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. 

MEET OUR NEW RALLY DIRECTOR 

Written by Michael Benjamin

We are happy to announce that the Salty Dawgs have a new Rally Director.  Doug Weibel (SV Frolic) will begin serving in that position, commencing immediately.  

 Douglas (Doug) Weibel is a cruiser, business owner, PhD, pilot, engineer and more, depending on the day.  He, and his wife, Marjorie, have enjoyed cruising over the last eight years, the last 5 aboard their 2014 Antares 44i catamaran, SV Frolic, and have made many friendships through the Salty Dawgs.  Growing up in Colorado, Doug learned to sail small boats at age 14 but never stepped aboard a cruising boat until he and his wife took a week-long ASA class in the San Juan islands in 2015.  Within a couple of years, they bought their first cruising boat, and it changed their lives.  Doug sailed north to Newfoundland and south to Trinidad. 

VOLUNTEER TO JOIN A SALTY DAWGS WORKING GROUP

Depart Hampton, VA July 5, depart New England July 13

MARITIME RALLY

July 16, 2025

If you are looking for an exciting adventure, come along with other Salty Dawgs on the Maritime Rally.  Groups will start either from Southern New England (Cape Cod area) or from Northern New England (Rockland Maine). After a passage across the Gulf of Maine, all participants clear customs and congregate in Shelburne, NS.  Then the rally continues along the attractive sea-bound Nova Scotia coast, all the way up to beautiful Cape Breton Island and the Bras d’Or Lake.  Following the concluding activities in Baddeck, explore all of Cape Breton independently or with others.  Cape Breton offers a distinctive blend of Celtic, French Acadian, and English culture.  And remember, in Nova Scotia you have no lobster pots to contend with in the summer! 

APP UPDATE - MEMBER AND RALLY MAPS

One of the really nice features of the app is the ability to find other members using the Member Map feature. The location of members is determined in a number of different ways. If your profile has information on tracking using an inReach, Zoleo or PredictWind Datahub, the information from that device will be checked first. If the position has been updated in the last four hours, that position will be used. Next the MMSI of the vessel will be used to get the last reported position from an AIS shore station. The positions of vessels are checked at 7am, 11, 3, 7, midnight. Because AIS position data is expensive, when boats have been inactive for more than 7 days, their positions are only checked once a day.  The most recent app update increased the refresh frequency of positions to ensure the app is displaying the most current positions. The last version of the app, also includes a gold star icon for SDSA board members and others who are likely to have Salty Dawg burgees on board and can be consulted for information.

NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN FOR THE 2025 SALTY DAWG FOUNDERS AWARD

The Salty Dawg Founders Award, given out annually, recognizes the contributions of an individual who most embodies the spirit of “Sailors Helping Sailors”, the guiding principle of the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, as established by our founders, Bill and Linda Knowles. This award is an important recognition of a special achievement in support of the Salty Dawg community. The award, a custom engraved crystal plaque, is presented by the President of the organization at the Fall Annapolis Rendezvous Dinner.

Nominations for the award will be accepted by the award committee (comprised of 4 members of the Board of Directors) through the conclusion of the summer rallies at the end of August. If you know someone who has made an outstanding contribution to our sailing community, please send your nomination by August 15 to [email protected].

Pictured here is last year's award winner, Lynn Hoenke, with former SDSA President Bob Osborn.

2025 SALTY DAWG EXUMAS RENDEZVOUS 

Written by Stephen Bell, SV Pilar

The 2025 Salty Dawg Exumas Rendezvous was an outstanding success. There were 16 Salty Dawg sailing vessels and 41 sailors in attendance and what a great crew we were. 

Under the command of Kathy and Chris Kubic of SV Island Time we sailed to five of the beautiful Exuma Cays, most within the Exuma Land and Sea Park.  Anchorages in Staniel Cay, Sampson Cay, Compass Cay, O’Brien Cay and Warderick Wells Cay had plenty of room for the Salty Dawg Fleet. Each day offered the best in beaches, snorkeling, hiking and visiting fellow Dawgs aboard their vessels.  And of course, the beauty of the Bahamian turquoise and sapphire blue waters is the best in the Exuma Cays. 

The Island Time crew organized daily activities for the crew with beach parties, float parties at Rachel’s Bubble Bath on Compass Cay and snorkels in the Aquarium at O’Brien Cay. Each evening were Dawg events including dinghy races (human powered only and a bit of dirty sabotage including grabbing a competitor’s anchor and throwing it out). SV Brenna easily took 1^st place in the human powered dinghy race with their wooden dinghy built to paddle.