What is the worst Sailing State?

[jssailem]

So based on a careful analysis by a learned sailor of impeccable decision making competence we get...

1. Pacific coast states offer .... their rugged coastlines

   requiring real men to sail.
   

2. year-round

   no wrap the boat in plastic...
   
   
   
3. with

   the venues offered are quite impressive.

   meaning great
   

4. my pick for No. 1 is the Pacific Northwest

YES YES yes..

 

[ifmdalvey]

Pacific Northwest a terrible place to sail, so please do not come. For starters, it always rains, sun never shines, sailing wind forget it, friendly people nope, nothing to see. Just move on.

Maine , is way worse than the North west, dont believe Terry, i heard it was real nice over there.

 

[dziedzicmj]

It's a long way to trailer and Google maps shows about 1 road to get there

You cannot trailer there. The only rail track is out of commission for a year now. Unless you have an off-road trailering arrangement.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Unless you have an off-road trailering arrangement.

Is that a thing?
I WANT!

I could sail there, but I'm afraid that by the time I made it, I'd have to dog sled home.
Darn!

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Randy Rohrbeck]

Just as long as you don't need amenities. No one builds marinas, launch ramps, yacht clubs, waterside restaurants in the absence of customers.

We moved our boat from a lake near KC to Lake Stockton which was one about 2 hours away. The other major Missouri town is Springfield which is an hour plus so not really close to any major city. Stockton has 2 marinas with ramps and a couple businesses that did repair work. Restaurant choices near the water were limited. YC was a paper club but pretty active.
I found I used the boat more once it was farther away. Since we had a 2 hour drive we and a lot of the other people there treated their boats as second homes. We'd drive down on friday after work and stay until Sunday afternoon. There was always people hanging around the docks. As an added plus the distance from a major population center kept the day tripping power boaters to a minimum.

 

[dlochner]

Dave, are you a self-hating human?

No way, I love humans. Next to dogs they are the funnest mammal to watch! Cats are way down the list, some where down with arachnoids. We just have to teach the humans to be less like dogs when they spread their "stuff" around.

Time for a ! And where is that rum emoji???

 

[Kermit]

No way, I love humans. Next to dogs they are the funnest mammal to watch!

Dogs are the best people of all!

 

[Jackdaw]

Dogs are the best people of all!

We're on to dogs. ;^) This thread has officially....

 

[Will Gilmore]

For to love a dog that hikes and wears a shower cap.

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[BlowMeAway]

...or a dog that gets depressed when the Buffalo Bills fail to make the playoffs.

And then asks permission to be a Patriots fan for the Super Bowl...

 

[shemandr]

We're on to dogs. ;^) This thread has officially....
View attachment 148138

Yep. It's over. But I did learn more from posters defending their venues than I would have learned by asking about the best venues.

 

[Calif. Ted]

I had an epiphany first time I ran a boat on the Colorado River in the Mojave Desert, "Anyplace is much nicer from the water."

 

[walt]

Oddly enough, I took this picture just today on the Colorado river in the Mohave desert

 

[Scott T-Bird]

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

 

[dlochner]

Thanks Scott. Could up load the file as a .csv?

With the discussion on this thread, the trivia thread, and the egg thread, I think we've had about enough winter. Time to our boats in the water and sailing or at least get us off the computers and on the boats prepping them.

 

[Jackdaw]

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.

That's interesting. If you don't mind the off-season Michigan has my vote. For a state that is 650 miles corner to corner, you can never be more that 75 miles from a Great Lake. That's pretty sweet.

 

[Gunni]

The "Worst Sailing State" is the state we currently find ourselves in - too damn cold to go sailing and an awful state to find yourself in. Leads to cranky, grumpy sailors engaged in endless discussions regarding anchors, eggs and lightbulbs. Hurry springtime! Need a warm breeze and a star to sail by.

 

[TomY]

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

That's impressive, Scott. Wrong, but impressive.

 

[DArcy]

I have a spreadsheet to add to the confusion.

Well Scott, that is one of the better uses of a spreadsheet that I've seen. Did you weight each category equally? Can you upload the file somewhere, maybe google docs?

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Here it is in pdf. I didn't weight the categories, so they would be equal.
It sure could use a few tweaks with more complete information. For instance, it seems a bit wrong to rate South Carolina just a little bit better than North Carolina, with all the sailing venues that North Carolina has. I'm sure Maine could rate a bit higher with a few tweaks that might be valid.