Where we sail matters

I lived in Ohio for two years and admired the legendary lake sailors of the Midwest. I also mastered driving backwards down long launch ramps, learned not to sit over a Lightning centerboard on lakes with stumps, and found it hard for a Flying Scot to gain liftoff from a water ski jump. This story by Alan Glos in Sailing World brought back great memories. – Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt

Ohio might not be the first state that comes to mind when ­people think about competitive small-­sailboat racing, but perhaps a second look is in order, especially when you consider that the Buckeye State is blessed with hundreds of small lakes. There is a popular myth that, other than Lake Erie, there are no other natural lakes in Ohio, and be that as it may, there is an abundance of man-made lakes that date back almost 200 years.

Buckeye Lake, just east of Columbus, was built in the 1820s as a feeder lake for the expanding canal system, and much later boasted great Lightning, Highlander, Interlake and Raven racing fleets. More recently, many lakes were built by the state for recreational purposes, including Acton Lake, near my hometown of Oxford, which has become a hotbed of small-craft racing. – Full report