Sailing in Tennessee?

[Ken Palmer]

My wife has been talking about moving everything to Tennessee. I guess the cold and the snow has finally gotten to her. Anyway, she says that there are plenty of sailing opportunities there. We sail a Hunter 33.5 which is great for Lake Ontario.

Moving would also mean buying a house, etc.

Any comments from those that live and sail in Tennessee?

Thanks... Ken

 

[Larry D West]

It depends on what area of tn your are considering . In the Nashville are there is Olld Hickory. In the north west there is the Tn river in the south about 1 hr drive to tn river guntersville Al .

 

[Ed Schenck]

Wonder why TN? I spent time on the east end when kids lived in Knoxville. Pretty country with large man-made lakes, plenty of room for your H33.5. Personally I cannot imagine being so far from "big" water. If you are going through such a major upheaval why not go where you can really sail?

And at the risk of offending all of my Florida friends(2 maybe) I would offer up the North Carolina coast. On my way to Florida with my boat I was in the Oriental area for over a year. So I was able to compare that with the Tampa area after I finished the journey. And don't you know that I started to miss Lake Erie. One real advantage of TN would be lack of hurricanes. But the winters are still cold there. And very wet.

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi]

Kentucky Lake and Paris Landing

We live in Clarksville, TN., just south of the Kentucky line and 45 minutes north of Nashville. Our boat, a Hunter 356, is at Lighthouse Landing on Kentucky Lake at Mile 24 on the TN River. This is just south of Kentucky Dam and the lake is 2.5 miles wide here. We also connect to Barkley Lake - sail capable, but not near as good as Kentucky due to water depth. We are 1-1/4 hours away by I-24 from some of the best sailing in the interior of the US. Kentucky Lake has a lot of shoreline, Land Betweeen the Lakes offers serene anchorages and Tennessee doesn't have an income tax. We sail from March 1 through November - most start in April and sail through October. The saying goes "If you don't like the weather here just wait a while and it will change". We have 4 distinct seasons ranging from a few hot humid 100 degree days in August to some teen temperatures in January and February with some snow, but not too much of any extreme.

Paris Landing is 42 miles by water south of Lighthouse Landing. That is about the southern end of the wide lake, but there are still sailboats at Paris Landing Marina. It is about 1 hour west of Clarksville and mostly a 4 lane highway drive on TN HIghway 79.

Kenlake Marina is in the middle and approximately 17 miles south of Lighthouse Landing.

Go upstream just south of Pickwick (about 215 miles from Lighthouse Landing) and you can get on the Tenn-Tom waterway and take your boat all the way to the gulf - about 450 miles further. Some do and spend the winter in Florida and come back late March.

Check out the links below:

Kentucky Lake Sailing Club
http://klsc.clubexpress.com/

Lighthouse Landing
http://www.lighthouselanding.com/

http://www.kentuckylake.com/boating.shtml

http://www.tennessee.gov/environment/parks/ParisLanding/activities/

 

[Rxman47]

Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River) is about 2 hours NW of Nashville on I-24.
There are several marinas located there with boats up to 42 ft.
With your 33.5 you can sail south into Tn pretty much as far as you want to.
The only limiting factor is a bridge about 16 miles south or the dam, however I can clear it with my H336 at summer pool.
There are a great many bays to drop the hook for an overnite.
Be sure to get a current copy of lake charts.
For more info and pics go to: www.lighthouselanding.com
John

 

[agaliha]

Don't let our secret out about Tennessee!

Shhh. Don't tell anybody about all the great sailing in Tennessee.
The best "big" water are the lakes of the Tennessee River from Knoxville to the Ohio River. Ft. Loudon Lake is the first. It's so close to the Smokey Mountains that the wind is fluky. Next (downsteam) is Watts Bar. It is 60 miles long and a mile wide with very good wind most of the year. Lost of big sailboats. Next is Chickamauga Lake, also 60 miles long and 3/4 mile wide in places. Decent wind and adjacent to Chattanooga, one of the prettiest cities in the South. After wantering through northern Alabama the river turns north back into Tennessee. First is Pickwick Lake and then Kentucky Lake all the way into Kentucky where the river flows into the Ohio River. Both are good sailing lakes. Kentucky Lake as mentioned above has several sailing marinas and clubs. It's pretty far to the nearest city (which can be good and bad).
There are lots of other good sailing lakes on other rivers in Tennessee. Percy Priest Lake is small but has good wind and is in Nashville. Old Hickory Lake (Cumberland River) in Nashville is also good for sailing and connects to the Tennessee River near Kentucky.
No income tax, no property tax on boats and people are nice. It's been a well kept secret, so don't tell anybody.

Agaliha
(Beneteau 361)
(A mast taller than 52 feet can be a problem on the Tennessee River.)

 

[JVB]

I started sailing when I lived near Galveston Bay, TX where the wind is decent for sailing most days of the year. After moving to the middle of the Georgia - South Carolina border I bought my second sailboat, a 15 foot sloop, expecting to have lots of warm weather sailing fun. What a disappointment. In the Summer it's mostly hot with light winds. Now I have a 25 foot Catalina 250 because the good sailing months are in the Spring and Fall when there usually is ample wind but it's too cold to get wet.

What about Tennessee ? What months are the best for sailing ? My guess would be Spring and Fall also.

 

[Ken Palmer]

Great information from all of you. The links provided are especially interesting. I hope that somebody can answer the question about the best sailing months. Is it Spring and Fall as JVB said, or something else?

Keep the comments coming!

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi]

Best sailing is in spring and fall, but summer sailing can be good too. I have a generator and run it whenver away from the dock so the cabin is either warm or cool. We have a full enclousure that we keep on until mid May and put back on in mid October. With the enclosure, I can sail in pretty cool weather and be comfortable. One March, 30 knot winds out of the the NW, 40 degrees and sunny with the enclosure on I sailed 42 miles one day from Lighthouse Landing to Cypress Bay. April and May are also great months some years and some years they are wet. June is good and up until mid July it can be good. From Mid July until late in August the humidity and heat can be tough. We don't sail much during that period. September, October and early November are good. October is great, crisp, very little rain and usually good winds.

Even in Florida, it is hot and humid during the summer and early fall. The most miserable sail I ever had was from Punta Gorda to Key West in late September. Humidity and heat were awful - couldn't wait until dark and it got worse!

Find a weekend and come down to Lighthouse Landing and rent a cabin. They will rent you a 26 foot Colgate and you can give it a try!

 

[sigbear]

Ken, I sent you a private mesage on this forum, reply if you wish.

Sigbear