Weather

 The weather in south Texas in June will be warm if not hot. The wind should be southeast making the trip a broad reach to a run. It is important to note that the prevailing SE winds are regularly accompanied by periods of ESE, E and even ENE winds.  If we get a front coming through (this can and does happen) then the winds can even come out of the North for a period of time. It is not uncommon to sail approximately 20% of the event to windward / close hauled, so please be aware of this and prepared for it.  Also, there are many interesting routes that can be sailed on this event, and many of them are shallow, narrow and into the wind, again requiring participants not to be lulled into the false impression that this event is sailed entirely on a broad reach or a run.   The wind strength also varies greatly on this event.  While the prevailing conditions are certainly in the 15 – 20 knot range, there are regularly periods of light winds, sometimes lasting several hours in the mornings in particular.  Many days we need to cover 45 or 50 miles, and that means being prepared to maximize boat speed in very light winds if you are to reach camp during daylight hours.  So, if you’ve got light air sails and room to stow them, bring them along.   At the other end of the spectrum, we often see very high winds too.  If you plan to participate in this event, you MUST be experienced in sailing your boat in 25 to 30 knots of wind.  This is not at all uncommon on the Texas Gulf Coast in June.  You should have a means to significantly shorten sail on your boat.  If you are unable to sail safely in 25+ knots of wind, you may put yourself or other boaters at risk, and should not be participating in this event.  Please make an honest assessment of your boat and your skills before committing to this event.

According to Wikipedia, the average high temperature for Corpus Christi (about midway in the route) June is 90.2°, while the average low is 73.5°. The average precipitation for June is 3.48 inches.

Other Conditions to be aware of

I know this is not weather but is involves the environment and parts of it to watch for.  Here is a letter we got from Kenneth Purdy:

"Chuck, it was very unfortunate about the young man who had such a sunburn at last year's Texas 200. It reminds me that people who intend to participate should be warned about certain hazards of sailing on the Texas coast. The sun can be very strong. Everyone should carry plenty of sunblock or cover with clothing all parts of the body they don't want burned. I still have hair covering my head but I have still had my scalp burned. Then there are the mosquitoes. Clute, the closest town to Freeport where I live has the Mosquito Festival for a reason. Mosquitoes are a problem in this area most of the year. They are large, hungry, and many. They are more of a problem in fresh water areas, but they can also be found in large numbers where rivers meet the sea. And then there are the jellyfish. I would see hundreds of softball-sized jellyfish when sailing my Piccup just off the beach at Surfside. They would be just a few yards away from the bathers there. A good remedy is vinegar. Those with enough space should carry a little vinegar. Others should at least be aware of the problem and the easy, cheap remedy. They tested it on Mythbusters on TV. Vinegar does work. I hope to participate in this year's Texas 200 in my Trilars."