FROM THE HELM

By Bob Osborn, SV Pandora, President SDSA

HEAD OUT AND FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!

Each month we send out renewal notices to the Dawgs whose memberships are up for renewal.  Along with that notice is a personal request asking those who are not planning to renew to tell me why.   On occasion, I receive notes explaining that the member is selling his/her boat, but a sadly common reason is declining health. 

The other day I received a note from one of our members, I’ll call her Mary, who shared the story of her husband’s battle with Alzheimer’s and that that while they had been able to cruise for a few years after his diagnosis, the disease had been progressing more rapidly than expected.  The time to simplify their life and accept the reality of what was happening had arrived.  On a personal note, Brenda and I know of a couple in their late 60s, lifelong friends of ours, who have had to abandon their cruising plans because the husband has been diagnosed with early onset dementia.    We all have stories of friends who have had to make major changes in their lives because of a serious health diagnosis that developed with little warning. 

SET SAIL WITH THE SALTY DAWGS!

BAHAMAS JANUARY JUMP

Join us for the first 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.

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AZORES RALLY

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, 2025.  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.

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CARIBBEAN RALLY

This year's Caribbean Rally is open for registration!  The largest rally leaving the US East Coast each fall is the Caribbean Rally hosted by the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, the fleet departs from Hampton VA or Newport RI, to head offshore to points south.

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OCTOBER 10, 2024:  ANNAPOLIS RENDEZVOUS

Join us for the Annual Salty Dawg Annapolis Rendezvous, sponsored by David Walters Yachts. Enjoy a congenial gathering of Salty Dawgs and friends at the Annapolis Elks Lodge, 2 Pythian Drive, Edgewater, MD, with drinks and dinner.  We are excited to announce that Sheryl and Paul Shard from Distant Shores will be the presenters for the evening.

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FREE WEBINARS

Learn all about the new Rally to the Azores

Are you ready to embark on an unforgettable journey across the Atlantic to the Azores? Join us as we unveil the exciting new SDSA Rally, offering feeder departures from both Hampton and St. Martin to Bermuda and then on to Horta on the island of Faial in the Azores.

Why you should consider summering in Trinidad, First Impressions and a case study

Join Bob Osborn, president of Salty Dawg and first-time visitor to Trinidad, as he shares his impression and what he is learning during the refit of his boat, Pandora, and why so many cruisers take their boats there every summer instead of making the roundtrip run back to the US.

Wed, July 24 at 5:00 PM ET

Everyone welcome to register here, no membership or fee required

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GOING GREEN WITH THE SALTY DAWGS!

 As part of this year's Caribbean Rally, we are planning to make our Hampton-based events a "Clean Regatta", under guidelines promoted by  Sailors for the Sea.  Our goal is to promote best practices and awareness around protection of marine habitats, and to hopefully achieve Silver Status for this event.

 In order to be successful, we are forming a "Green Team", who will be responsible for coordination, outreach and on-ground support.  If you are passionate about protecting our oceans and would like to help, please contact   [email protected].

LOBSTER AND PEA SOUP

Coping with Fog and Lobster Pots

Written by Jeremy Bloxham

Fog and lobster pots can make cruising in Maine a little intimidating. We were certainly intimidated by fog when we first cruised Maine in 1988 on our 30’ sailboat with no radar, GPS or chart-plotter (or pressurized freshwater for that matter) -- we had to plot our position using the Loran C lines that were overprinted on charts. Well, since then navigation has become much more straightforward, though there are even more lobster pots today.

Fog is intimidating in part because there’s always that feeling that if I can see 25 yards ahead that means there’s a brick wall of fog 25 yards ahead. Of course, 25 yards ahead, one can see another 25 yards ahead, and so on.  With modern GPS and a chart-plotter there’s really no excuse for bumping into rock in fog. 

"Nature is part of our humanity, and without some awareness and experience of that divine mystery man ceases to be man.  When the Pleiades and the wind in the grass are no longer a part of the human sprit, a part of very flesh and bone, man becomes, as it were, a kind of cosmic outlaw, having neither the completeness and integrity of the animal, nor the birthright of a true humanity."

Henry Benton, The Outermost House:  A year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod

WHAT'S YOUR PLAN FOR RUDDER OR STEERING SYSTEM FAILURE?

Written by Sarah Curry, Hydrovane

Second only to keeping the boat afloat, is keeping her pointed in the right direction. What is your plan for the multitude of situations that entail a ‘steering failure’? 

The inability to steer a boat can have major ramifications. Consider these potential scenarios:

• Steering quadrant failure: most boats have a back-up tiller, but when was the last time you tried to use it? Sometimes it’s in a difficult position (such as in an aft cabin) and would be impossible to use in bad conditions.
• Linkage failure: this could be a broken steering cable, rod, or attachment - do you have spares and know how to install them? 
• Rudder post fissure: crevice corrosion in the steel shaft is often to blame for rudder posts that shear in half. In this scenario the boat is left rudderless. 
• Rudder failure: do you know what’s on the inside of your boat’s rudder? Typical construction is a foam core with stainless strapping, covered in fiberglass. It’s difficult to inspect and if there is any corrosion, you may not know about it. 

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT:  GREG NORMAN AND MISSY CALLAHAN

Boat Name and Type:  Finally:  49' Hylas

Home Port:  Minneapolis MN

Years volunteering for the Salty Dawgs:  Our first year!

How do you volunteer for the Salty Dawgs?  We were asked to step in and host the Puerto Bahia rendezvous in the DR and then also were the Homeward Bound Fleet Captains for the Bahamas-based boats.  Responsibilities for both were to basically coordinate between the boats and host marinas, or to help with organized dinners etc.  Great thing is that when you volunteer you have great support from the SDSA team, in particular Tatja!

THIS MONTH IN PICTURES