Maiden Voyage our C~Dory Cruiser

Maiden Voyage of C-Horse our C-Dory.

We finally had our first opportunity to put C-Horse in the water, which was pretty important because we brought her home by way of Indiana without ever seeing if she floats…she does!

Now, I must confess, when it comes to boating, I am strictly the first mate. Mr. Padilly, with over 40 years of sailing and boating experience, is truly the captain. But I have my jobs to do, and one of those is handling the vehicle and trailer at the boat ramps.

I must admit, I was a bit nervous with the C-Dory because of her size and because she is the first motorboat I have handled (I’ve only worked with sailboats and kayaks up until now), and most of the boating accidents I’ve seen happen at the boat ramp.

But as it turned out, there was nothing to worry about. She slid off and back onto the trailer with little effort, under the master handling of her captain. The C-Dory was also very easy for me to pull out of the water (the part that always makes me nervous). In fact, our old 17′ Montgomery Sailboat took more effort than this 22′ C-Dory.

TRAVEL PHOTOS, TRIVIA, & TIPS:

Lake Conroe is located about an hour north of Houston and a top-rated boating destination (busy on weekends).

The Padilly’s like to motorboat, sailboat, and kayak this lake, but motor boaters rule, especially on the weekend summer months.

Our first trip cruising the C-Dory was wonderful, which was a surprise because it was a Saturday, which usually means lots of boat traffic. It turned out that the kids going back to school keep the lack of traffic down. It was even warm enough to go swimming with temps in the 90’s, so we headed to our favorite spot in the lake, an area we call The Swimming Hole.

Anchored at the Swimming Hole

After our dip in the water, we motored to the far north of the lake, which we haven’t been able to do in a long time because the mast of our sailboat does not go under the FM 1097 bridge.

There are several marinas around the lake where you can launch your boat, but they charge a fee. You can launch for free at the end of Highway 830 (Seven Coves Road).  It a nice launch, but it can get jam-packed, and there are no facilities.

I couldn’t resist this shot
with the warmth of the setting sun.

Sam Houston National Forest surrounds the north part of Lake Conroe. This area is especially nice because gone are all the homes, bulkheads, and restaurants that line almost every inch of the lake below the FM 1097 bridge. This makes the north side my favorite part of the lake.

North Side of Lake Conroe: My Favorite!

I look forward to spending the winter months up here when the Eagles hang out. In fact, one of the reasons I love the C-Dory is her enclosed cabin with a heater stove!

On Lake Conroe, most of the boats are open to the elements and built for summer fun (i.e., skiing, swimming, tubing, jet skiing, etc.), so during the winter months, there are very few boaters — we like that.

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The C-Dory will give us many opportunities to boat in the colder months, and we can feel like we have the lake to ourselves.

We thoroughly enjoyed our first day in our C-Dory! As we headed back to the marina, we were treated to this beautiful sunset. A perfect maiden voyage indeed!

There are eagles on Lake Conroe, so keep your eyes open. They often appear on the north side of the lake, but I’ve seen them as far south as the dam.

Our favorite dining spots are at/near Waterpoint Marina on the south side of the lake (near the dam).

Tied up at the dock to get a bite to eat.

Love our C-Horse, C-Dory Cruiser

Is this spot perfect?

Happy Trails!
Mrs. Padilly