Kemah - Galveston 1st salt trip..need advice

I am planning a trip from Kemah, TX to Galveston with my Sunrunner 245 ( 350 Merc single ). This will be my first adventure in saltwater. Any advice on navigating, should I stay in the ship channel , obstacle avoidance,
places to visit, Coast Guard interaction,.. etc?
I have a VHF radio, depth finder, handheld GPS, & no experience.
Thx

Re: Kemah - Galveston 1st salt trip..need advice

I have similar questions about attempting a voyage like this....

Re: Kemah - Galveston 1st salt trip..need advice

I've been to Kemah but haven't boated there. You'll see all types of boats leaving the harbor. Watch out for the "Joe's Crab Shack" sponsored Boardwalk Beast. It's a large version of an offshore racing powerboat which was modified to carry tourists at high speeds. The day I went there (July 4th in 2005) it was very calm so it looked like a very large lake. The channel leaving the harbor is very well marked and there are all sorts of boats ranging from small trihull runabouts, ski boats and big offshore cruisers depending on what the conditions are like at the time. Get yourself a chart of the area and if you can, download a map to your GPS if you can.

Re: Kemah - Galveston 1st salt trip..need advice

Be careful when out in Galveston Bay. The large ships are going a LOT faster than they seem! Also, the channel they run in is dredged to just 40 feet, while outside the marked channel the bay water is fairly shallow, around 8-12 feet. That means these ships can cause a huge surge well after they go by. Along the shoreline, the water will recede for close to a hundred yards, then come rushing back in like a tidal wave! Just be aware of that when in open and shallow water.

Re: Kemah - Galveston 1st salt trip..need advice

I really suggest you take a boating safety course....there is so much to learn and making a trip like this maybe more than you can handle.....
but in all seriousness...those big boats move faster than you think they do...get some charts of the areas your going to boat in....listen to ch16.....plot your course on the gps...
and finally ..use the 1/3 rule...1/3 out...1/3 messing around ..1/3 in reserve....read your radio operators book and learn the radio phonetic alphabet.....make sure your boat is rigged for safety with all the safety stuff on board..ie flares...first aid....flotation devices...etc......