FROM THE HELM

By Mike Benjamin, SV Exodus, President SDSA

ANNOUNCING THE SALTY DAWG RESOURCE GUIDE

Do you know a good diesel mechanic?  How about a water maker specialist?  What’s the best restaurant in town?  I’m out of Rum!  I’m desperate for ice cream!  If you are a typical cruiser, these and many other questions cross your mind as you arrive at a new port, are planning a journey, or when (not if) you have a critical system failure at the worst possible time.  There are many places to find answers; Active Captain, Noonsite, Navily, Doyle Guides and local cruising guides, just to name a few.  So, if there are so many available resources why do we all still ask each other these same questions?  The answer is that we want recommendations from trusted sources, from cruisers you know and trust.  So, it’s natural to look to our Salty Dawg Community for recommendations.  From the number of inquiries posted on our Mobile App, it is clear that we value the advice of our fellow members. 

That’s why we are creating the Salty Dawg Resource Guide!  This database, to be built exclusively by and for our members, will cover everything from repairs and marinas to food, laundry, and fuel and will contain subcategories within each.  Need a mechanic that will fix the problem the first time?  A laundromat that won’t lose half your wardrobe?  A restaurant that serves a meal so good you'll momentarily forget your boat repairs?  We’ve got you covered.  The Guide will be available only to our members on the Mobile App and on our website and will be searchable by location or by category or both.  It is also hoped that as members contribute, they will include their contact information for any follow-up questions.  This resource guide will be another great example of “Sailors Helping Sailors”.

This project is being developed by our member Bill Greene (SV Freedom) in conjunction with our App Developer and our Treasurer (and Starlink and App expert) Allen Roberts (SV Gemeaux) who are working to bring this project to life.  Once the system is up, we’ll need YOUR input!  Adding recommendations will be easy and standardized mostly using drop-down menus, with no time consuming forms.  What better way to promote a business that has provided you with good service or a fantastic restaurant while helping your fellow cruisers at the same time.  Look for emails about this project soon and please contribute.

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