FROM THE HELM

By Mike Benjamin, SV Exodus, President SDSA

WHAT'S NEW WITH THE DAWGS?

I am pleased to report that our membership continues to grow, as we add new members and fewer existing members allow their membership to lapse.  This is exciting news as work continues to make Salty Dawg membership a valuable year-round resource.  We are rapidly making the transition from being known solely as a rally organizer to an association that provides education, communication, assistance and fellowship throughout the year.

This past summer, both the Downeast and Maritime rallies were huge successes.   The camaraderie among participants, as evidenced by the ongoing group chats on the App, was extremely strong and the weather was fantastic.  However, a few participants learned the hard way about lobster pots in Maine.  Our first-ever Azores Rally was also very successful with all vessels arriving safely.  We will run it again next year, departing Bermuda on June 1, 2026.  Successful rallies and promoting lifelong friendships are at the core of what the Dawgs are all about and these rallies continued the tradition admirably.

I would also like to announce several new benefits, improvements and enhancements coming this year.

Caribbean Rally: Preparations are well underway for this year’s fall Caribbean Rally, departing around November 1, 2025.  And once again, Newport, Rhode Island is included as a second departure point, in addition to Hampton Virginia, and a 3-day stop in Bermuda is now an approved option for those heading to Antigua.  Check out our website for details and Bermuda-specific considerations.

Changes in Hampton: After many years at the Bluewater Yachting Center, we are changing venues. Bluewater will no longer be the location of the Dawg House or the center of our Rally operations.  We are very excited that the Hampton Yacht Club has graciously and enthusiastically invited us to use their facilities this year.   Dockage is also available at HYC (make your reservations soon).  The Dawg House will be located in their function space on the top floor, and we are planning the same wide variety of educational and social events, as well as weather routing and passage planning seminars.  I think this will be a wonderful new location and I am very appreciative of the folks at HYC. Many thanks to Kathy Kubic for securing this new venue.

New Captains Page: Also new this year, is a completely redesigned Captains Page for all rallies, starting with the Caribbean Rally.  This new design will be much easier to view and to use, particularly on Mobile devices and will be the consistent standard for all our rallies going forward.  A huge thank you to Shiera Brady for the countless hours of work that it took to put together this new page, working within the constraints of Memberclicks, our website, the mobile app and administrative software!

Arrival Events: Of course, upon arrival in Antigua, we will host the usual panoply of fantastic social events and provide guidance for continuing your Caribbean adventure no matter what direction you travel.  Arrival events are also planned in Marsh Harbor to warmly welcome our Bahamas bound vessels. There will even be an event or two in Bermuda for those choosing to stop along the way.

Mobile App: Our Mobile App will continue to be a great source of up-to-date information and an ideal way to connect with rally participants.  Since the last Caribbean Rally in 2024, the App has undergone extensive improvements.  In fact, this summer both the Downeast and Maritime Rallies used the App extensively for messaging and tracking participants and, judging from the fact that there were close to 100 messages per day during the rallies, it proved itself to be a great way to connect and share information. Many thanks to Allen Roberts and his team for their tireless efforts to continually improve the App and squash the bugs.  The App was significantly upgraded on August 25, 2025, so make sure you update your version of the App on your device to enjoy the improvements.

Other New Items: Also in the works is the new, exclusive SDSA referral database, a new brochure and our Ship’s Store now includes high quality polo shirts as well as rally shirts for every rally, in addition to the Caribbean Rally. 

I’m looking forward to an exciting fall that also includes the Annapolis Rendezvous dinner (get your tickets now), the Annapolis Boat Show and the festivities in Hampton.  See you there!

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