Life without Winni

[Dave R]

Glad to see you are embracing the change and enjoying a different boating scene. Hope you have a blast down there. Can't beat the food in that part of the world.

I stopped boating on Winni at the end of 2018 and boat exclusively on the coast now. It's a huge change, but it's loads of fun to try something new. I miss the clear warm water, super easy boat maintenance, and lack of tides. I love the ability to anchor overnight, the practically limitless destinations, and the incredible wildlife. I've seen whales hundreds of times, yet they still astound me every time; but there's also basking sharks, blue sharks, seals, sunfish (Moa Moa) sturgeon, blue fin tuna, puffins, dolphins, osprey, loons, etc. It's really incredible.

[8gv]

No BBQ pics, no peace!

[ApS]

Originally Posted by Dave R

Glad to see you are embracing the change and enjoying a different boating scene. Hope you have a blast down there. Can't beat the food in that part of the world.

I stopped boating on Winni at the end of 2018 and boat exclusively on the coast now. It's a huge change, but it's loads of fun to try something new. I miss the clear warm water, super easy boat maintenance, and lack of tides. I love the ability to anchor overnight, the practically limitless destinations, and the incredible wildlife. I've seen whales hundreds of times, yet they still astound me every time; but there's also basking sharks, blue sharks, seals, sunfish (Moa Moa) sturgeon, blue fin tuna, puffins, dolphins, osprey, loons, etc. It's really incredible.

A rental boat on Australia's Lake McQuarrie might suit you for overnights, ease of maintenance, lack of tides, and the clarity of its fresh water.

If Mother Nature's your thing, Lake McQuarrie even supports occasional 14' Hammerhead Sharks!

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by Dave R

Glad to see you are embracing the change and enjoying a different boating scene. Hope you have a blast down there. Can't beat the food in that part of the world.

I stopped boating on Winni at the end of 2018 and boat exclusively on the coast now. It's a huge change, but it's loads of fun to try something new. I miss the clear warm water, super easy boat maintenance, and lack of tides. I love the ability to anchor overnight, the practically limitless destinations, and the incredible wildlife. I've seen whales hundreds of times, yet they still astound me every time; but there's also basking sharks, blue sharks, seals, sunfish (Moa Moa) sturgeon, blue fin tuna, puffins, dolphins, osprey, loons, etc. It's really incredible.

Honestly after over 30 years on Winnipesaukee, the change has been refreshing and welcomed with open arms. While Winni, has some undeniable charms.... they have also caused her to become a popular destination. It simply isn't the same lake I grew up on. With my family owning on the lake I was allowed some luxuries that kept boating enjoyable, such as the easy of early morning or late evening boat rides in the summer on the weekends before and after the crowds. My biggest joy here in Texas, is not feeling like I have to "Time" my rides to avoid high usage times.......

I do have a goal, in retirement to do some boating on the ocean..... time will tell if I get there or not.....Because I also want to spend time RVing around the country....

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

Honestly after over 30 years on Winnipesaukee, the change has been refreshing and welcomed with open arms. While Winni, has some undeniable charms.... they have also caused her to become a popular destination. It simply isn't the same lake I grew up on. With my family owning on the lake I was allowed some luxuries that kept boating enjoyable, such as the easy of early morning or late evening boat rides in the summer on the weekends before and after the crowds. My biggest joy here in Texas, is not feeling like I have to "Time" my rides to avoid high usage times.......

I do have a goal, in retirement to do some boating on the ocean..... time will tell if I get there or not.....Because I also want to spend time RVing around the country....

Relaxin,

Glad you getting the most out of that Texas lake! Sounds like fun!

While I agree with you that Winni is certainly a busier place now than 30 years ago and yes timing your rides or destinations on "weekends" is certainly prudent... I do know that during the week, Winni is another place entirely. There are many many mornings I have been out fishing or boating someplace for breakfast and have said "I have the entire lake to myself". The difference between 2:00 PM on a Sunday when it's crazy busy and just a few hours later on Monday morning never ceases to amaze me!

Just curious...Do they have a 150' rule or similar on that lake in Texas??

Enjoy your time in Texas!!

Dan

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

Relaxin,

Glad you getting the most out of that Texas lake! Sounds like fun!

While I agree with you that Winni is certainly a busier place now than 30 years ago and yes timing your rides or destinations on "weekends" is certainly prudent... I do know that during the week, Winni is another place entirely. There are many many mornings I have been out fishing or boating someplace for breakfast and have said "I have the entire lake to myself". The difference between 2:00 PM on a Sunday when it's crazy busy and just a few hours later on Monday morning never ceases to amaze me!

Just curious...Do they have a 150' rule or similar on that lake in Texas??

Enjoy your time in Texas!!

Dan

Dan,

There are very few local laws here, mostly they go off the Coast Guard... In short no 150' rule.... And with as Many boats as are in Marina's around the lake you would think it is crowded all the time.... But the reality is that Lake Ray Hubbard is right in the DFW metro-plex.... so it is not a "destination" driven..... I will have to get some pictures to share with you all, but many of these people have built up their slips to be able to enjoy time by the water, and take their boats out if they feel like it.... The party is at the Marina's not somewhere out on the lake... Although I have been told there are a few party coves around....

Also, believe me, I understand how different the lake is during the week.... My wife and I spent most of July and August living at the lake this summer after we had our home packed up, for the move. We went out most week days and had lunch somewhere on the lake.....For me it is not just the business of the lake, it is how busy the towns have become.... When I started coming to the lake in 1986 nothing was built up... The only time Traffic built up was on the 4th of July, Labor Day, and Memorial Day weekends.... hell the light at Moultonborough Neck Rd, didn't even exist.....
I digress, at the end of the day the lake is changing we all see it....I don't think it will ever be busy during the week... the question becomes can you live with the busy weekends.....

[map]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

Dan,

There are very few local laws here, mostly they go off the Coast Guard... In short no 150' rule.... And with as Many boats as are in Marina's around the lake you would think it is crowded all the time.... But the reality is that Lake Ray Hubbard is right in the DFW metro-plex.... so it is not a "destination" driven..... I will have to get some pictures to share with you all, but many of these people have built up their slips to be able to enjoy time by the water, and take their boats out if they feel like it.... The party is at the Marina's not somewhere out on the lake... Although I have been told there are a few party coves around....

Also, believe me, I understand how different the lake is during the week.... My wife and I spent most of July and August living at the lake this summer after we had our home packed up, for the move. We went out most week days and had lunch somewhere on the lake.....For me it is not just the business of the lake, it is how busy the towns have become.... When I started coming to the lake in 1986 nothing was built up... The only time Traffic built up was on the 4th of July, Labor Day, and Memorial Day weekends.... hell the light at Moultonborough Neck Rd, didn't even exist.....
I digress, at the end of the day the lake is changing we all see it....I don't think it will ever be busy during the week... the question becomes can you live with the busy weekends.....

We don’t own a boat but my husband fishes off the docks and I live being in the water and we basically stay home on weekends in summer. Easy peasy.

Bike week we leave the state. That’s a vacation week for us.

[LIforrelaxin]

Well this weekend we went and visited on of the Anchor spots, and I thought I would do a little compare. to Braun Bay.......

- In Braun Bay, everyone is closely packed in together, via for the shallow sandy area...
- On Ray Hubbard, while there where groupings of up to five six boats (rafting)... everyone was spread out.....


- In Braun bay the clamor is over the shallow water, and being able to stand and party....
- On Ray Hubbard, they anchor in deeper water, and use lily pads and floats, and aren't worried about having their feet on the bottom of the lake... (not sure you would want to, to be honest)

Lastly at least this area I visited this weekend, there are no homes around, so there is no one to be bothering with noise and activity.... Something sadly isn't so easy on Winnipesaukee..... And by no homes around I mean for a considerable distance.....

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

Well this weekend we went and visited on of the Anchor spots, and I thought I would do a little compare. to Braun Bay.......

- In Braun Bay, everyone is closely packed in together, via for the shallow sandy area...
- On Ray Hubbard, while there where groupings of up to five six boats (rafting)... everyone was spread out.....


- In Braun bay the clamor is over the shallow water, and being able to stand and party....
- On Ray Hubbard, they anchor in deeper water, and use lily pads and floats, and aren't worried about having their feet on the bottom of the lake... (not sure you would want to, to be honest)

Lastly at least this area I visited this weekend, there are no homes around, so there is no one to be bothering with noise and activity.... Something sadly isn't so easy on Winnipesaukee..... And by no homes around I mean for a considerable distance.....

It sounds like you're comparing a sandbar to, well, anywhere else on the Winni?

Sent from my SM-S931U using Tapatalk

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

It sounds like you're comparing a sandbar to, well, anywhere else on the Winni?

Sent from my SM-S931U using Tapatalk

No Sandbar down here..... more trying to compare rafting area usage.... and how it is different..... No one is on top of each other, and trying to get to the shallow water.....

More like I am comparing a sand bar on Winni, to any popular anchor location on Ray Hubbard..... I am finding the difference in boating scene interesting....

Another interesting bit down here, is the popularity of wake surfing.... there seems to be 3 main types of boats down here.... Cruiser's (small minority), pontoons, and wake boats....It is not uncommon to find 5 or more wake boats in a given area all surfing away.....

[Winilyme]

I do have a goal, in retirement to do some boating on the ocean..... time will tell if I get there or not.....Because I also want to spend time RVing around the country....

You better hurry up and retire. You have a lot of work to do.

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by Winilyme

You better hurry up and retire. You have a lot of work to do.

That is my goal, one of the reasons I took the job that landed me in Texas, was that it has the potential to get me back on Track to retire early!!!!!

The biggest obstacle is figuring out Health Insurance..... once I solve that puzzle I will know just how long I need to work, before setting off on retirement adventures....

[ChasesIslandOkie]

Sometime you should check out Broken Bow Lake up in my home state, Oklahoma. No, it's not Winni, but it's the lake with the prettiest setting in the region, in my opinion. It is a few hours from the Metroplex.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

Honestly after over 30 years on Winnipesaukee, the change has been refreshing and welcomed with open arms. While Winni, has some undeniable charms.... they have also caused her to become a popular destination. It simply isn't the same lake I grew up on. With my family owning on the lake I was allowed some luxuries that kept boating enjoyable, such as the easy of early morning or late evening boat rides in the summer on the weekends before and after the crowds. My biggest joy here in Texas, is not feeling like I have to "Time" my rides to avoid high usage times.......

I do have a goal, in retirement to do some boating on the ocean..... time will tell if I get there or not.....Because I also want to spend time RVing around the country....

My switch to "coastal" boating coincided with a massive lifestyle change/simplification too. A year after my wife and I started boating exclusively on the coast, we sold our big country home (kids had grown up and moved out) and bought a small but comfortable Hampton Beach condo 1500 feet from the boat.

Hampton Beach is definitely not a place I would have wanted to raise my kids, but it's a blast to live here now, even in the Winter. That said, we hope to start cruising full-time next year, so our Winters will be spent down south and some future Summers will be spent lake boating, just on bigger lakes, like Champlain, Huron, Michigan, and Ontario.

Ping me if you ever want to discuss coastal/canal/river/big lake cruising, it's pretty special, but there's LOT more to think about and deal with compared to Winni boating. It's so cool to leave my slip and spend weeks away every Summer exploring the New England/NY coast, can't wait to turn those weeks into years and extend our cruising from 7 states to 20+ states and a couple of countries.

How cool is it that we can just anchor pretty much anywhere we want and take our dinghy out to explore stuff up close and personal?

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by Dave R

My switch to "coastal" boating coincided with a massive lifestyle change/simplification too. A year after my wife and I started boating exclusively on the coast, we sold our big country home (kids had grown up and moved out) and bought a small but comfortable Hampton Beach condo 1500 feet from the boat.

Hampton Beach is definitely not a place I would have wanted to raise my kids, but it's a blast to live here now, even in the Winter. That said, we hope to start cruising full-time next year, so our Winters will be spent down south and some future Summers will be spent lake boating, just on bigger lakes, like Champlain, Huron, Michigan, and Ontario.

Ping me if you ever want to discuss coastal/canal/river/big lake cruising, it's pretty special, but there's LOT more to think about and deal with compared to Winni boating. It's so cool to leave my slip and spend weeks away every Summer exploring the New England/NY coast, can't wait to turn those weeks into years and extend our cruising from 7 states to 20+ states and a couple of countries.

How cool is it that we can just anchor pretty much anywhere we want and take our dinghy out to explore stuff up close and personal?

New Hampshire coast is a beautiful area but if you like to swim, the water is always cold. I could never swim at Hampton beach, too cold for me.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by Biggd

New Hampshire coast is a beautiful area but if you like to swim, the water is always cold. I could never swim at Hampton beach, too cold for me.

Same for me, with the exception of Hampton Harbor, where I keep my boat. When the tide is ebbing on a hot Summer day, the water temperature in the harbor is really nice and I enjoy swimming in it. There are acres and acres of sandy beach (sandbars) in the harbor too, and you can only reach them by boat, so it's like having a private beach. My wife and I often go to a sandbar by dinghy with a big group of friends from the marina and have a nice bonfire. It's great fun when we are not out cruising.

The swimming on the south side of Cape Cod (Buzzards Bay and points south) and in P-Town is quite nice. P-Town is only 65 nautical miles from my slip and Buzzards Bay is only 80 nautical miles away. We cruise to both often. P-Town has a HUGE anchorage where hundreds of boats could spend the night on the hook, typically there's only 4 or 5 boats there all night though. It's a deep anchorage and whales come right up to the boat when we are anchored there, it's pretty cool.

Photo is the anchorage in P-Town

[ApS]

...I do have a goal, in retirement to do some boating on the ocean..... time will tell if I get there or not.....Because I also want to spend time RVing around the country....

When I started RVing (out West) about 1991, US National Parks were starting to fill up earlier and earlier. Some reservations were "booked-out" over a year ahead. Maybe that's changed for the better, but plan ahead anyway.


Fortunately back then, equally-interesting alternatives were available nearby. Also, fortunately, I'd purchased a two-inch-thick directory of RV sites. (Some are practically-unknown sites funded by the U.S. Government).

Our first overnight (in Alabama) had only three spaces but no others showed up. There was no noise of any kind and no fee. The Memorial camping site had been extended by a grant from a lifelong fisherman.

It got more interesting as we drove west. Somehow, we consistently (and unknowingly) found relatively uncrowded spots that were immediately on a lake or river.

Be sure to take that "road less traveled".

I'm reminding myself of a recent Internet opinion that, "the US could support a population of 5 Billion people".

That post received no replies.

[LIforrelaxin]

So here it is January, and yep you guessed it I got in a boat ride over the weekend..... Now I wish I could say winter didn't exist in Texas, but a version of it does... It does actually go below freezing at night anyways for a few hours...
The bigger problem has been the bloody wind... It seems like every weekend since Christmas (the last boat ride ).... the wind has blown the lake into a frenzy....

Soon I need to get some pictures on here, to show you all Marina life down here.... Slips are cheap enough that people take a second one, or a bigger one, so that they can make a social space.... Although because Texan's feel that 50 degrees is cold many of them stopped coming to the Marina at the begging of December....

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

So here it is January, and yep you guessed it I got in a boat ride over the weekend..... Now I wish I could say winter didn't exist in Texas, but a version of it does... It does actually go below freezing at night anyways for a few hours...
The bigger problem has been the bloody wind... It seems like every weekend since Christmas (the last boat ride ).... the wind has blown the lake into a frenzy....

Soon I need to get some pictures on here, to show you all Marina life down here.... Slips are cheap enough that people take a second one, or a bigger one, so that they can make a social space.... Although because Texan's feel that 50 degrees is cold many of them stopped coming to the Marina at the begging of December....

The wind has been bad here all through January also.

[LIforrelaxin]

So Finally today I got around to moving some of the dock pictures from my phone so I could up load them.....

This photo is a wide slip with a skiboat and then a build out for sitting space along side it.

[LIforrelaxin]

A slip for a boat lift, A slip for a lounge area, and slip for a swim area..... For slip Rental he is paying probable around $425 per slip per month or about 15K per year.... The upgrades are one time costs

[LIforrelaxin]

enough room to put a couple of chair and a table, along with a lock box for storage....

[LIforrelaxin]

So, I figured some here might find this humorous....

Last week we had a few days below 32 F..... while in the North we are used to counting the days below 32F, in Texas they keep track of the hours below 32F.... after about 12 hours it becomes a news worth issue....

What is horrible is that many of the reasons people get concerned here are easily preventable.... They don't bury city water deep enough, some places are less then 1' .... in some cases people have plumbing in the attic... And well of course they all need to invest in at least 1 proper winter coat.....

That was last week.... this week 70F, with overnights in the high 40F

[Winilyme]

I'll be interested to hear, over time, what things you miss most in NH as well as things you like better in TX. I'm thinking it's probably too early yet for you to have developed these thoughts.

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by Winilyme

I'll be interested to hear, over time, what things you miss most in NH as well as things you like better in TX. I'm thinking it's probably too early yet for you to have developed these thoughts.

Well some of those thoughts are already available. I much prefer Winnipesaukee's appearance, these mud bottom lakes are murky looking.. Not having my family around is hard was well....

Set that aside, housing is so much more affordable here. On top of which if you get outside the major metropolitan areas, you can find vacation homes which are affordable.

And while it is nice to be boating all year long, there are periods where the boat still sits... and well even though the marina is only 5 mins from the house, it was so much nice walking out the door and being at the dock in 5 steps...

Anyways there are all 1% problems...

[garysanfran]

So, there were two "new posts" when I logged into the forum.

One was this thread and the other about "steaks tips".

So...How are the steak tips in in that great big state of Texas? And how far do you have to drive?

Driven through the state twice...It's a long drive.

[LIforrelaxin]

So Catching up on this thread.....

1st Texas steak is fantastic....

2nd in the world of compare and contrast..... Last night after a boat ride, my wife and I heard a rumble, as a Baja pulled out of it slip, likely for some speed runs out on the lake. We hadn't heard that sound in a while... Something about thru hull exhaust in and of itself is exhilarating. With that said, we discussed the fact that in our marina and on Lake Ray Hubbard, the Baja / Performance crowd is a severe minority... Most boats are wakeboats, pontoons, or fishing boats. There are also a fair number of Cruisers as well. This is vastly different then Winnipesaukee, where performance boats are all over the place.

Why who knows....

[Pricestavern]

You have your lake life still, but a bit different now. Do you miss Winni much at this point or have you completely moved on? We moved away - had no choice, really but still jonesing for the Lake.

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by Pricestavern

You have your lake life still, but a bit different now. Do you miss Winni much at this point or have you completely moved on? We moved away - had no choice, really but still jonesing for the Lake.

So Winnipesaukee is still calling to me, especially because we still own the property on the lake, my kids and my sister will be continuing to enjoy it. As I own the property jointly with my sister, and no one wanted to make a rash decision, we are holding onto it short term.

With that said, after getting out of the northeast and seeing how much more affordable housing and vacation destinations can be, I am thinking it is only a mater of time before we decide to sell ...... There is simply to much country to explore, and the cost of the northeast just simply doesn't seem worth at as much anymore...

[ApS]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

So Catching up on this thread.....

1st Texas steak is fantastic....

2nd in the world of compare and contrast..... Last night after a boat ride, my wife and I heard a rumble, as a Baja pulled out of it slip, likely for some speed runs out on the lake. We hadn't heard that sound in a while... Something about thru hull exhaust in and of itself is exhilarating. With that said, we discussed the fact that in our marina and on Lake Ray Hubbard, the Baja / Performance crowd is a severe minority... Most boats are wakeboats, pontoons, or fishing boats. There are also a fair number of Cruisers as well. This is vastly different then Winnipesaukee, where performance boats are all over the place.

Why who knows....

In the automotive community, it's called a "Mutual Admiration Society".

(Henry David Thoreau in his journal--1851).