Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Thank you Brendan and Merenz. I have got the two words for S, but, as I read the preamble, I was trying to carry out the same procedure, alphabetically, for the remainder of the answers in the grid.

I agree this is a very nice puzzle and impressive compilation. Only one small quibble in that TX is only rendered coastal via its cell apex, unless the adjacent o is used, and NY is represented with no coastline at all, unless I have lost the plot.

I haven't bothered shading mine (I don't submit anyway) but surely Johannes deSilentio's solution is wrong - he shows no coastline at all for the south-west states. Re Texas and New York, TX coastline would include the U to the right of it, and NY has the corner of the A between NJ and CT. That's my take on it anyway. Not including MN was a niggle but all very clever and, in the end, enjoyable.