From Florida to the South Pacific: A Circumnavigation in the Making

Our team at Dockwa is stoked to be collaborating with the Salty Dawgs Sailing Association (SDSA) to share monthly cruising tales in The Running Fix Newsletter! 

Many cruisers, young and old, dream about sailing off into the sunset and exploring the world by sea.  The mission of the Salty Dawg Sailing Association is to educate sailors and build camaraderie to help sailors make those dreams a reality.  SDSA focuses on creating offshore experiences up and down the east coast as well as annual rallies to, and returning from, the Caribbean.  For some the Caribbean rally becomes an annual event and for others it is the stepping stone to crossing oceans or taking a sailing journey around the world.  Over the next couple of months SDSA members will share their adventures beyond the USA and the Caribbean - stay tuned as hear from Salty Dawgs Around the World!

From Florida to the South Pacific: A Circumnavigation in the Making
By the crew on SV Kalli

Our journey began in May 2020 aboard our Shannon sailboat Kalli. We were new to retirement and had plans to sail north from Florida to spend the summer in New England, winter in the Caribbean and then on to the South Pacific the following spring. Like many others, our plans changed due to Covid.

We were excited to learn the Salty Dawg Caribbean Rally was still running in Nov even though most of the Caribbean was closed. Right from the start the SDSA rally exceeded our expectations. We began receiving emails and were invited to zoom meetings for rally details, boat prep, Antigua entrance details, spare parts lists, boat maintenance, Covid entry requirements and general information to prepare us for out trip. As we all gathered in Hampton VA a week before the rally, we were busy with zoom meetings (no in person gatherings) and Chris Parker weather briefings. They also provided a communications expert who helped set up our tracking page as well as verified our ability to receive the daily weather updates while at sea. Of the 30 or so boats going that year, probably 30-40% were return Caribbean rally participants which told us a lot about the SDSA. They provided valuable guidance and support especially for the newbies on the rally.

With the SDSA you make the decisions for your own boat on departure, route, destination from all the information provided. You are not told when to leave. You have the opportunity to ask weather and routing questions to Chris Parker during the planning sessions prior to the start of the rally as well as during the rally. While on passage you have the support of Chris Parker as well as Shore side Coordinators who have been instrumental in assisting boats in distress and coordinating with the Coast Guard on previous rallies. We have participated in the SDSA Caribbean rally 3 times initially thinking “we aren’t really rally people” but we found that maybe we are rally people. You have as much or as little of the rally lifestyle as you would like. Rallies often pave the way for entrance into the country where the customs/immigration often give priority to boats in a rally. Paperwork is often coordinated before arrival to simplify the procedure upon arrival. Early arriving boats are relaying their experience and updated requests by officials.

Our SDSA rallies gave us the support, guidance and experience to continue our dream adventure to the South Pacific. Our trips to the Caribbean helped fine tune the ideal boat we desired to continue our adventure and we were able to tour a fellow Salty Dawg boat Che Figata who showed us their Hylas 56 and they knew of one for sale back in the states. We were sold and that new to us boat became a reality in Jan 2022 with 7 months of work to get her ‘blue water’ ready. We have met so many lifelong friends through the SDSA and continue to cross paths with fellow dawgs, if not on the water then through social media. We have just arrived in Tual Indonesia where we are traveling with 2 other Salty Dawg boats (Escapade and Far) on to Lombok. We look forward to the next stretch of our adventure from Indonesia to Christmas Island, Cocos Keeling, Mauritius, Reunion, Cape Town, Brazil and back to the Caribbean in March 2025.

The Salty Dawg Sailing Association has had such a big impact on our sailing life and adventure. 
Without the support of the group we may have never ventured to the South Pacific, Australia, Indonesia and a circumnavigation. The friends and the camaraderie of the SDSA tops our list of SDSA benefits. The experience we have gained from previous rallies and other dawgs as well as the support they offer while under way is invaluable. We will remain lifetime members!

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