The Salty Dawg Sailing association has two summer rallies that are still open and both offer a chance to experience blue water sailing in the company of other like-minded cruisers
The “big one” is the Azores rally that will depart from Bermuda on or about June 1 bound for Horta in the Azores. This is the second running of the rally following a successful launch last year.
The fleet will come from the East Coast and from the Caribbean. The Caribbean fleet will sail with the spring Homeward Bound Rally and stage in Bermuda for the transatlantic passage. The East Coast fleet will have a start in Hampton, Virginia but boats will also sail to Bermuda from ports north and south of that.
To date 13 boats have signed on for the Azores Rally and the fleet represents a good cross-section of monohulls and multihulls with an average size of roughly 50 feet. Of the 13 boats, full half are going to be skippered by women.
The other summer rally run by the Dawgs is the annual Downeast Rally. The event has a start in Hampton and then sails offshore along the East Coast to Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. Depending on the weather, this run can take three days or so.
After a stop in Rhode Island, the growing fleet heads to the Cape Cod Canal and then across Massachusetts Bay and the Gulf of Maine to the landfall in Rockland, Maine. The fleet then can disperse foillowing the festivities or some may cruise along the Maine Coast in Company.
Every other year, on odd years, the Dawgs run the Maritime Rally from Rockland to the Coast of Nova Scotia with an end point, nominally, in the Bras d’Or Lakes. This is an adventurous cruise and often challenging due to the frequent fog banks. AIS and radar are highly recommended.
This summer’s rallies, like at Salty Dawg events are run by teams of dedicated and experienced volunteers. Each rally uses the services of Chris Parker’s Marine Weather Center for pre-departure forrcasts and then daily en route weather and routing information.
During each rally, shoreside volunteers keep a 24/7 watch and monitor al communications. In the case of an emergency, the emergency response team swings into action to facilitate the best possible outcomes.
For the last few years, each rally has engaged the services of the George Washington Maritime Medical Services from George Washington University. This “concierge” service provides 24/7 on-call medical assistance to all boats in the fleet.
Looking ahead in 2026, the annual fall Caribbean Rally (including a fleet sailing to the Bahamas) will have starts in Hampton and Newport, Rhode Island at the end of October and around November 1. The fleet often grows to 100 boats or more and is known for ther great festivities and seminars before the starts and for weeks of fun in Antigua and the Bahamas at the end.
Lear more about SDSA Rallies here
Learn more about the Downeast Rally here.
re.Learn more about the Azores Rally here,
Sign up to join the SDSA here.
