline on the Gulf of Mexico and along the famed Laguna Madre with charters running from Galveston to Corpus Christi and all the way south to the Mexican border in San Isabel, Texas can satisfy your need for deep or near-shore saltwater fishing.
One of the largest tournaments, the Texas Star State of Texas Angler’s Rodeo run by the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) lasts a solid three months. This tournament with more than 45,000 participants is unusual in that tagged species of fish are specifically released throughout the coast for the purpose of the tournament. Registered participants have the entire summer to reel in those tagged reds and trout. Successful anglers can reel in their share for more than $1 million in prizes and scholarships. ccatexas.org, startournament.org
Chandeleur Island Fishing off Mississippi Motherships. Photo: Troy Gilbert
Chandeleur Island Fishing off Mississippi Motherships. Photo: Troy Gilbert
Chandeleur Island Fishing off Mississippi Motherships. Photo: Troy Gilbert
Chandeleur Island Fishing off Mississippi Motherships. Photo: Troy Gilbert
Down the coast in Matagorda, the Matagorda Bluewater Challenge is another monster multiple species tournament with boats allowed to leave from several ports. The tournament also includes a small boat (under 25 feet) class. The big action is offshore where winners are decided over the combined weight of multiple and specific species hauled in. This two-day event brings out the Who’s Who of Texas fishing and novices who charter vessels with groups of friends and try their luck at bringing in the largest kingfish, ling, and dolphin. Winning isn’t everything, but two days spent offshore is a perfect recreational investment for men, women, and children.
Not to be outdone and celebrating its 19th anniversary on the legendary Louisiana barrier island of Grand Isle, the Swollfest Fishing Rodeo kicks off June 8-12. Headquartered at the Sand Dollar Marina on the easternmost reach of Grand Isle, this event has exploded from its humble beginnings as a group of eight guys going out fishing one weekend to one of the largest fishing rodeos in Louisiana.
With world-class offshore and inshore fishing throughout the waters of Louisiana, Swollfest was among the early to recognize and adopt the growing trend in spear and kayak fishing and have adopted them as classes alongside the standard fishing rodeo classes. Kayak fishing is ideal in these estuaries of southeast Louisiana with kayaks able to navigate all of the shallow coastal marsh and find those hidden and previously unreachable honey spots.
Located at the edge of Barataria and Caminada Bay and the deep-water oil platforms of the Gulf of Mexico that serve as incredible artificial reef habitats, Grand Isle is known for hosting multiple world-class fishing events. The species of fish from the multiple habitats are far too numerous to list, but there is a definitive reason why southern Louisiana is known as the “Sportsman’s Paradise.”
By Harlen Leslie, Southern Boating Magazine April 2016
The Cajuns of South Louisiana are known for their interest in spicy food and exotic flavors, but fishermen all along the northern Gulf Coast have their secret culinary delicacies as well. Most anglers who have grilled a monster blackfish appreciate the fish’s sweet and delicate cheek meat, but only the truly old school fully uses the bounty of these waters and can turn a fish carcass into blackfish jelly. Generations on the coast have long kept this culinary knowledge secret, yet it was fading into “culinary backwaters” until a revival of interest saved these savory treats from vanishing. These are some of my favorites.
Perhaps shrimp throats, aka “spiders,” are among the more common and likely the easiest to go mainstream. On the larger, jumbo to colossal-sized white shrimp, there is a bit of sweet meat that is nearly always wasted. Easily freed by placing an index finger into the head along the bottom and pushing down, this tasty nugget when washed, spiced, breaded, and fried is an amazing twist on shrimp meat with a unique texture and becomes a perfect and delicious finger food.
Mullets are one of the rare species of fish to have a gizzard, similar to a bird. Mullets are bottom feeders and it is best to only use the gizzard from mullets caught near the islands offshore where bottoms are sandy and not full of mud. The mullet gizzard is a small little nodule about the size of a fingernail and located after the throat. It must be sliced open and thoroughly washed before being simply spiced, battered and fried, just like the shrimp “spiders”—a tasty treat.
Red snapper are highly prized along the entire Gulf Coast, but from the piers of Galveston, Texas, to Orange Beach, Alabama, the snapper throats are simply tossed out. Yet these throats on the larger snappers are filled with delicate meat between the pectoral fins and are almost always scraped off the fish stations into the water for crabs or pelicans. I knew of a group of cruisers from Pascagoula, Mississippi, that would often do the voyage to Destin, Florida, along the ICW and arrive as the Destin charter boats were docking and the fish was being cleaned. Florida’s charter captains always found it a bit curious that these Mississippi natives would walk up and ask for these discarded portions of the large snappers. That was until they tasted the snapper throats scaled, spiced, breaded, and fried.
There is obviously a theme here regarding the frying of these tiny leftover morsels of meat, but with reason: They’re delicious and have a sweetness to them not found in the other meatier portions of fish or shrimp that is accentuated by the spicy batters of the Gulf Coast. Ask anyone who’s tried the little thumb-sized scallop of meat above and behind a redfish’s eyes.
Go for it and try one of these Gulf Coast’s unique delicacies. A nice comeback sauce and saltines will certainly help for that first sampling.
By Troy Gilbert, Southern Boating Magazine April 2016
The Gulf of Mexico is a true tropical sea and one of the deepest bodies of water in the world. From the height of a cruise ship, one might not notice that the electric blue expanse is teaming with life from aquatic animals such as giant Kemp-Ridley turtles and recently discovered 55-foot-long Baleen whales. Stirred by the Great Loop Current that flies between Cuba and Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula at over four knots, this current eventually becomes the Gulf Stream that affects the weather and ecology as far away as England. However, this warm current also throws off giant eddies into the Gulf and feeds one of the most unique ecosystems in North America—the Flower Garden Banks.
Located a little over 100 miles offshore of Galveston, Texas, the Flower Garden is the most unique and extensive coral reef system in all of North America and considered to be the most pristine in the entire Western Hemisphere due to its relative remote location. Designated a Marine Sanctuary in 1992 by the U.S., this flourishing ecosystem is made possible by giant underground salt domes that push up the deep, featureless seabed to within 60 feet of the surface and allow an undersea oasis of tropical life. The nearest coral reef is 400 miles south along the coast of Mexico and as such, it has become a secret scuba-diving magnet and cruising layover in the Gulf of Mexico by boat owners in the know.
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First discovered by fishermen in the late 1800s who suddenly noticed bright, vibrant colors beneath the waves, this marine sanctuary is now known to harbor more than 20 species of tropical corals and over 180 species of fish. Comprised of three separate salt domes that rise up and plateau, the largest expands out over 250 acres. As a designated marine sanctuary, fishing and anchoring are not allowed by law, however, there are three mooring fields that are available to transient cruisers in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico where the depths below them explode in color.
As a well-known overnight scuba-diving site, charters and private boats tend to visit on two- or three-day excursions primarily in the summer when the water is over 80 degrees. As such, mooring availability may get a bit tight. For cruisers who do not dive, it’s still a unique destination in the great expanse of the Gulf of Mexico to tie up and enjoy the blue waters where colors rise from the depths and the stars follow after sunset. February is also a heavily visited month due to the hordes of thousands of hammerhead sharks that transit the banks annually.
Texas, like much of the West, has been battling ferocious droughts for much of this decade. The effects are cascading throughout the boating world as some reservoirs used by recreational cruisers become severely depleted and rivers that feed the estuaries dry up and negatively influence the breeding grounds for fish and commercial seafood harvests. With the insatiable thirst from growing cities such as Houston and Austin, there simply isn’t enough water to go around and fights are brewing between economic interests built up around these reservoirs, cities, commercial fishing, and farming.
The effects are severe enough that many sailing and boating organizations regularly post updates on water legislation alongside photos of regattas or fishing tournaments where lower water levels are clearly visible along shorelines. Lakes such as Ray Hubbard, Granbury and Nocona have reached record low water levels since their dams were constructed in the 1960s and Lake Whitney alone has dropped 13 feet. Public ramps on Lake Travis have been closed due to the low water levels, and marina operators have to shift boat slips further from shore and into deeper waters. Cruiser safety is also becoming an issue in some places as boats hit shallows or newly exposed debris causing significant damages to hulls or engines.
As rivers and creeks dry up, so do the estuaries that are the nursery grounds for redfish, speckled trout, black drum, and flounder. As saltwater moves in to replenish the depleted fresh water, entire ecosystems are being damaged. Gulf oysters that normally thrive in the bays from Port Aransas to Galveston are taking huge hits from the hyper-salinity levels that are occurring. The effects are beginning to reverberate throughout the $17 billion tourism economy along the Texas Gulf Coast in higher costs and smaller recreational and commercial fishing hauls.
Texans recently voted to dip into a $2 billion “rainy day” fund in order to create new reservoirs, water pipelines and to fund new conservation projects. While not as heavily affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, Texas could also reap another billion dollars from impending fines against BP, and these funds should go directly into coastal conservation and reconstruction projects. However, individuals have expressed concern that some of this money could be redirected towards projects that have nothing to do with environmental restoration, just as Alabama recently did by directing millions from these penalties toward a hotel project.
Texas has a unique boating culture that has grown up around these reservoirs, and combined with the state’s already wild and beautiful rivers and coastline, every effort should be made to not sacrifice them for the sake of water intensive lawns or even rice farming. While Texas is faring better than states such as California, which is being ravaged by drought, it is crucial to protect the waters that make Texas such a beautiful state for all boating activities.
Invasive species are a very real threat and a menace to natural ecosystems across the planet, and the lionfish is one that has garnered a lot of public and media attention as of late. However, a new foreign scourge is rampaging through the lakes of Texas and has forced strict new boating and fishing guidelines in an effort to halt its spread.
The zebra mussel was imported from its natural Eurasian habitat into the Great Lakes around 1988 and has since spread rapidly down through the Mississippi waterway. Preferring still or slow moving bodies of water, their larvae can be easily transferred via rivers, bait wells or bilges and survive in this stage for up to 30 days and allows their population to multiply aggressively.
With colonies large and concentrated enough to actually sink buoys with their weight over time, the Zebra Mussels adhere themselves to keels, boat trailers, pilings—basically any solid structure under water. Very difficult to remove from even the hull of a boat, the mussels can damage or block any water system on a vessel including heads, air conditioners and engine cooling systems. On a larger scale, the mussel colonies are specifically wreaking havoc with drainage, irrigation, cooling supplies for power plants, and pipes for local water supplies. The colonies bloom out and adhere to each other and block these larger water intake and discharge systems similar to blocked arteries. The environmental damage to local ecosystems is also radical, with entire populations of fish dying off due to the large colonies of mussels’ ability to alter the temperature of lakes via their natural filtration of the water columns.
One of the many efforts the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are using to control the Zebra mussels. Photo credit: Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept.
Already discovered in Lake Texoma, Lewisville Lake, Lake Belton, and multiple others across Texas, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department began enforcing new regulations that went into effect over the summer. Applying to flatboats, skiboats, personal watercraft, sailboats, kayaks/canoes or any vessel of any size—whether powered or not—owners must now flush and clean all livewells, bilges, motors or any other item or machine that comes into contact with public waters, a good boating habit to begin with.
With their larvae capable of transiting in any standing water from one lake to another, cruisers are now the first line of defense in staving off infestation between bodies of water throughout the country. Already discovered in California and even Utah with recreational boats the likely transportation, cruisers throughout the South must become vigilant or the millions of dollars already being spent throughout the Great Lakes region on removal and eradication will surely arrive on lakes across the Gulf Coast—along with higher boating fees necessary to pay for the damage.
If you’re cruising along the Simon Bolivar Peninsula, don’t be surprised to see cattle drives with Texas cowboys moving their herds over two-lane highways crossing the ICW. The wide Texas beaches on the coast hide cattle country and oil derricks and slowly give way to raised beach houses with names like “Gulf Breeze” or “Jolie’s Hideaway.” The inevitable one-horse beach shop with their airbrush artisan and seashell wind chimes are also there, but sail past historic Fort Travis and the Bolivar Lighthouse rising on the western tip of the peninsula, and Galveston Island beckons with her historic architecture, beaches and maritime culture.
Once known as a gambling mecca until the Texas Rangers raided the town, Galveston was also the largest port on the Texas coast, pulling down cotton and cattle from the interior and ushering in generations of Indian fighters and future Texas land barons. Crossing the Houston Ship Channel to the island is spectacular, with its never-ending run of modern freighters bypassing Galveston and heading into Houston or sailing to points unknown. This leaves the island town with a different sort of nautical energy today—one of history, charter captains and resortwear.
Located on the island’s northwestern edge, the Galveston Yacht Basin is a full-service private marina and an ideal transient slip location to begin an exploration of the island. Filled with charter fishing vessels, the piers hum with skippers tinkering on their boats or, more likely, catching naps in the ubiquitous land tenders—their golf carts lining the marina. Dockside restaurants are sprouting up around the marina, and certain piers in the channel will get transients within easy walking distance of the historic downtown and seaport.
The Texas Seaport Museum with her beautifully restored 1877 Tall Ship Elissa is an ideal start to get your bearings. Lunch next door waterside at the Olympia Grill or Willie G’s and savor the contrast of Elissa with berthed luxury yachts and the modern cruise liners that now call Galveston their home port.
A surfer searches for the perfect wave on Galveston Island Beach. Photo: Galveston Island CVBPhiladelphia Mummers perform during Mardis Gras Galveston; Photo: Galveston Island CVBMoody Mansion was built in 1895 and offers tours. Photo: Galveston Island CVBPier 21 is home to 1877 Tall Ship Elissa. Photo: Troy GilbertTangerine Boutique is one of more than 100 unique shops downtown. Photo: Galveston Island CVBMoody Garden Colonel Paddlewheel Boat; Photo: Galveston Island CVBMoody Gardens Aquarium Pyramid and golf course; Photo: Galveston Island CVBGalveston Beach; Photo: Galveston Island CVBThe Pelican Rest Marina; Photo: Troy GilbertMardi Gras in Galveston, TX; Photo: Lee Deforke, Jr.Pier 21 is one of the most magical spots on the Island, home to restaurants, annual events, and next door to Texas Seaport Museum. Photo: Galveston Island CVB
A block away is the Strand—Galveston’s historic Victorian-era shopping district. Filled with unique shops and whimsical cafes with wrought-iron balconies on the restored historic buildings, the Strand is the pulse of Galveston. Shop at the Admiralty for some of the finest ship replicas constructed from scratch using their original ship plans, or enjoy freshly made saltwater taffy at LaKing’s Confectionary. Catch a carriage ride through the historic residential neighborhoods filled with homes straight out of New Orleans’ Garden District. Tour or catch a show at the Grand 1894 Opera House before finishing with dinner and drinks at the legendary Rudy & Paco’s—reservations are a must.
Coastal artists abound and the street simply known now as Postoffice is full of galleries showcasing enough nautical art to adorn your vessel’s staterooms. Keep an eye peeled for the work of Gay Paratore, Robert Peterson and Gayle Reynolds. Postoffice is also home to many pubs and coffee shops and only a few blocks from the historic home tours on Broadway where massive stone mansions rise—Bishop’s Palace built in 1892 and the 1895 Moody Mansion are majestic.
Galveston—like much of the Gulf Coast—has been subject to the ravages of hurricanes throughout her history. In 1900, a massive storm struck the island and drowned over 6,000 residents. It is important to remember while walking the historic districts and neighborhoods of the island that after this storm, residents banded together and embarked on one of the most unheralded engineering feats in American history. Every surviving structure—from massive mansions to humble homes with picket fences and down to the lowliest barns—was raised up on stilts and piers to an average of eight feet high. Gargantuan amounts of dredge from Offatts Bayou to the southwest were then painstakingly pumped in to raise the grade of 500 city blocks. Streets, sidewalks and utilities were then rebuilt as well as a massive beachfront seawall, which again has become the playground of Texas. Today, the bustling seawall is filled with fishing piers, restaurants and 32 miles of beaches quietly rolling with surf from the Gulf of Mexico. Stroll the giant old-school Pleasure Pier, with her amusement rides and restaurants jutting straight out over the Gulf. Relax and fish off the piers before taking in dinner at the classic coastal seafood restaurant and cherished dining tradition, Gaido’s, which has run continuously since 1911—do not miss the charbroiled oysters brought in fresh from nearby Port Aransas.
Nearly all of the beaches in Galveston are open to the public with the most scenic being East and Stewart Beaches. Pack an ice chest and enjoy the warm Gulf waters, where a nice building wind from the east will even allow surfing. Keep your eyes peeled for Texans with their trucks and Jeeps, for nearly all of Texas allows vehicular traffic on the beaches.
Galveston is filled with museums and amusements for children. With the connection to the oil industry, a giant Drilling Rig Museum sits in the harbor, and the Railroad Museum resides on the Strand. Harbor tours run from the Seaport, and there are public golf and putt-putt courses as well as a multitude of water parks, state parks and hiking trails.
For an exciting and romantic evening boat over to Offatts Bayou and tie up at the Pelican Rest Marina. This private facility is angling to become its own mini-resort with a pool and adjacent tiki bars. The upscale steakhouse of Number 13 overlooks the grounds with ship’s captains cruising from pier party to pier party on giant tricycles. From the decks, the massive lighted pyramids of Moody Gardens and the Colonel Paddlewheeler across the bayou reflect on the waters while Jimmy Buffett cover bands work their magic.
Immediately next door to the Pelican Rest Marina is the multi-million dollar construction for the future home of the Sea Scouts in Texas. With private funding this facility and marina is set to become a world-class maritime school and camp for the Sea Scouts and will be an important educational facility for training the next generation of cruisers and sailors on the Gulf Coast.
Within a few hours’ sail north of Galveston lies the famous Kemah Boardwalk. With ample transient slips available, this giant amusement park and retail/dining establishment is filled with energy and hosts concerts and shore-side entertainment. Kemah and the areas nearby are filled with facilities for cruisers.
Galveston is home to residents who can trace their island roots back to when pirate Jean Lafitte roamed these shores. Filled with islanders enjoying their southern gardens, charter captains swapping fish tales at their favorite watering holes, and artists setting up easels to capture the sunsets, Galveston is one of those rare spots on the Texas coast that feels more in tune with the rhythms of the Gulf Coast than the bustling cities and sprawling ranches of the interior. The island and her residents are ready and waiting for you to tie up, walk her palm and oak-lined streets, and dig your feet into Texas sand.
