I doubt envy is the first thing that
springs to mind when and if you think of sailing up north.

Having been both places and sailed both places, I will say this: If one =
could get rid of winter and keep the sailing weather we have may through =
October to the whole year, then that would be the perfect sailing =
climate. The sub-tropics are nice to visit, but the cloying, =
unrelenting heat get to you after a while and the bug factor can't be =
ignored. And then, if we had the luxury of a 12 month season here, we =
would have perfection...no unsightly barnacles eating away at our hulls, =
no corrosive salt wearing out sails and canvas...no predatory fish =
looking for a meal to jump off the boat any moment...and we don't have =
to fight tide tables up here, so don't have to schedule our comings and =
goings around them. (Don't you have horribly huge tides up there in =
N.S.?) September and October sailing are always the best on Lake =
Michigan. The days are warm and the nights are cool. You can always =
put on another layer if you're not the hearty type.

--=20
katysails
s/v Chanteuse
Kirie Elite 32
http://katysails.tripod.com

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax
and get used to the idea." - Robert A. Heinlein