Newsletter 66

January 2025 Newsletter 66

Bella

FROM THE HELM

By Mike Benjamin, SV Exodus, President SDSA

RISKS AND REWARDS

In light of the recent crime wave in St Martin, I have been reflecting about all the risks and anxieties we face on a daily basis as cruisers and ask - why exactly do we engage in this lifestyle? My wife and I are going on 8 years!

As most of you know, there have been numerous break-ins on boats, mostly anchored in the Dutch Lagoon of St Martin. Authorities have mobilized and will hopefully get things under control soon, but security concerns are not unique to St Martin. In Maine, I wouldn’t think of chaining my Dinghy or locking myself in at night, but as we head south, we will be using our 3/8” stainless steel chain to lock our dinghy to every dock (yes, definitely overkill) and, even in some locations, to our davits at night. We will be locking the companionway from the inside and installing a motion sensor. Yikes! Never used to do that. But is it really any more security or common sense than you might employ living in a big city?

BREAKING NEWS!!

Azores Rally

Starts from Hampton, VA and St. Maarten for Bermuda: May 18, 2025
Start from Bermuda for Horta: June 1, 2025 (weather permitting)

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. Whether you're sailing from the US East Coast (Hampton, VA) or the Caribbean (St Maarten), our feeder rallies promise an exciting start to this epic journey. 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.

Learn More

FREE WEBINAR: The Azores: A wonderful Cruising Destination

January 9, 5pm. Free, and open to all!

Presented by Bob Osborn

And click here for more information on our Winter Webinar series

BVI Rendezvous

March 3 - 12, 2025

Nanny Cay wants to win you back and is pulling out all the stops to bring you to the BVI including on-site custom clearance in/out, discounted slips and moorings, and specially priced hotel rooms. Nanny Cay will host a Welcome Party and a Farewell Dinner Event. The rendezvous includes a cruise to Virgin Gorda Sound and The Bitter End for a Beach Day extravaganza.

Learn more

P.A.Y.S Salty Dawg Rendezvous, Portsmouth, Dominica

February 13 - 20, 2025

Combine exploration of the natural beauty of the island with volunteer efforts to an island project. Usually each night brings social gatherings, cookouts, pot-lucks and other creative evening gatherings on the beach. Get ready for lots of fun! Invite your cruising friends and join us for all or part of the week.

Learn more

LESSONS LEARNED FROM A STUCK MAINSAIL

Written by Phillip Gillihan, SV Parallax

As W. C. Fields once said “I have told that story so often I have come to believe it myself”.

My story is about having to sail the last 4 days or so of the Caribbean rally with the mainsail stuck well and truly up in winds somewhat above average in my 49 foot Catamaran, Parallax.

Mainsail got stuck, winds came up, worried mainsail might rip, rig fail, or most terrifying of horrors: I might have to actually drive the beast if the overworked auto pilot went on strike. So I thought it might be more fun to sort of unpack how Robby (that's admiral Robby to me), and I found ourselves in the middle of nowhere with a full and unrelentingly erect mainsail.

GROWTH OR NORMALIZATION? SMART OR SLOPPY?

Written by Doug Weibel, Frolic

While catching up on back issues of magazines, I noticed an intriguing contrast between the sailing and aviation communities. Differences often reveal new perspectives, helping me apply knowledge from one field to another. In particular, one aspect of the way these communities approach safety caught my attention.

In sailing, we frequently debate what is considered safe. In contrast, the aviation community—despite some disagreements over the best equipment or procedures—tends to have more consensus on safety standards and emphasizes training and awareness as crucial elements of safety. One recurring safety concept in aviation, little discussed in sailing, is the “Normalization of Deviance.”

The term "Normalization of Deviance" was coined by sociologist Diane Vaughan during her analysis of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. It describes a gradual process where deviations from standard practices become normalized within an organization, including smaller groups like your sailing crew. Over time, what begins as a one-time exception can subtly evolve into routine behavior, no longer raising red flags, even when it should. This creeping complacency can be dangerous, as actions that once would have been considered unsafe are gradually accepted as the norm.

Demystifying Offwind Cruising Sails

Karen Soule spoke with Jerry Latell of Evolution Sails

We need to de-mystify using off wind cruising sails, says Evolution Sailmakers founder Jerry Latell. Sailors keep asking for sophisticated polar diagrams for these sails, but they really aren’t necessary nor the sails that complicated. Racing sailors carry a quiver of spinnakers and code sails optimized for very specific wind speeds and angles. Cruising spinnakers and code sails are typically designed to be used across as wide a range as possible. So the thinking when using a cruising off wind sail is very different. Our goal is to make things a bit easier to understand.

But first a little history. The first code sail, called a “code zero”, debuted during the 1997- 98 Whitbread Race and described an asymmetrical spinnaker that could sail upwind angles. Racing rules limited their design applications and even after a quarter century their design is tortured to meet the racing rules. Cruising sailors live outside the racing rules so cruising code sails, unchained from these antiquated rules, are much better sails than their racing cousins.

THIS MONTH IN PICTURES

Christmas by the Water

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: LEE AND ANN FAIRCHILD

Boat name and type: We may be sailors, but we don’t own a boat. As well as sailing for Salty Dawg in both the Caribbean and Homeward Bound rallies the past three years, Lee regularly races on Chesapeake Bay through Hampton Yacht Club. There are always captains looking for crew. Ann is much more a fair weather sailor.

Home port: We live in Poquoson, Virginia, a small town in the Hampton, Virginia, area.

Where are you now?: We are home for the moment, but we like to spend our time traveling.

Years volunteering for the Dawgs: We’ve been with the Salty Dawgs for three years.

THE SALTY DAWGS 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: