SEAL Galveston Bay, TX 2020

Texas Gulf Coast SEAL course is held aboard a 40’ ocean racer SSTV Sirly out of Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, Texas.  Our focus during the course is on attaining excellence in properly managing crew, and managing sailing and trimming a racing keelboat while developing a high-performing team.  We have our leadership classes each morning and evening in an air-conditioned classroom  (air conditioning is a necessity in Texas Summer). Every afternoon when the sea breeze picks up, we set sail following a course planned by participants, amidst swaying palm trees, bottlenose dolphins, shrimp-boats and freighters.  SEAL participants are responsible for doing everything together on the boat from studying, sleeping, cooking, cleaning, colors, getting underway, and sailing an ocean racer underway.  We sail every day through the busiest pleasure boat channel in the US (especially on July 4) exploring Galveston Bay, the seventh largest estuary in the United States, located along the upper coast of Texas. Galveston Bay is connected to the Gulf of Mexico and is surrounded by sub-tropic marshes and prairies on the mainland. At an average depth of only 6-8 ft it is unusually shallow for its size.  Side trips during SEAL are often held going to local chandleries, sail lofts and Galveston Island and Gulf beaches. In addition to a fishing and boating industry, the Seabrook/Clear Lake area of Galveston Bay is home to NASA Johnson Space Center.