From Scuttlebutt Sailing News

The Salty Dawg Sailing Association (SDSA) unites, educates, and empowers people interested in blue water sailing or long distance cruising. Their annual rallies handle details and logistics, but the organization had a conundrum this fall for their seventh annual event to the Caribbean. Where do you go?

The hurricane season has not been kind to the region, and as its economy relies heavily on visitors, it is financially critical for visitors to return to the islands. Thankfully, Antigua escaped the wrath of the storms, so Antigua it is.

The 2017 Fall Rally will now be from Hampton in Virginia and other points on the East Coast of USA to Falmouth Harbor in Antigua and is scheduled to depart on November 2, weather permitting.

“The destination for the Salty Dawg Fall Rally has been the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda in the BVI since its inception,” said SDSA President Bill Knowles. “We are saddened by the horrible devastation they are experiencing. Our thoughts and prayers are with the staff and employees and all the citizens of the BVI and other islands affected by Hurricane Irma.”

In addition, the SDSA Board of Directors have created the tax-deductible Salty Dawg BVI Relief Fund in response to requests from the SDSA membership – long distance sailors with long relationships with the residents of the impacted islands.

The Salty Dawg Sailing Association is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-run educational non-profit organization, perfectly poised to direct funds to the strong Rotary network and other grass roots community efforts in the BVI. Neither SDSA nor local Rotary groups apply any administrative fees to distribution of these funds.

For more information about how to contribute to the fund… click here.

For more on this story go to: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2017/09/27/mission-critical-return-caribbean/