Arkabutla Lake in northern Mississippi is lowered mechanically each year by the Corps of Engineers in mid-October. They empty it each year to make room for the springtime flood waters of the Coldwater River, which feeds the Mississippi. The government lowers Arkabutla Lake each year to avert a deadly natural disaster on the Mississippi each Spring. But after they lower the water level of the lake, you cannot launch a boat. Therefore, we can usually sail on Arkabutla till mid-October, and in the very late Spring. Arkabutla is a good sailing lake. We usually sail from Hernando Point, but when the water is low we launch from Dub Patton.

Sardis Lake is the product of a Corps of Engineers operation in the Coldwater River Basin. Similar to Arkabutla Lake, the water in this man-made lake disappears in the middle of Autumn. The Sardis Dam holds back an enormous volume of water, so lowering it each year is a truly impressive engineering feat. Sardis is a huge reservoir, so we will check the water level frequently and sail on Sardis as long as possible. Because Arkabutla is just as good for our purposes, and is a lot closer, TASC does not bother with Sardis or

Enid Lake, another flood control reservoir, south of Sardis Lake.

Pickwick Lake is part of the Tennessee River, behind the dam at Counce, Tennessee. Pickwick Sailing & Cruising Association sails from Aqua Marina near Yellow Creek. Pickwick is crowded during the summertime. It is also an hour and a half drive from Memphis.

Bay Springs Lake is a Corp of Engineers Lake on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, 2 hour's drive south-east of Memphis. The lake features plenty of sailing area to stretch your legs and run. Several advantages that it has over Pickwick includes numerous sandy beaches for picnicing and reduced traffic. There are about 6 different ramps on the lake, some with floating docks.

Greer's Ferry Lake is the most beautiful lake in the region. It is a large lake with clear water in the Ozark Mountains. It is more commercialized than in the past, but it is popular with local keel boat sailors. Greer's Ferry is too distant to be practical for trailering sailors, unless they make a weekend out of it.

Kentucky Lake is part of the Tennessee River, behind the dam at Paris, Tennessee. It is plenty wide for sailing. It is a long drive from Memphis, two and a half hours one way. The Land-between-the-Lakes National Park lines one side of this lake. The natural scenery of Kentucky Lake makes this a beautiful place to visit.

Patriot Lake is a 60+ acre lake at Shelby Farms in east Memphis. The water level there is also a problem, and even small sailboats regularly run aground there. Those islands probably looked good on paper, but they are just obstacles to sailing. We sail on Patriot Lake because it is close and convenient, but it is not the best of all places to sail.

Garner Lake in Lakeland, TN is an ideal sailing lake for dinghies. It is situated in a nice neighborhood. The lake is open in the middle. However, it is a private lake so we cannot use it.

Walnut Grove Lake in Cordova, TN is an ideal small lake in a nice neighborhood. There are two small ramps near the dam and an open stretch of water in the middle of the lake. Also a private lake.

Lake Wapanocca (E. Arkansas) has recently been rehabilitated by state officials. We need to check it out.

Herb Parson's Lake is an official Tennessee "fishing lake". Sailing is forbidden on this lake. It is really just several fingers of water stuck in a clump of trees.

Lake Windermere is a very small elbow of water, situated in a pleasant Raleigh neighborhood. We might try to sail there this season. A couple of dinghies might fit on this lake. But it is a private lake. Permission is required to use it.

Sky Lake is a very small private lake in northern Memphis. It is a private lake, so permission would be needed to use this lake.

Horn Lake, also known as Lakeview by local fishermen, is a natural oxbow lake just south of Memphis right off Highway 61. There is only one ramp on this lake, and it is on the eastern shore. There are no usable docks, and no place to beach your boat without scratching it up. On this ramp, foolish fishermen carve up their catch. These pieces of fish stink. If you can get past these problems, Horn Lake is not a bad place to sail. It is roomy, open in the middle, circled by cypress trees and relatively quiet.

McKellar Lake is a natural harbor of the Mississippi River in Memphis. It is a commercial shipping port. It is not ideal, but it is certainly big enough for small boat sailing. It is polluted, filthy, and surrounded by heavy industry. The air there is also frequently smelly or toxic smelling. TASC has never used it.

Kilowatt Lake is a large spill-over from the Wolf River, squarely in the city limits. Sadly, it is a total waste. The lake and the several hundred acres which surround it are virtually inaccessible. The tract of land there bordered by Watkins, I-240, N. Mclean, and Chelsea Ave., which surrounds Kilowatt Lake would actually be a prime location for a new city park, but this is just a dream. Right now it is a wasteland.

Coro Lake is a very small private lake in south Memphis. There is no open water on this lake. Small thin coves stretch out from the center. There is not enough room to sail on this lake.

Robco Lake is a small natural oxbow of the Mississippi River in south Memphis. It would make a good sailing lake, if it weren't for the high power lines, strung frighteningly low over the lake's only launch ramp. Powerlines can electrocute people with metal sailboat masts. Here it might be too dangerous to launch.

The Mississippi River is no good for sailing ...oh, sure, it has water. Acres and acres of turgid whirlpools roll by Memphis each hour. But sailing small boats on Old Man River is impossible. There is no way to sail against the strength of the current. However...

The Inner Harbor can be a good place to sail. We sometimes launch from the ramp by the Coast Guard station under the Auction Avenue bridge to Harbor Town. When the river is low, the channel gets narrow, leaving little space to race. Because of the high banks winds will be fluky especially when the river is low.