FROM THE HELM

By Bob Osborn, SV Pandora, President SDSA

SALTY DAWGS GROWS UP

The last three years as President of Salty Dawg have been a wonderful experience and at the October dinner in Annapolis, I will pass the baton to my successor and fellow board member Mike Benjamin.  Mike, a lifelong sailor, will be the first president of our group who is a live-aboard cruiser and he will be making the run to Antigua this year with his wife Ronna aboard Exodus, their Hylas 57, leaving Hampton with one of our largest fleets ever. 

In a few short years membership in SDSA has grown to a level that was unimaginable with nearly 1,700 paid members up from only a few hundred not that long ago.  And this newsletter, now monthly, goes out to nearly 8,000 every month.  This is also a high-water mark with our reach in the cruising and blue water sailing community at an all-time high. 

We have more rallies and greater participation than at any time in our history, including our first ever trans-Atlantic Azores rally departing from Bermuda next June, following feeder rallies from Hampton and St Martin.  Participation will be limited to 25 boats so that we will not overwhelm the facilities in Horta upon our arrival in The Azores.  If you are interested in learning more about the rally follow this link. 

BREAKING NEWS!!

ANNAPOLIS RENDEZVOUS - THURSDAY OCTOBER 10, 2024

Don't miss out on our largest gathering of the year - tickets are still available but are going fast!  

Gather with old friends, make new friends, swap sailing stories and meet some of our sponsors.  Do you dream about sailing around the world?  Visiting Europe or Med? The 2024 Annapolis Rendezvous is your chance to meet Sheryl and Paul Shard from Distant Shores, who have been sailing internationally for over 30 years. 

Special thanks to the event sponsor - David Walters Yachts.

And be sure to stop by the SDSA Booth at the Annapolis Boat Show!

LEARN MORE

JANUARY JUMP:  Depart West Palm Beach, FL January 15, 2025 (weather permitting)

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. You will have the opportunity to enjoy many educational webinars, meet other cruisers, and travel across the Gulf Stream with weather advice from Chris Parker.

LEARN MORE 

BVI RENDEZVOUS:  February 24 - March 5, 2025

Planning is underway for the 2025 BVI Rendezvous - so mark your calendars and save the date!  

We will let you know when registration is open.  Meanwhile, if you would like early registration, or to volunteer at the event, please email [email protected]

REMINDER:  THE NEW SDSA APP!

The new members-only app is available on both iPhone and Android platforms. (Non-member rally crew may access the app for a limited time before, during and after each rally.  SDSA membership is required for continued access.) The app combines many SDSA membership benefits in one easy-to-access program that includes the following:  

• Messaging your fellow Dawgs (similar to WhatsApp),
• Posting information and photos (similar to Facebook),
• Membership directory, 
• Member and rally tracking maps and
• Library of Zoom education recordings

READ MORE

FALL WEBINAR SERIES

Our fall webinar series starts on September 3 and is free to all members.  Coming up soon:

    October 8:  Cruising northern Europe

    October 15:  Prep for cruising the Bahamas and northern Caribbean

LEARN MORE

WHY THE NORTH ATLANTIC?

Written by Linda Stelmaszyk, SV Alora

Why cross an ocean?  For the adventure and the chance to experience new landscapes and cultures.  That was our reason and might be yours, as well. 

I am privileged to be aboard Alora in a lovely anchorage, three years now in the Mediterranean, reflecting on the journey that led us here.  Decades of East Coast sailing, from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean, a circumnavigation in 2018-2020, Covid (Ugh!), then a stirring for one last adventure…maybe spend a few years in the Med.

In May, 2022, we made the passage from Bermuda to the Azores with the idea to spend summers cruising East and winters with family back home and to reset our 90 day visas.

To understand crossing the North Atlantic, you may encounter several weather systems and will need to adjust your route as needed.  The captain states that he might not have sailed around the world if the North Atlantic crossing was the first! 

Puerto Bahia, Samana Bay DR

Diane MacDonald-Mackenzie spoke with Ana Bancalari, family owner of Puerto Bahia

How did your family get started in the marina business and Puerto Bahia?

Puerto Bahia is a family project that began in 2006. The Bancalari family owned land in Samaná, Dominican Republic, and it had always been Juan Bancalari’s dream to transform this land into a village reminiscent of the Amalfi Coast in Italy. This vision was not only a tribute to his heritage but also a commitment to the development of the Samaná Peninsula. Given its strategic location in a protected bay and the myriad of nautical destinations nearby, establishing a marina here was a natural choice.

THE SALTY DAWGS AND SAFETY AT SEA

Written by Alex Helfand

It can happen: One of your crew goes overboard in the middle of the night “without permission”; a hot oil fire flares up in the galley; steering is lost; your vessel is hundreds of miles offshore and you hear a mayday call; and one of the worst cases possible - uncontrolled flooding of your vessel, that makes abandoning ship your only recourse. 

These, and other, real-life sailing incidents can and do happen. How a vessel and its crew is equipped and prepared, and knowing how to lend assistance whenever possible, is what the US Sailing’s Safety at Sea (SAS) program is all about and why, on a  beautiful Sunday in September, 25 sailors from the Salty Dawgs and Port Jefferson Yacht Club met to complete the Hands-On portion of the Safety at Sea program.

MEET THE DAWGS:  Kate and Bill Jones:  SV CARRIED AWAY

Boat Length and Type:  Leopard Catamaran Sailing Version 48'