We're on to dogs. ;^) This thread has officially....
View attachment 148138
Well we definitely have. But, but, but, I'm not finished! I have a spreadsheet to add to the confusion.
The goal was to rank the states from worst to best! So, with my love for geography, I took a crack at it. Here's my take.
I'm not knocking anybody for where they sail. We all make do with what we have.
I don't know how to organize this better from a spreadsheet for display so to be quick, I just copied and paste. The 8 categories, ranked from 0 to 10, are summed up and shown with the bold number to the right of the state for the overall numerical rating. Categories left to right are:
a. Population access to sailing venues
b. Destinations/Cruising opportunities
c. Season Length
d. Water Quality / Water Temperature (cold water gets knocked)
e. Scenic Quality
f. Coastal Quality for Sailing
g. Inland Lakes Quality
h. Sailing Character / Charm (intangibles)
That's my crack at it. I welcome opinions. Michigan is the best?!?!?! Maybe, all things considered.... If you are a salt water snob, it could be knocked down, but take a look at the coastline, if you have any doubt.
1 West Virginia
13 0 0 6 5 1 0 1 0 Has nothing for sailors
2 Missouri
14 1 1 6 4 1 0 1 0 Has nothing for sailors except Stockton Lake & access to Great Loop
3 South Dakota
14 2 0 5 3 2 0 2 0 Just one reservoir but it is big.
4 Nebraska
15 1 0 6 4 2 0 2 0 Just a few reservoirs
5 New Mexico
19 0 0 8 6 3 0 2 0 Just 2 reservoirs
6 Arizona
22 2 0 8 6 4 0 2 0
7 Arkansas
23 3 1 7 7 2 0 3 0
8 Kansas
23 4 0 7 5 2 0 3 2
9 Oklahoma
23 4 0 7 5 2 0 3 2
10 North Dakota
23 3 2 4 4 4 0 4 2 Lake Sakakawea looks awesome & has big boats!
11 Utah
24 3 1 6 6 4 0 3 1 Bear Lake, Strawberry Res, GSL? (yuk)
12 Pennsylvania
24 2 5 6 3 2 2 2 2 Good access to Lake Erie, a few inland lakes & Delaware Bay access
13 Iowa
24 4 1 6 5 2 0 4 2 Inland lakes Okojobi, Spirit, Clear, Great loop
14 Nevada
26 4 1 6 5 6 0 2 2 Heavily weighted for Lake Tahoe, Pyramid Lake, Lake Mead
15 Washington DC
27 6 8 7 1 1 0 0 4 Pretty lame but does have access to Chesapeake
16 Kentucky
27 2 3 8 5 4 0 4 1 Kentucky Lake & cruising access via Tom Big Bee
17 Tennessee
27 2 3 8 5 4 0 4 1 Identical to Kentucky
18 Indiana
28 6 6 6 5 1 2 1 1 Weighted heavily for Lake Michigan access
19 Delaware
29 5 6 7 4 3 2 0 2 Nowhere to sail, just great access to Atlantic & Chesepeake
20 Colorado
29 3 1 6 6 9 0 2 2 Reservoirs with awesome scenery, a few at lower elevation
21 Wyoming
29 3 3 3 6 9 0 3 2 Jackson Lake, Yellowstone Lake with awesome scenery
22 Idaho
30 3 3 3 6 9 0 3 3 Bear Lake, Pend Oreille, Coeur d' Alene looks awesome!
23 Montana
30 3 3 3 6 9 0 3 3 Flathead Lake & reservoirs with awesome scenery
24 Ohio
37 6 7 6 4 4 4 2 4
25 Vermont
40 6 6 4 7 7 0 5 5 Lake Champlain access is great
26 New Hampshire
41 6 7 4 7 7 0 5 5 Almost identical to Vermont with edge for Atlantic access
27 Mississippi
42 6 6 9 7 5 3 3 3
28 Illinois
43 8 7 6 5 4 4 4 5 Heavily weighted by Chicago, otherwise it sucks
29 Louisiana
44 7 6 9 6 5 4 3 4
30 Alaska
45 5 8 4 6 8 4 2 8 Beautiful but cold & remote
31 Hawaii
47 5 6 10 10 9 4 0 3 Harsh sailing environment, weighted heavily for beauty & destination
32 Georgia
48 6 7 9 8 5 5 4 4
33 Alabama
48 7 7 9 7 6 4 4 4
34 Texas
48 6 7 10 4 5 6 6 4 Year-round sailing, great sailing programs
35 North Carolina
48 6 7 9 5 7 5 3 6 Quiet, coastal area less harsh south of OBX
36 South Carolina
49 6 7 9 7 6 3 6 5
37 Virginia
49 6 8 8 4 6 6 4 7 Weighted heavily for Chesapeake
38 Oregon
49 4 6 7 9 8 5 6 4 Harsh ocean environment, great inland options
39 Minnesota
49 8 7 5 7 6 2 8 6 Lake Superior is harsh, great inland lake sailing venues
40 New Jersey
50 10 8 7 5 4 7 3 6 Urban access, bays, inland lakes programs, ocean access
41 Maryland
51 8 9 7 4 7 6 1 9 Weighted heavily for Chesapeake & Annapolis
42 Connecticut
53 9 9 6 6 7 7 1 8 LIS & New England access
43 Wisconsin
56 7 9 5 7 8 7 7 6 Has it all with L Michigan, Superior, Inland lake programs
44 Massachusetts
58 7 10 5 8 9 7 3 9 New England, what more to say
45 Rhode Island
61 10 10 5 8 8 10 0 10 Newport & Narragansett Bay, what more to say
46 Florida
62 10 10 9 9 6 8 4 6 Year round, but with shallow water issues - Bahamas access
47 Maine
63 7 10 4 7 10 7 8 10 Beautiful when you can see it thru the fog!
48 Washington
65 9 10 8 7 10 9 4 8 Similar to Maine but bigger mountain scenery
49 California
65 6 10 10 8 10 9 6 6 West coast access to south seas, year-round sailing
50 New York
66 9 10 5 8 8 9 9 8 Has it all with ocean, bays, LIS, L. Ontario, inland lakes
51 Michigan
68 8 10 5 8 9 9 10 9 Has it all with 4 great lakes and inland lake programs