With the effects of the spreading novel coronavirus, there is much uncertainty in the Caribbean. Ports are closing, flights are not available. Many people are finding themselves unable to have crew meet them to help move their boats north for the summer, and the ability to leave boats for the summer in the Caribbean is becoming more problematic.
To help the sailing community, the Salty Dawg Sailing Association is planning an informal flotilla to the US from the Caribbean. The Salty Dawg Homeward Bound Flotilla will depart from Antigua and the US Virgin Islands, or other islands where vessels are located, with weekly departures between April 5 and May 10, 2020. The Spring Rally has been cancelled, but boats who had registered for the Spring Rally will be invited to participate in the Homeward Bound Flotilla. We will support vessels sailing either directly to the US Mid-Atlantic or New England areas, or west toward Florida and then north along the US coast. As always in Salty Dawg rallies, departure and timing are at the discretion of the captain, and we offer maximum flexibility to all participants.
Included is weather routing from Chris Parker/Marine Weather Center, offshore tracking with position reports to a Predict Wind shared page, shoreside coordinator support all through the passage, and SDSA assistance in coming into United States waters.
To make sure we make this accessible to all, we are not assigning a fee for participation. You will be supported by a large group of very experienced, volunteer sailors. However, we will have some expenses, and would appreciate donations. We normally would charge a fee of $150 per boat to cover these expenses. We encourage participants to contribute what you can to help us defray expenses. When you register please make a donation to the SDSA, a 501(c)(3) organization.
