In the Spring of 2020, as the world was becoming paralyzed by the COVID-19 Pandemic, The Salty Dawg Sailing Association sprang into action and organized the Homeward Bound Flotilla to help 473 sailors in 184 vessels get from the Caribbean to the east coast of the United States.  It was an extraordinary effort involving on-shore coordination, 24-hour emergency assistance teams standing by, weather routing, tracking, and fast-paced thinking.  

English Harbor, Antigua, BWI 

Sailing Vessel Allegro, owned by Salty Dawgs Sharon and Lee Demarest, was the first to cross the finish line and the over-all winner of Antigua’s annual Nelson’s Pursuit race. Lee and the all-Salty Dawg crew (consisting of Jim Felds, Mark Hoenke, John Hueber, Brian Schuemacher, David Tesar, and Bill Woodruff) expertly piloted the 1984 Tayana 52 cutter-rigged cruising boat over the 16.1 mile course in 2 hours, 20 minutes and 15 seconds (sailing at an average of 7 knots) beating out 23 other boats. 

Co-Founder of the Salty Dawg Rally 

It is with profound sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Linda Marie Knowles. Linda died unexpectedly of a heart attack in her home in Vero Beach, FL on November 14, 2020. She was 71 years old. 

Born in Buffalo, NY and raised in Eden, NY, she was a devoted wife of 36 years to her husband William (Bill) P. Knowles. They spent the last 15 years living on their sailboat Sapphire, cruising from the Northeast to the Caribbean each year. During this time, they founded the Salty Dawg Rally in 2011. The organization has grown to become the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, one of the premier sailing associations in the world, with over 800 members and many events each year. Linda served as Vice President from 2013 until her death. The ocean became their home, and the Salty Dawgs her passion. 

This unprecedented storm season and challenges from Covid-19 did not stop the Salty Dawgs from making their way to paradise in the annual Salty Dawg Caribbean Rally. Fifty boats left the cold for destinations including Antigua, the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands, and Florida. Several boats suffered some damage in this year's big seas—everything from broken booms, to flooded engine compartments, to hand steering a thousand miles—but persevered to make safe landfall. With weather guidance from Chris Parker's Marine Weather Center and tracking from PredictWind, Shoreside Coordinators and Emergency Response teams kept in touch with the sailors and helped guide them through repairs while underway.