Registration open for Salty Dawg Sailing Association™ Spring Cruising Rally from Antiqua to the US

by Salty Dawg Sailing Association 16 Jan 2018 02:23 AEDT 15 May 2018

The non-profit Salty Dawg Sailing Association™ (SDSA) has opened registration for its Spring Rally from Antiqua to the US.

The rally will depart Falmouth Harbor on May 15 after several days of social activities, weather briefings, and boat preparations. The departure site has been changed to Antigua from Virgin Gorda in the BVI due to damage caused to facilities by Hurricane Irma last fall.

To recognize Salty Dawgs and other cruisers who are volunteering their efforts to help reconstruct the lives of islanders after the destruction of the last hurricane season, the SDSA Spring Rally will accommodate those cruisers who wish to join the rally and depart from an island other than Antigua as well.

Click here to register for the SDSA spring rally.

“The Spring Rally is a diverse group made up of North American cruisers returning after a season in the sun and European cruisers continuing their “Atlantic Circle” and looking forward to a summer on the Eastern Seaboard. As always, the Spring Rally is a great way to meet other cruisers, and to sail offshore in company," said Rick Palm, SDSA Director of Rally Management.

Alan and Donna Spiers on Magic Dragon, an Oyster 55 from Southampton, UK joined the Salty Dawg Spring Rally a year ago, explored New England with the Salty Dawg Rally to Maine, and returned to the Caribbean in the Salty Dawg Fall Rally. "We felt The Dawgs represented good value for our money. The rallies were very personal and we soon got to know most of the people participating. Would we use the Dawgs again? .... definitely! The wealth of information we received from the American Dawgs helped us make the best use of our limited time in the US," Alan Spiers said.

The Spring Rally will feature the hallmarks of all Salty Dawg rallies:

• Weather routing services, both pre-departure briefings and daily updates during the passage by Chris Parker of Marine Weather Center.
  
• Online tracking on the Salty Dawg “Follow the Fleet” web link hosted by OCENS.
  
• Shoreside coordination and communication by experienced Salty Dawg volunteers.
  
• A twice-daily SSB Net facilitating communication among the boats in the fleet.
  
• A cruise-in-company support system where veteran participants offer advice and counsel to others.
  
• The lowest possible entry fee with the greatest possible payback as a result of the support of over 40 sponsors and dozens of experienced cruisers who volunteer their time.

In addition, those leaving from the primary departure point in Antigua will benefit from:

• Daily pre-departure weather briefings with group discussions.
  
• Departure Party and Happy Hour social events.
  
• Discounts on dockage and marine services.
  
• Shuttle to major grocery stores for provisioning.

With an emphasis on safety, communication, education and camaraderie, over 650 boats and more than 2,500 sailors have participated in Salty Dawg rallies since the organization was founded in 2011.

Membership in SDSA is available to anyone interested in blue water sailing. For more information and to join the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, visit the SDSA website.