On Monday, November 6, Ralph Erickson, a crew member on the Outbound 46 “Logos,” died during the Caribbean Rally. His son, also Ralph, recalls that everything he did revolved around sailing. He introduced his sons and his brother to sailing, along with a cousin. He had sailed the Eastern seaboard, Bermuda and the BVI. The Erickson family grieves for him, as does the SDSA family.

OUR FIRST RALLY & 2 YEARS LATER
Written by Stephanie and Jim Seal

"What's that Honey? You want to go Cruising on Hero in the Caribbean in 5  years? 
Can I quit my job?  Sure, I'll go..."

Skip ahead 5 years, it is October 28, 2021, Jim heads off to get a haircut, and I’m standing in the produce
section of the Hampton Food Lion with a man who has agreed to crew for us, who I just met in person the
day before. We are provisioning for our 1500 mile passage from Hampton to Antigua. Our start day has
been moved up by two days due to weather and I can’t decide if it’s better to buy one head of iceberg
lettuce or three heads of Romaine. It’s then that I burst into tears. What have I done? What am I about to
do? Our crew starts juggling heads of iceberg. He’s about to trust us and our boat out in the deep blue sea
for two weeks and now he’s working like hell to cheer me up and assure me that everything is going to be
ok.

That was the beginning of our first long passage.

Diane MacDonald-Mackenzie talked to Sarah and Will Curry, owners of Hydrovane

By Bob Osborn, SV Pandora

This article was previously published at www.sailpandora.com

After years of thinking about upgrading the house bank to lithium on Pandora, our 2007 Aerodyne 47 sloop, we decided to move forward and ordered four 210AH batteries from Blue Heron Batteries.  I decided to go with that brand since I know the principal Hank from my years on the board of The Salty Dawg Sailing Association and trusted him to provide a quality product and support, which was particularly important to me given the horror stories I had heard about fires and other issues associated with lithium batteries.

Pictures, people.  We need pictures.  

Do you have a beautiful photo of a neighboring boat underway?  Did you catch a really funny moment while during your crossing?  Who caught a fish?  Did you attend any welcome events once you arrived?  Have you had any fun?  The Salty Dawgs want your photographs to use in all our mailings, press releases, and social media.  Please share them with [email protected] 

Thank you. 

Now That We’re Here, Where Should We Go? 

Go north.  Go south.  Where ever you go, we’ve got you covered.  And you’ll find Dawgs there!  P.A.Y.S. will host a Salty Dawg Rendezvous in Dominica February 1 – 8, 2024.  Meet up in Prince Rupert Bay to enjoy the natural beauty of this special island.  Cobra, William, and the rest of the P.A.Y.S. team have organized a fun-filled week with tours, barbecues, sporting and community events (and  chocolate).  

Next sail just a little south to Forte de France, Martinique for Carnival.  Carnival is the Caribbean Mardi Gras and this year it starts on February 9 and runs through the 14.  Be prepared for outrageous costumes, hilarious themes, very loud music, and more fun.  Anchor in F-d-F or across the bay in Anse Mitan and take the ferry across.  SDSA events will be ad hoc, as there is so much to do without any planning.

But Wait, There’s More.  I am looking for hosts for the Bequia Rendezvous (March 28 – April 2) around the Easter Regatta and the Carriacou Rendezvous (late April).  These harbors are natural gathering places and there are so many fun things to do that it’s a great place for a rendezvous.  I will help you plan, but we can’t be in these islands on these dates.   If you’re interested, please contact me at [email protected] 

And A Great Time Was Had By All 

The Arrival Events for the Caribbean Rally were outstanding this year.  Bob Osborn worked with local vendors and service providers to arrange warm Antigua Welcome for the Antigua fleet with an exhausting array of parties, receptions, and events.   Daily updates were provided by Bill Woodroffe (Kalunamoo) and Lynn Hoenke (Roxy) on the morning net (vhf 72 at 8:30), along with some bad jokes and amazing treasures of the bilge.

Eighteen teams of two (or three) competed in this year’s Salty Dawg Thanksgiving Day Regatta at the Antigua National Sailing Academy.  In three heats of six boats, they parried their way around the course.  The top two from each heat then vied for the trophy and title of Salty Dawg Champ.  Congratulations to Team Cheeky from Four Pete’s Sake for taking first place and to runners up, Team GypSea, from GypSea.  Two teams, Wahoo and Off-Piste included children, and Off-Piste made it into the finals!  

Congratulations to the competitors for a job well done and a race well run.  And a huge “Thank You” to the Sailing Academy for their help in setting up and running the race.