Departure – Port Aransas, TX: 27°50’26.4″N 97°03’42.1″W
Destination – Port Port O’Connor, 28°26’27.1″N 96°24’31.5″W
Distance 53nm
Port Aransas to Port O’Connor.
Our stop at Clark’s Bait Shop.
Heading to Port O’Connor
Resting for a day in Port Aransas was invigorating and having a cool hotel room to sleep in during the unrelenting Texas summer heat was a godsend. We were about 120nm into our trip and confident that the rest would be easier. After a restful sleep and late start, we renewed our journey exiting the marina around 0900 and heading north on the Lydia Ann channel. Years earlier (mid 1980s) I attended the Port Aransas Marine Institute as a grad student . I was familiar with the area having gone on research vessels and small boats around the area.
Fairly leisurely travel now with good wind and deeper water, Aransas Bay allows for a more casual sail without much concern for grounding until meeting again with the ICW on the east side. We entered the ditch at marker G19/R18 heading east.
Traffic increased as we trekked eastbound consisting mostly of private fishing vessels consisting of small flat bottomed bay-boats with large outboards designed to get through the shallow Texas bays.
With fair winds we quickly passed San Antonio Bay and caught glimpses of Espiritu Santo Bay south of the spoil islands bordering the ICW. We reached Port O’Connor early that evening as the sun set. We did have to hustle and find a place to stop for the night out of the ICW and with some cover from the wind. We called various establishment and thankfully found a safe dock with ample draft at Clark’s Bait shop.
Initially I planned to stay on the boat but Rene found a room at Inn at Clark’s which is just behind the bait-shop. The Inn at Clark’s caters to the Matagorda Bay fishing crowd. Family friendly with large rooms, great showers, a boat ramp, numerous shallow water docks and a bait shop. After a restful sleep, we woke early and departed as boats and crews started to line up to buy bait for their day out.
The Inn at Clark’s
Clark’s Bait Shop dock.