The Salty Dawg Sailing Association, famous for its Fall and Spring rallies to and from the Caribbean, also runs a summer Downeast rally from Hampton, VA and Newport, RI to Penobscot Bay in Maine. And, every other year the SDSA continues Downeast with a follow-on rally to Nova Scotia, with starts in Rockland, ME and Provincetown, MA. Both rallies are considered “stepping stone events” for skippers and crews who want to get into passage making in the company of other cruisers before making the long 1,500-mile passage from Hampton to Antigua in the Fall Rally. The Downeast rally departs Hampton on July 6 and sails straight to Newport where the larger fleet gathers for a July 11 departure for the 40-hour run through the Cape Cod Canal and across the Gulf of Maine to Rockland. After the festivities following the Downeast Rally, those sailing in the Maritime Rally will depart for Shelburne, Nova Scotia and from Provincetown, MA, and then further east along the Nova Scotia coast to the Bras d’Or Lakes and Baddeck. The sign-ups are open for both summer rallies and all cruisers who want to explore Downeast and Maritime cruising are invited to join the fun and get some offshore experience. Check out the rallies here.

Downeast Rally
Maritime Rally