Registration Now Open for the 2022 Salty Dawg Rallies
Feb 16, 2022
Camaraderie is a hallmark of the Salty Dawg Rallies
By Bennett Kashdan
The Salty Dawg Sailing Association will be hosting four rallies this year. Each rally is an opportunity for sailors to cruise-in-company, with the safety, camaraderie, and passage-preparation assistance that only a rally can provide, with minimal requirements and minimal costs. Meet new friends and re-unite with old ones. Kids and pets are always welcome.
- The Homeward Bound Rally (formerly East Coast Rally) will be leaving from the USVIs in early May for various ports on the US East Coast. For the first time, SDSA is considering adding a gathering in Bermuda for those departing from the Caribbean. If you might like to do this, please emailinfo@saltydawgsailing.org so the organizing committee can see how much interest there might be.
- The Downeast Rally will have three legs, leaving from Hampton, VA in early July, then to Newport, RI, then on to Chuttyhunk, MA with a final landfall in Rockland, ME around July 10. Cruisers can join the rally at any port. Of course, there will be meetings to help cruisers get ready, socials to meet the other participants, and rendezvous all along the way. The Downeast Rally is the perfect opportunity to gain experience sailing overnight in the ocean in the company of other Salty Dawg boats and with experienced shoreside staff support.
- This year the Dawgs are thrilled to be able to include the Maritime Rally again. This rally will leave from either Provincetown, MA or Penobscot Bay, ME in mid-July for points in Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton and Bras D’Or Lakes. Again, Salty Dawg socials will be plentiful. Nova Scotia has an attractive sea-bound coast, with quaint fishing villages, numerous isolated coves and historic sites.
- The Caribbean Rally will depart Hampton, VA around November 1 going to your choice of the Bahamas or Antigua. This cornerstone rally meets late in October with meetings, seminars, and Q & A sessions to help get cruisers out of the cold and into the fun of the Caribbean. A crossing to Antigua usually takes 10-14 days. The crossing to the Bahamas 7-8 days. Upon landing at your winter season destination expect social and educational activities, both planned and spontaneous, to be abundant. The Caribbean Rally is not only the largest organized flotilla of cruisers leaving the US East Coast for the Caribbean—but the most fun!
There’s often a strong showing of Canadians on Rallies
All social events will be carried out in compliance with local Covid-19 guidelines. All rallies will have weather support and routing by Chris Parker and the Marine Weather Center, as well as shoreside support and emergency response team from an experience team of cruisers to help ensure a well-run and safe rally for all. Each departure date is weather-dependent and at the discretion of the captain as to each boat’s readiness.
Rally registration and more information can be found at www.saltydawgsailing.org/rallies
