I recently wrote about how great
Grassy Point in Corpus Christi is for nautical mile runs (naughties). Today, I finally got to try out a different naughty spot that I had wanted to sail for years: the shipping channel to the right of the JFK Memorial Causeway between Corpus Christi and North Padre Island. Check out the water depth map:
The channel is between the causeway and the big green spoil area in the lower right quadrant of the map. We cross the causeway every time we go shopping, and many times when the water level was low, parts of the spoil area have been above water; the boundary region next to the channel often was just inches deep. A perfect speed channel?
Today, the wind direction was just right: NE, a 90 degree angle to the channel (note that the map above is not in the usual "north on top" orientation). At around 19 knots, it was weak enough to let me use the Falcon 112 - when exploring, a little extra volume is always welcome! After a 5 minute drive from our condo, I was on the shore, ready to rig. Here are today's tracks:
The water level today was quite high. I got off at one spot that's shown in green on the depth map, and the water was above my hips. That meant the channel had some chop - perhaps a foot high, but quite orderly, allowing me to pick lanes. The channel is about 50-80 m wide, so it allows some mini "downwind" runs at about 15 degrees angle to the channel direction. One of those got me a top speed of 28.1 knots over 2 seconds. The best nautical mile run was 25.45 knots, pretty decent for square runs in 19 knot wind. My jibes today were quite poor, partly because I went for very tight turns which the Falcon 112 does not like much, so the hour came out at 20.06 knots. But with a bit more wind and a lower water level, this would be a great spot for 1 hour runs; with a slightly less square wind direction, it will be a great spot for naughties.
