So glad to see this thread. I live in Orlando, FL and am hoping to use sails on my back yard paver patio. The patio is going in about two weeks from now so I am behind a little on my sail poles. Pilot Dane, you have asked about the yard in a previous post so I am hoping you can help me out given these details.

Our soil here is not as hard as the South Carolina clay I grew up with, so I am concerned about how it is somewhat sandy and easy to dig. My house was built in 1952 and the yard has not been disturbed during that time so it is pretty stable compared to new construction areas. I notice the 18″ by 48″ footer suggestion for a 12′ pole. Is this sufficient? If you can’t tell from this limited information, how would you suggest I find out? Thank you.