When COVID-19 swept through the islands of the Caribbean in the Spring of 2020, hundreds of boaters from the US and Europe were told they would have to leave as local officials feared their limited facilities would be overwhelmed. Flights that would have brought the crew to the islands to help bring the boats home were canceled. Some of the vessels would have been stored in the islands while their owners returned to their homes. Except there were no flights. Island governments told the boaters to take their boats and go home. The Salty Dawg Sailing Association stepped into this crisis to offer expertise, communications assistance, and intercession with the many governments of the islands and the US State Department and Customs and Border Protection. Hank George of White Stone, the President of the Salty Dawgs, kept a rapt audience on the edges of their seats as he described these events at Indian Creek Yacht and Country Club. “Many of the boaters were inexperienced and some of the vessels were poorly equipped for multi-day passages in blue water - they really needed experienced mariners to lean on for advice." George explained. The Association quickly set up a task force to provide this help, and staffed it with volunteers who spent countless hours rendering much-needed assistance. The Emergency Response Team coached boats through coping with electrical and mechanical failures. The Government Relations Team persuaded local authorities to permit vessels to enter restricted waters to take on fuel and supplies. The Communications team organized groups of boats to be able to relay important messages and updates to those who lacked satellite or other long-range communications gear. And while there were periods of calm weather, two early tropical disturbances brought 20-foot waves and 60 know winds at the flotilla, causing breakage and further challenges to the boats, some of which were as small as 31 feet in length. George highlighted the experience of Altair a 38 foot Beneteau on which bad fuel had made the engine unusable. On top of that, a stay had broken, presenting a danger the mast would break and wind propulsion would become impossible. The clever suggestion of the Emergency Response team was to use a spinnaker halyard rigged from the top of the mast to a midship cleat to support the mast. It worked. Only later did the land-based support team learn that the vessel, hailing from Hampton, Virginia, was being single-handed by its owner, Will Viss. Over the course of several weeks, the Salty Dawgs assisted and tracked 184 vessels as all arrived safely in the US and Canada. Also in attendance at the presentation was Brian Murray, a former US Coast Guard rescue helicopter pilot, who served on the Emergency Response Team.
The Salty Dawgs were presented with a Special Recognition Award by the Cruising Club of America. This certificate bearing this honor, one of only a handful awarded by the Cruising Club since 2006, was displayed for the Indian Creek audience by Hank George, who had received it only the day before his presentation.
