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CONGRATULATIONS TO ALEX HELFAND, FOUNDER'S AWARD WINNER!
 The Salty Dawg Founders Award, given out annually, recognizes the contributions of an individual who most embodies the guiding principle of the Salty Dawgs, established by our founders, Bill and Linda Knowles, “Sailors Helping Sailors”. This award acknowledges the best of us.
This year’s award was presented to a man who has almost single-handedly educated the entire fleet: Alex Helfand!
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PHOTO COMPETITION
 Send us your best photos from the passage south this year!
Announcing our Salty Dawgs photo competition! Depending on the level of response, this could become a monthly event. For our first round, we are looking for photos in three categories:
- Pets on passage
- Night Watch
- Action Shots
Please send them to [email protected], with the words "Photo competition" in the subject line. Winners will be announced in a future edition. |
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2026 AZORES RALLY
Departing from Bermuda June 1, 2026
Set sail on an unforgettable adventure across the North Atlantic! Join us for an exhilarating rally to Horta on the island of Faial in the Azores, departing from Bermuda on June 1, 2026. Is exploring the Med on your boat for a season or two on your bucket list? Benefit from the expertise of our seasoned members and organizers who have been there.
The SDSA Azores Rally will be limited to 25 boats. Secure your place in this extraordinary event and discover the magic of the Azores with us!
Learn More
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JANUARY JUMP TO THE BAHAMAS, 2026
Depart West Palm Beach, FL January 16, 2026 (weather permitting)
Join us for the Salty Dawg January Jump Rally from West Palm Beach, Florida to Great Harbour Cay in the Berries, Bahamas. This rally allows cruisers to stay home for the holidays and still enjoy a warm winter in the Bahamas.
Activities planned include a pre-departure departure dinner, a Pot Luck Beach Party at Great Harbor Cay, and a Dinghy Float at Highbourne Cay.
Learn More |
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OFFSHORE RACING SAFETY SEMINAR
 Everything you need to prepare your boat (even if you are not racing!)
November 15, 2025: 0900 - 1700 Eastport Yacht Club, Annapolis
The Annapolis to Bermuda Race Steering Committee is hosting a half-day seminar at EYC welcoming ALL sailors interested in learning how to prepare for a Category 1 offshore race like "A2B" and meet the US Sailing Offshore safety equipment rules. Whether you're planning an offshore passage, interested in racing offshore, or signed up to race in the 2026 Mustang Survival Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race, skippers and crews are welcome to attend.
RSVP to [email protected]
Presenters: Don Snelgrove, Albert Bossar from the A2B Steering Committee, and Lili Colby from Mustang Survival.
If you have any questions contact: [email protected] or Edward Bond at [email protected]
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VOLUNTEER TO JOIN A SALTY DAWGS WORKING GROUP
Has the Salty Dawg Sailing Association brought value to your cruising lifestyle? Do you love sharing this organization with others? The benefits of SDSA are only possible through the efforts of our dedicated teams of volunteers.
Please consider joining a working group as a way to give back. Click here to learn more about the Salty Dawg Working Groups. |
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COMMUNICATIONS AT SEA
Fred Eidt, SV Kamia Chora
 When we started sailing offshore in 2021/2022 the only real options we had for offshore communications and tracking at that time were satellite phones, Iridium Go, Garmin InReach and Marine Single Side Band (SSB) radio. Starlink was just starting to come online at the time and wasn’t really a consideration. All the options available had very slow data rates if any data capability, and only Satellite phones, Iridium Go and Marine SSB offered voice calls.
Fast forward to fall of 2023 and I’d say half the Caribbean Rally fleet, ourselves included, had installed Starlink for full high-speed internet offshore. While spotty at times it was still awesome to have that level of connectivity. We used Starlink with Iridium Go as a backup during that rally. At the time Marine SSB was still an acceptable system for Rally comms. I recently discovered that the Salty Dawgs no longer accept Marine SSB as an acceptable form of offshore comms during a rally. For me this is an understandable but unfortunate decision.
So why then did I just finish purchasing and installing an obsolete system like SSB in Kamia Chora?
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MY SALTY DAWG TALE
Written by John Hagen, SV Ileana
 “There’s a rescue happening 240 miles off Halifax. I think it is your boat!” said Pat Sturgeon, who had called me on the phone. He was the yacht broker who had sold me the boat a few months earlier. My delivery skipper, Rupert, had sailed the boat from Greece and had planned to bring her up the St. Lawrence to Toronto before the seaway closed for the season. Bad weather had delayed his arrival.
As chief of surgery, I was finishing my monthly Department of Surgery meeting when Pat had called. “What happened?” I asked. “I’ve been following him on the Marine app. He texted me on his satellite phone this morning, saying he would be in Halifax tomorrow to be hauled out before the next dump of snow. December is no time to be in the North Atlantic!”
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MY FAVORITE HARBOR: INNER SEAL BAY, VINALHAVEN ISLAND, MAINE
Written by Michael Benjamin, Exodus. Photo credits: Ronna Benjamin
Ronna and I have been cruising Maine aboard SV Exodus for well over a dozen seasons and in our view, it is one of the world’s best places to cruise - once you embrace the ever-present lobster pots and fog as a charming part of the experience! What is truly amazing about this area is that despite all the time we have been exploring its wonderful anchorages, we still find new places to explore. The coastline is only 230 miles long, but if one accounts for all its bays, inlets, and offshore islands, Maine has approximately 3,500 miles of coastline!
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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: WENDY JOHNSON
Boat Name and Type: Saturday Sun II, Endeavor 42
Home Port: is Halifax, Nova Scotia but we're from and began our journey from Oakville, Ontario, Canada just outside Toronto
Where are you now? We are safely anchored in Cape May, New Jersey after 4 day passage in 35knots consistent gusts to 40 for 2 days. 3 2/2 meter, 15' waves. Waiting for window from Chris Parker to go next 1 1/2 day sail to Hampton. Excited for the rally. And loving warmer weather.
How long have you been a volunteer for the Salty Dawgs? First year sailing south, first rally, and first year volunteering
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