FROM THE HELM

By Mike Benjamin, SV Exodus, President SDSA

This month, many of our members are preparing for the Fall Rally and are taking advantage of the SDSA’s extensive educational programs including boat prep, weather, navigation, medical coverage, provisioning and pet issues, just to name a few.  But there is another very important aspect of Rally prep that is not well covered – your mental state/attitude.  Voyaging offshore is an adventure with inherent risks and rewards, and whether you are a world class sailor or a newbie, pre-rally anxiety is real.  This month I’m turning “the Helm” over to my wife Ronna who is uniquely qualified to write this piece, not only because she is an accomplished writer, but because she is well versed in anxiety - both causing it and experiencing it!

PASSAGE ANXIETY:  THE OCEAN IS BIG, BUT YOU'RE NOT ALONE

By Ronna Benjamin, SV Exodus

You signed up for the Salty Dawg Rally to the Bahamas or to Antigua months ago — probably with a lot of excitement, maybe with a little liquid courage, maybe both. But now it’s real. It’s happening. You’re doing it.

And suddenly, you realize:
Your tiny boat = a speck.
The ocean = vast, dark, and scattered with random floating objects.
Your emotions = somewhere between “YAY” and “What did I get myself into?!”

Whether this is your first big passage or your fifth, the lead-up can feel overwhelming. Honestly? It’s terrifying. Also, totally normal.

DON'T MISS OUT!  2025 ANNAPOLIS RENDEZVOUS

JANUARY JUMP TO THE BAHAMAS, 2025

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VOLUNTEER TO JOIN A SALTY DAWGS WORKING GROUP

THE PLAGUE REDUX

Written by Doug Weibel, Frolic

Author’s note:  this episode happened to us quite a number of years ago, but still makes us laugh.  We hope you will get a kick out of it and maybe a special waypoint in your chart plotter!

Sometimes you have a problem and think it is something you should learn from.  Other times you chalk it up to something that is not likely to happen to you again.  My wife and I have run into a problem, and after the second time know it is something we should learn from.

Our two run-ins with this unpleasant mess both occurred in the spring, in successive years, while sailing our boat north from Florida or the Bahamas to the Chesapeake bay.  In both cases we had made an offshore passage from South Carolina to Beaufort, North Carolina and were proceeding up the Intra-coastal Waterway, rather than rounding Cape Hatteras offshore.  After coming inshore mid-day we proceeded up Goose Creek, the Pamlico, Pungo and Alligator rivers, and connecting canals, and had made it through the Alligator river swing bridge less than an hour before sundown.  With no severe weather forecast we anchored close in off the northeast side of Sandy Point, at the mouth of the Little Alligator river.

SUCCESS AT YET ANOTHER SALTY DAWGS SAFETY PROGRAM!

Written by John DiMatteo, Madrigal

On Sunday September 20, 2025, the Salty Dawgs Sailing Association put on another successful Safety at Sea Program at Port Jefferson Yacht Club, Long Island, NY.  Led by veteran SAS instructor Sheila McCurdy, 29 Dawgs were trained in fire suppression, how to abandon ship into the water or, preferably, into a life raft, suppress a leak, and much more. That was in addition to an extensive on-line course offered through the U.S. Sailing Association.  As one Dawg said “The class as offered was terrific. Good venue. Water temp was fine and quality was very perfect.  Conditions were perfect.”  As you can see from the photos below, this was a very “hands on experience”. 

Thank you, Sheila, for teaching a great course, and a special thanks to David Hubbard, Fleet Captain at PJYC, for bringing everything together for a wonderful day on, in, and about the water.

Check out Dawg Pix for more pictures from this program.

MY FAVORITE HARBOR:  LOCH TARBERT, SCOTLAND

Written by Randy McGuire, Zephyr

Nancy and I have been sailing around Ireland and Scotland for the last two years after crossing from Beaufort, NC on Zephyr, our Sundeer 60. My favorite spot seems to change often but I will definitively say that Loch Tarbert on the west side of the isle of Jura in Scotland is the best. Total isolation, amazing sea life and glacially formed raised beaches unique to this area. Miles of perfectly polished shingle reaching into the hills make for great exploring.

What's your favorite harbor?  Email [email protected]

BUDGET MARINE

Wayne Esser interviewed our new Silver level sponsor

How did Budget Marine Get Started?  As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.  It took someone involved in yacht maintenance and repair to identify and deliver on the full extent of that need.  And once these necessary items had been identified, sourcing them proved to be a real challenge.

Robbie Ferron, a Dutch national raised in South Africa, arrived on Sint Maarten in 1979 and soon realized that boat parts were in short supply and not easy to obtain. Thinking he could do a better job, he started a company in boat parts and called it Budget Marine to highlight his competitive pricing. In 1982 he started having stock and selling parts to other people from the back bedroom of a house opposite Bobby’s Marina, in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten.  

In 1986, realizing that the bedroom operation was no longer fit for the purpose, Robbie Ferron moved his stock together with a windsurfing shop belonging to Alfred Koolen, who later became a partner in the company. The third partner, David de Vries, came into the picture in 1988 doing the accounting and ordering, and taking care of all the technical systems such as choosing a new computer system. The three of them became good friends and shared a passion for sailing.  It worked very well as they combined their individual strengths to build the business: David being the cerebral guy doing the accounting and thinking, Alfred taking care of the operational side and Robbie moving everything forward. 

SAFETY AT SEA, PORT JEFFERSON YACHT CLUB

MEET THE DAWGS:  Will and Stacy Giles

Boat Name and Type:  Temagami - Grand Soleil 46.3. 

Home Port:  Toronto, Royal Canadian Yacht Club.

Where are you now?  Underway between Block Island and Port Jefferson heading towards NYC