The Salty Dawg Rally will hold their 2014 Seminar Series in Annapolis, MD at Mears Pavilion, 519 Chester Avenue, on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 from 7:45 a.m. until 5 o’clock p.m. the day before the US Sailboat Show begins. Mears Marina is conveniently located along Back Creek close to the show.
Sponsored by Sea Hawk Paints, the day-long event will include seminars on Rigging, Weather, Emergency Preparedness, and much more, presented by leading specialists in their fields, including the U.S. Coast Guard.Following is the October 8 Seminar Schedule:
| Time | Presenter | Topic | Notes |
| 7:45 – 8:00 | Patrick O’Donnell | Welcome and opening remarks | Introduce SSCA and OCC representatives for brief presentations. |
| 8:00 – 8:45 | Mark Andres | Bottom paint choices | What characteristics to look for in bottom paint, the importance of the primary location where your boat is moored, etc. |
| 9:00 – 9:45 | Curtis Morris | Communications | Offshore Communications including the use of the SSB and Satellite Phones. |
| 10:00 – 10:45 | David Gross | Sails | Offshore sail repairs, suggested repair equipment to handle damaged sails. |
| 11:00 – 11:45 | Chris Parker | Weather | Interpreting weather routing. |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Joan Conover | Lunch & Pressure Cooking | Cooking under pressure. Box lunches are available only by pre-order. |
| 13:00 – 13:45 | USCG | Preparing your Boat for Offshore Passages | Recommended Equipment for your passage. |
| 14:00 – 14:45 | Life Raft & Survival | Life rafts | Care, maintenance & selections. |
| 15:00 – 15:45 | Will Keene | Edson | Steering & Pump Systems. Know before you go. |
| 16:00 – 16:45 | Steve Madden | Rigging | Identification of rigging issues, possible failure points & remedies. |
| 16:45 – 17:00 | Patrick O’Donnell | Closing | Closing Remarks & Thanks. |
In making the announcement, Bill Knowles, Co-founder of the Rally, said “We’re inviting anyone interested in blue water passage making, and especially cruisers who annually travel back and forth to the Caribbean, to sign up and join us. There is no fee, and it’s also an opportunity to learn more about our Rally and meet some of our members and sponsors.” The Salty Dawg Rally will be exhibiting at the show as well, in Tent G2A.
To sign up to attend, please log on to www.saltydawgrally.org to sign up via the Contact button. Reservations are limited to the first 100 sign-ups.
United States Sailboat Show is one of the largest and oldest boat shows in USA. This is the 45th edition of the session and it will attracts more than 50,000 boating enthusiasts from around the world to the waterfront of historic Annapolis, Maryland. The exhibition will be held 9-13 October 2014.
The Salty Dawg Rally (SDR) was founded by cruising enthusiasts Bill & Linda Knowles of Bristol, Rhode Island. It is comprised of sailors who have completed at least one blue water passage. The Rally leaves from Bluewater Yachting Center in Hampton, Virginia and other U.S. East Coast ports in the fall, headed for the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and other ports in the Caribbean, and returns in the spring. For more information, visit www.saltydawgrally.org.
