FROM THE HELM

By Bob Osborn, SV Pandora, President SDSA

Winter is just around the Corner - Really!

The winter Caribbean sailing season is drawing to a close, all the Spring Rally boats have returned home safely, the DelMarVa rally is underway and soon the Down East Rally will head out from Hampton, bound for Rockland, Maine. 

There is plenty to do with Salty Dawg over the summer and even if you are not doing a rally, you can certainly connect with the fleet along the way.  Just check out the calendar on our website, available to all. 

It is hard to believe that it is only about 6 months until our Caribbean rally gets underway so it’s not too early to make plans.  For some with limited offshore experience, qualifying passages will need to be completed and crew lined up so it is good to plan ahead.  Of course, with nearly 100 boats heading south, there will be ample crewing opportunities, a great way to get some sea time in advance of running your own boat. 

Getting your boat ready for a big run is complicated and it is important to leave enough time to get everything set up right.  Rig and sail inspections, equipment upgrades, webinars to attend and insurance to line up, are just the tip of the iceberg.

First timers and experienced alike are gearing up to head south in the fall.  Registrations are coming in at a good clip for our signature Caribbean fall rally, and we will soon be taking registrations for our first ever Salty Dawg Rally to the Azores in the Spring of 2025, a real milestone for our group and the first where we will be working closely with the Ocean Cruising Club for our time in the Azores and beyond.  Note that registration in this rally will be strictly limited so be sure to put your hand up early to ensure a spot. 

Even if you are years away from taking the leap to explore distant shores, there is so much to learn and I encourage you to join Salty Dawg if you have not done so already, so you can tap into the experience of so many experienced cruisers that call themselves part of the Dawg family.

And, signing up early for our fall rally is particularly important for those who are new to blue water sailing as we have a very active mentoring program meeting regularly to help you prepare for what is, for many, their first big run.  As you can imagine, having a reasonable level of offshore experience is required to join in the rally; whether it is offshore time on your boat or as crew for others, there is still time to “level up” and make the run. 

We have all met cruisers who plan to head out for years and somehow never actually leave.  There is a basic truth that when you hang out with those that are “out there doing it,” you too will be more likely to make the leap yourself.

I can say with confidence that I would not be planning to cross the Atlantic, as part of the Salty Dawg Rally to the Azores, had we not spent time with others over the years that demystified the cruising and blue water sailing lifestyle that has taken us to many ports on the US East Coast, Bahamas, Cuba and many islands of the eastern Caribbean from the US Virgin Islands to Trinidad. 

If you are already a member of Salty Dawg, thank you, and I expect that you understand the tremendous value that you get in both education and community.  

If you are not yet a member and dream of sailing to faraway places and swimming in warm water when your friends are huddled around a heater all winter, join today. 

Come November, when those cold north winds sweep across the US, you too can be part of the largest rally to points south from the US.   Go ahead, take the plunge, join SDSA and participate in one of our rallies with your boat or as crew.  Head south and be “one of the Dawgs”. 

While we are just beginning to enjoy summer, before you know it, winter will be here again and what better way to avoid cold winter weather than to cast off the dock lines and head south with Salty Dawg? 

While the winter cruising season is over, before you know it, winter will be here again so it is a perfect time to begin planning for your run south.  

Still need convincing?  Contact me, [email protected] 

Bob Osborn, SV Pandora, 

President, SDSA, Rally Director, Port Captain Antigua