If there’s one thing cruisers know, it’s that you can spend all the money in the world on charts, electronics, and shiny new boat toys, but nothing beats getting together with a bunch of fellow boat nuts to swap stories, learn a few things, and maybe discover what you’ve been doing wrong for the past twenty years.
That was the spirit of the SSCA’s 39th Chesapeake Bay Gam, held October 2–4, 2026, at the Maryland Yacht Club in Pasadena, Maryland, near BWI.
As the SSCA’s lead event of the year, the Chesapeake Bay Gam delivered a full weekend of education, camaraderie, practical cruising knowledge, and the occasional reminder that the sea doesn’t care how much you paid for your boat.
Friday: Practice Before You Need It
The action began Friday with a special pre-Gam event, Safety for Cruising Couples, which attracted about a third of the Gam participants.
This wasn’t one of those seminars where everybody sits around drinking coffee while somebody clicks through PowerPoint slides and tells you how wonderful safety is.
Participants got hands-on experience practicing man-overboard recovery using a Lifesling and tackle aboard both a conventional sailing sloop and a sailing catamaran, whose layout offered some features more commonly associated with powerboats.
A video from the Cruising Club of America demonstrated the challenge of circling back to a person in the water while dragging a Lifesling behind the boat.
For a more immediate approach, participants practiced throwing rescue bags at bucket targets.
The lesson was simple: when somebody goes overboard, the time to discover that your throwing arm needs work is not when your favorite crew member is bobbing around in the Chesapeake.
Practice improves the odds, and on the water, better odds are always welcome.
Friday Night: The Gam Begins
Friday evening officially kicked off the Gam with a boaters’ potluck and a welcome from SSCA President Joan Conover.
Fortunately, the weather cooperated enough for everyone to gather in the outdoor Pavilion, where the real business of a Gam could begin.
Old friends caught up, new friends were welcomed into the fold, and cruising stories began making the rounds.
For the uninitiated, a Gam is more than a gathering. It’s a chance for people who have chosen an unconventional life afloat to reconnect with their tribe, trade hard-earned knowledge, and discover that somebody else has probably made the same expensive mistake you did.
And if they haven’t, give them time.
Weather, Boats, and the Cruising Life
Chris Parker opened the speaking program with a riveting discussion of the current extreme El Niño conditions and what they might mean for cruisers this fall at different latitudes along the U.S. East Coast.
For anyone planning a passage, weather isn’t just a topic for conversation over sundowners. It’s the difference between a memorable sail and a memorable mistake.
Parker’s presentation offered attendees valuable insight into the conditions they might encounter as the cruising season progressed.
Curtis Stokes followed with guidance on navigating today’s buyers’ market for sailboats, a timely subject for anyone shopping for a vessel or wondering what their current floating home might be worth.
SSCA President Joan Conover and Vice President Frank Smith then introduced the HAL AI Tool, generating an enthusiastic response from attendees.
A follow-up session later in the day walked participants through the installation process, giving interested cruisers a chance to move beyond the introduction and get their hands on the technology.
Frank also hosted Saturday’s breakfast, which proved to be an all-morning affair in the best Gam tradition.
Emergency Preparedness: Because Hope Isn’t a Safety Plan
Sean Fleischman and Mark Bologna of Landfall Navigation took the stage to discuss emergency preparedness, bringing along examples of equipment ranging from EPIRBs to fire axes.
It’s one thing to read about emergency gear in a catalog. It’s another to see the equipment up close and understand what it can do when things go sideways.
The presentation concluded with a flare demonstration at the far end of the property.
Those SOLAS parachute flares are not exactly subtle, and the neighbors across the channel must have had quite a show.
Still, when you need to be seen in an emergency, subtlety isn’t exactly the objective.
Where to Go Next?
Gam Chair Bill Hudson introduced the hosts of the Destination Tables, where attendees could talk with experienced cruisers about places they were considering visiting.
Jake Jarosz covered maritime Canada, Jody Schroath handled the Chesapeake and Intracoastal Waterway, and Beth VandeGeijn shared her perspective after returning from cruising the eastern Caribbean.
The hosts also took turns on the patio during the afternoon, giving participants additional opportunities to ask questions and discuss their cruising plans.
For sailors staring at charts and wondering where to point the bow next, these conversations can be worth their weight in diesel fuel.
After lunch, lead speaker Ed Tillett delivered a compelling presentation on the combined resources of Waterway Guide, AquaMaps, and PredictWind, all sponsors of the SSCA.
With navigation information, charts, weather forecasting, and passage planning all playing important roles in modern cruising, understanding how these tools work together can make life aboard a whole lot easier.
Saturday Afternoon: Sails, Medicine, and Insurance
Susan Hancks led a well-attended Women’s Workshop to close the afternoon, while other Saturday speakers covered a broad range of practical cruising subjects.
Stephanie Sweeney of Evolution Sails, Jon Bloomberg of Core Medical, and Scott Stusek of Brown & Brown Gowrie marine insurance each brought specialized knowledge to the program.
It’s a reminder that successful cruising takes more than knowing how to trim a sail or anchor in a pretty cove.
Sails wear out, bodies get sick, and insurance policies suddenly become very interesting when something expensive breaks.
The Auction: Helping the Next Generation of Cruisers
After hosting cocktail hour, Scott Berg, marine surveyor and former SSCA president, took charge of the evening’s auction.
Sponsor-donated products went under the hammer, raising more than $1,000 for the SSCA Foundation.
That’s a pretty good result for an evening that combined good company, donated gear, and the competitive spirit of sailors who know a bargain when they see one.
The funds will help support the Foundation’s work, adding another worthwhile accomplishment to an already busy weekend.
Saturday Night: Growing Up Under Sail
After dinner, keynote speaker Melanie Neale shared her experiences growing up aboard her family’s Chez Nous, a well-known cruising sailboat.
For many attendees, the presentation offered a personal perspective on what happens when cruising isn’t simply a vacation or a retirement plan, but a way of life that shapes a family from the very beginning.
There’s a difference between taking a boat somewhere and growing up with the horizon as part of your backyard.
Stories like Neale’s are a big part of what makes a Gam special. They remind us that cruising isn’t just about destinations. It’s about the lives we build along the way.
Sunday: Radios, Medical Emergencies, and Staying Healthy Abroad
Sunday morning began with Frank Smith’s presentation, “Emergency Radio Scenarios,” a well-attended session on using VHF Digital Selective Calling, or DSC, for emergencies and routine communications, as well as responding appropriately when a DSC call comes in.
Among the important points was the need to obtain an international Maritime Mobile Service Identity, or MMSI, through the FCC, along with considering a second international MMSI for a handheld radio used during deliveries.
Radio procedures may not sound exciting until somebody needs help and your radio is the quickest way to reach it.
Jon Bloomberg, a 911 EMT, Wilderness First Aid instructor, and president of Core Medical, followed with a discussion of preparing for medical issues aboard.
His presentation covered medical kits and resources for obtaining medications to keep on hand for emergencies.
Because when you’re a few hundred miles offshore, the local pharmacy isn’t exactly around the corner.
Arno Chrispeels of International Health Insurance Solutions then addressed health insurance for cruisers traveling outside the United States, along with travel assistance and evacuation insurance.
Jake Jarosz followed with a presentation on satellite communications, while Dave Rowe discussed the Argo Navigation app and Nina Preuss of EnjoySailing.US covered provisioning.
Together, the sessions covered much of the unglamorous but essential business of cruising: staying connected, keeping yourself healthy, finding help when you need it, and making sure there’s something to eat aboard when the next port is still a long way off.
Any Question, Any Ocean
After Sunday’s lunch, the Gam wrapped up with a lively panel that invited participants to ask anything about cruising, anywhere in the world.
The questions ranged from acquiring the skills needed to become a competent cruiser to navigating the approaches to the Panama Canal.
That’s the beauty of bringing a group of experienced boaters together. Ask one question and you may get three answers, five opinions, and a story about somebody who tried it a different way and wound up with a bent propeller.
The discussion provided a fitting close to a weekend devoted to learning, sharing experience, and helping fellow cruisers make better decisions out on the water.
Joan Conover delivered the concluding remarks and invited everyone to return in 2027.
Until the Next Gam
The 39th Chesapeake Bay Gam packed a tremendous amount into three days: safety training, weather forecasting, boat buying, navigation technology, emergency communications, medical preparedness, insurance, destination planning, and plenty of opportunities to catch up with old friends and make new ones.
But the real value of a gathering like this can’t be measured by the number of speakers, the size of the auction proceeds, or how many presentations you manage to squeeze into a weekend.
It’s measured by what happens afterward, when someone heads out on a passage a little better prepared, makes a smarter decision, handles an emergency more confidently, or discovers a cruising destination they might never have considered.
That’s what the SSCA and its Gams are all about: sharing the knowledge, experience, and friendships that make a life afloat richer and safer.
So sharpen your skills, check your gear, keep those questions coming, and save a spot on the calendar for 2027.
The horizon isn’t going anywhere, and there’s always another adventure waiting out there.
