The 17th Annual Texas 200 June 10 - 14, 2024
The Start – Port Mansfield
The 2022 Texas 200 will start in Port Mansfield. You are free to arrange for and utilize any slip, marina, motel, boat ramp or beach in the Port Mansfield area that you feel is best for you and your crew. Camping is typically permitted at Fred Stone Park located less than one mile north of Port Mansfield. If you choose to utilize Fred Stone Park, you should contact the City or the Park directly for more information, fees, availability, services offered, etc. The mandatory Captain’s Meeting will occur in the parking lot near the public boat ramps on the north side of the main channel into Port Mansfield at 7am on Sunday morning. The location is shown with the red location marker in the Google image here.
No rooms or slips are being reserved by the Club; each boat’s captain and crew are 100% responsible for their own room and boat slip accommodations. This is a small town and motels, condo rentals and boat slips fill up fast, so you really want to get your reservations in January.
The actual start of the sailing on Monday morning will be from wherever you and your boat are located in Port Mansfield; there is no starting line or starting time.
Camp 1 – The Land Cut, 24 nautical miles from Port Mansfield
26° 55’ 49” N
97° 27’ 24” W
This camp is located on the right (east) side of the land cut. We have used this camp several times in the past ten years. Make sure your shoes are tied on good and tight before you step off your boat, and keep one hand on your boat as you do so. This is some of the thickest, deepest, foulest-smelling, shoe-eating, child-swallowing, fall-down-and-never-get-up-again mud on the Texas coast. The Land Cut forms part of the ICW and has active commercial barge traffic. You do not want to anchor any more than just a few feet out from the beach into the Land Cut. Also be aware of the large wakes than can be generated from these barges as they pass close by. Anything you can do to fully beach your boat and get OUT of the Land Cut would be recommended for safety reasons.
Camp 2 – The Flats, 32 nautical miles from Camp 1
27° 26’ 29” N
97° 19’ 31” W
This location has been used as a camp on the Texas 200 on several occasions, but the last time was ten years ago, in 2014. This camp offers a large open space for plenty of boats and tents. The approach is very shallow, as you can see in the Google image above, so keep that in mind as you plan your landfall at this camp.
Camp 3 – Mud Island, 35 nautical miles from Camp 2
27° 55’ 48” N
97° 02’ 46” W
This is a really nice camp that we’ve used several times over the years. Although the name indicates otherwise, there is no mud here; this camp is a long shell/sand beach, and it can comfortably accommodate the entire fleet of boats and tents.
Camp 4 – Army Hole, 42 nautical miles from Camp 3
28° 19’ 57” N
96° 27’ 51” W
This is one of the best camps on the entire Texas Gulf Coast, and is always a Texas 200 fan-favorite. This camp is used almost every year. Deeper draft boats will want to use the boat slips, which are shown in this image to the right side of the red pin. We ask that smaller, beachable boats please use the beach/grass area to the left of the red marker for entering and beaching your boats, since slip space is limited at the docks. Note that these slips are large, and we usually accommodate 3 or 4 boats per slip.
Participants should note that a permit is required for camping here. One permit is required for each person, and permits must be purchased in advance. There are no permit sales on-site at Army Hole; they must be purchased in advance, and this can be done online. More information on permits can be obtained at www.tpwd.texas.gov.
The Finish – Magnolia Beach, 20 nautical miles from Camp 4
28° 33’ 27” N
96° 31’ 40” W
We will finish at Magnolia Beach where we will have our traditional shrimp boil and celebration starting at approximately 3:00pm on Friday. Please remember that the shrimp boil requires registration and pre-payment, which should be done on the Texas 200 webpage in advance. This is a sand and shell beach and the approach is fairly deep right up to the beach. There are relatively new public restrooms with showers right there at the beach, and tent and RV camping is allowed if you want to stay the night after the event. At the north end, there is a boat ramp for pulling out. Our vehicles and empty trailers are located about a mile from the shrimp boil, and it’s usually fairly easy to find someone to drive you over to get your vehicle.
