Beaches on the Gulf of Mexico-American area

Does anyone know of any family friendly beaches on the gulf of Mexico, I am also looking for a vacation house to rent for a week or so in that area, preferably on the beach?

Does anyone rent hobies down there, or anyone that we could go out with and sail, fleets or individuals? I don't feel like towing my boat for 11 to 15 hours.

We are planning to do this next year, especially since the hurricane is on the way there right now. We will be taking our then age 1 year old and 5 year old.

Thanks, John G.

That whole stretch of the Gulf from Gulf Shores, Alabama East to Panama City, FL is fantastic. White sandy beaches and clear waters. Maybe Brad from Sunjammers can hook you up with a Hobie rental.

we are working on a "sailing center" right now behind a resort. We will be set up by fall or spring at the latest.
Looking at 4 getaways, 5 waves, and 3 bravo's

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Brad Stephens
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Check out Navarre Beach which is on Santa Rosa Island between Pensacola and Fort Walton/Destin. Navarre has the beautiful sugar-white sand, sun and surf without the enormous crowds of those other 2 beaches. Very family friendly. It is much more of a beach community than a resort and there are more rental houses than you can shake a stick at. Go to http://www.gulfproperties.com for house and condo rental info.

There's a little bar & grill on the beach called Juana's that has a few Hobies for rent...I think they are all Waves, but not 100% sure about that.

Anyone know of any places around Galvaston, Texas? Or any other part of Texas?
Thnaks, John G.

We also might be interested in Dauphin Island in Alabama, anyone ever sail there either? Any hobie sailors down that way?
Thanks, John G.

We sailed off the beach at Gulf Shores, toward Fort Morgan in AL. Rented a really nice house using www.vrbo.com and had a blast. No very expensive and Gulf Shores was fantastic, for food, shopping etc.....plus when we sailed: There were dolphins everywhere, it was awesome. Contact me off line and I'll send you the link to the house we rented.
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xanderwess, was there any place to rent hobiecats there?
John G.

I didn't see anything. We hauled a 16 down from Iowa, so I didn't even really look.
Again, white sand beaches and nice breezes. Can't beat it. My wife liked it more than Huntington Beach CA.

Look into Pensacola. There are a ton of nice houses to rent for fair prices, and Key Sailing is there and will rent out boats. Other than that your best bet would probably be finding a resort in Destin that has them (Hobie Waves), but Destin is pricey during the vacationing season.

Remember though that renting a Wave will probably run you between $40-$60 an hour... so depending on the amount of sailing you want to do it might be better just to bring your own boat.

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Tiger 947/2364

Call the guys @ Key Sailing in Pensacola, Kirk Newkirk is the owner, but anyone that asnwers the phone can most likely answer your questions.
He has a rental fleet, but I have no idea what he actually rents other than waves and jet ski's. They have a very informative webpage with information and contact phone numbers.

I was just down in Galveston in October and do not recall seeing anyplace that rented Hobies.

Look online for the Texas City Dyke Yacht Club ( a bunch of wild and crazy catamaran sailors) and see if those guys have any specific information on what may be available in the Galveston Area.

Oh yeah, if Panama City Florida is on your radar, Brad @ Sunjammers is one of the nicest guys you will run across, and has always been friendly and fair when I have dealt with him. Good people to do business with.

Stephen

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If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, maybe it is time to water your own lawn.

I have a friend that has a 2 bedroom condo in South Padre Island. He has a Getaway and a Wave and would possibly rent by the week. It is on the bay side. The winds in SPI are consistently 12-17, it's really a wind utopia. I believe he would rent it very affordably. Let me know if interested and I could pass you on. Buzzwentz at gmail.com

He may not have everything he used to have after this week . . .

He may still have it, its just been relocated, and the moisture content has been increased.

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If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, maybe it is time to water your own lawn.

Dolly was pretty mild as far a hurricanes go. Getaway and wave are fine and still on the trailer. He even has a Prindle 19 that he had tied down on his dock and secured with the trapeze lines, perfectly intact, I know he's lucky. He left his drain plugs out and access holes open incase of a storm surge with rising water. He lost more shingles on his house than anything else. Sounds odd, but the safest place if your outside in a hurricane is the beach, because the only thing to hit you might be a fish, of course you may need a sea stake to stay in one place. Most injuries and damage are done from flying debris. It's ok, folks from Detroit and Denver wouldn't have known that.