A two-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year (1973 and 1974), Sally Lindsay Honey is not only an accomplished dinghy sailor in highly competitive and demanding open classes like the 505, but she has extensive offshore experience as well. For two decades she raced Thistles, Fireballs, 470s and Dragons and campaigned a 505 internationally. In 1972, Honey opened her own loft and was widely known for designing spinnakers and trapeze harnesses.
Sally also helped develop SailMail and for over a decade served as director and administrator of the SailMail Association, a non‐profit which provides its more than 3,000 yacht owners with a worldwide email communications system.
- Sailing Awards and Service
- 1972: 505 Fleet 6, fleet captain
- 1973: Martini and Rossi (now Rolex) Yachtswoman of the Year
- 1974: Martini and Rossi (now Rolex) Yachtswoman of the Year
- 1981: American Section President, International 505 Class
- 1994: Pacific Cup Board of Directors, Seminar organization, including SAS seminars 1994,95 and 96-97: Sailing World Boat of the Year Panelist
- 1995 to 2005: coach for various women’s sailing clinics
- 2002-2004: Pacific Cup Board of Directors for 2004 race, SAS seminars
- 2011-12: Pacific Cup Offshore Academy, organizer, moderator
- 2011- present: US Sailing, Safety At Sea Committee, current chair
- 2012: US Sailing Full Crew Farallones Independent Investigation, committee chair 2012- 14: Cruising Club of America, local station safety officer, Safety at Sea committee 2013: America’s Cup Safety Review Panel following the Artemis tragedy
- 2016: Safety at Sea Core Topics Handbook, editor, written for US Sailing
- 2016-17: US Sailing’s Safety at Sea Handbook, editor
Sailing
International 505:
- 1972, 73, and 74: New England Seasonal 505 Championship, 1st
- 1973,74,76,77: Bermuda International Race Week, 505, 1st, skipper
- 1973: East Coast 505 Champion
- 1974: Canadian Olympic Regatta at Kingston, 505, 1st skipper
- 1978: North American 505 Championships, 1st, skipper
- 1970-90: Campaigned 505’s in numerous international championships, including (7) World Championships (Santa Cruz, Bermuda, France, Denmark, Australia, San Francisco, France) generally finishing in the top 20 and always the top woman; and including (2) Pacific Championships, in Hong Kong and Japan, finishing 3rd.
Other Small Boat Racing:
- 1972: Adams Cup, Women’s North American Sailing Champion, 1st, skipper
- 1975: Memorial Adams Cup, 1st, skipper
- 1979: Memorial Adams Cup, 1st, crew
- 1970 – 90: Many additional regional, national, and international regattas in Thistles (1st crew Nationals and Mid-winters), Fireballs (2nd skipper Nationals), 470s, Dragons, Melges 24 as skipper and crew.
Offshore Big Boat Racing:
- 1962,64: Annapolis-Newport Race, NY 32, Proton, crew
- 1969: Block Island Race Week, NY 32, Proton, foredeck boss
- 1970: Newport-Bermuda Race, NY 32, Proton
- 1990: Double-handed Pacific Cup, San Francisco-Hawaii, Cal 40 Illusion, co-skipper 1992: Pacific Cup, fully crewed, Schumacher 50, Heart of Gold, crew, 2nd
- 1993: Double-handed Ocean Series, San Francisco Bay, Cal 40 Illusion,1st
- 1993: Long Beach-Cabo Race, Heart of Gold, watch captain
- 1994: Pacific Cup, fully crewed, Express 37, Mélange, crew, 2nd in class
- 1996: Pacific Cup, double-handed Cal 40 Illusion, First Overall, First Double-handed, Fastest Corrected Time any race
- 1990-98: Double-handed Farallones, SF Lightship, Vallejo races, etc., Cal 40 Illusion – many 1st, 2nds 1998: Antigua Race Week, Sayonara, crew
- 2002: Antigua Race Week, Pyewacket, crew
- 2003: TransPac, Cal 40 Illusion, co-skipper, 1st in class, 3rd overall
- 2005: TransPac, Cal 40 Illusion, skipper-navigator, 2nd in class
- 2010: Newport-Bermuda Race, Cal 40 Gone with the Wind, navigator, 3rd in class, 8th overall 2013: Double-handed Farallones race, Cal 40 Illusion, 1st overall
- 2022: Bermuda Race, St. David’s Lighthouse Division Award Winner (awarded since 1954 to the winner of the largest division -108 boats in 2022), on 56 year old Cal 40, Illusion. Won their class and overall division by over two hours.
In-shore Big Boat Racing:
- 2001: San Francisco OYRA (ocean series) Season Championship, Cal 40, Illusion, co-skipper 2002: San Francisco HDA (Handicap) Season Championship, Cal 40, Illusion, co-skipper 2007: Big Boat Series, Santa Cruz 52, Winnetou, crew 2nd
- 2008: Big Boat Series, Schumacher 46, Surprise, crew
- 2008: Chicago – Mac, Beneteau 44.7, Indecision, watch captain
- 2009: Big Boat series, Express 37, Golden Moon, crew
Off-shore Delivery/Cruising History:
- 1956: Ten days cruising Cape Cod on the 48’ eight meter, Proton
- 1954-68: Many weekend cruises on the Chesapeake Bay, Proton
- 1966: July and August, charter crew, 48’ Alden schooner, Olad, St Thomas, V.I. 1968: Delivery, Bermuda to Annapolis, 45’ New York 32, Proton
- 1970: December, Transatlantic crossing, Canary Islands to Antigua, Proton, watch captain 1971: Jan – June, Live aboard & maintain the 45’ NY 32, Proton, English Harbor, Antigua 1970-74: multiple week-long cruises, Maine coast, Amphibicon 26
- 1973: two-week cruise, Camden to Rocque Island, 36’ catamaran
- 1991: delivery, Hawaii to San Francisco, Cal 40, Illusion, co-skipper
- 1993: week-long instructional cruise, Maine coast, C & C 40, instructor
- 1996: July-October, Hawaii – Vancouver Island, British Columbia, 2-handed, Cal 40, Illusion 1997: July-October, Cruise Anacortes to Glacier Bay to San Francisco, Cal 40, Illusion 2001: PlayStation, Morrelli-Melvin Catamaran, delivery Philadelphia to New York City, crew 2003: double-handed delivery, Hawaii to San Francisco, Cal 40, Illusion, co-skipper 2014: double-handed cruise from San Francisco to Los Angeles, Cal 40 Illusion 2015,16: double-handed cruising in the Sea of Cortez, Cal 40 Illusion
- 2016-19: double-handed cruising, Mexico-Panama Canal-Newport RI, Cal 40 Illusion 2020: double-handed cruising, Maine Coast
Memberships:
Pacific Cup Yacht Club, St Francis Yacht Club (spouse), US Sailing, TransPac Yacht Club, South Beach Yacht Club, Cruising Club of America, New York YC (spouse), Storm Trysail Club.
Contributions:
- Pacific Cup YC Board of Directors and seminar organizer, including several Safety-At-Sea Seminars Cruising Club of America local station safety officer and program organizer
- multiple lectures on sailing and sail making to various organizations, as well as instruction in dinghy and big boat sailing
- Chair, US Sailing Farallones Investigation
- Chair, US Sailing Safety At Sea Committee
- Board Member, Call of the Sea Tall Ship
- Educational Tall Ships,
- Co-writer, US Sailing’s Safety at Sea, A Guide to Safety Under Sail and Personal Survival
Miles sailed (approximate)
Off-shore Big Boat Racing:
- 1100 1962, 64 Annapolis-Newport Race, NY 32, Proton, crew
- 100 1969 Block Island Race Week, NY 32, Proton, foredeck boss
- 630 1970 Bermuda Race, NY 32, Proton
- 2300 1990 Double-handed Pacific Cup, San Francisco-Hawaii, Cal 40, co-skipper 2300 1992 Pacific Cup, fully crewed, Schumacher 50, Heart of Gold, crew, 2nd 4000 1993 Double-handed Ocean Series, San Francisco Bay, 1st
- 930 1993 Long Beach-Cabo Race, Heart of Gold, watch captain
- 2300 1994 Pacific Cup, fully crewed, Express 37, Mélange, crew, 2nd in class 2300 1996 Pacific Cup, double-handed, Cal 40, Illusion, 1st over-all
- 1200 1990-98 Double-handed Farallones, SF Lightship, Vallejo races, etc., many 1st, 2nds 100 1998 Antigua Race Week, Sayonara
- 100 2002 Antigua Race Week, Pyewacket
- 2400 2003 TransPac, Cal 40 Illusion, co-skipper, 1st in class, 3rd overall 2400 2005 TransPac, Cal 40 Illusion, skipper-navigator, 2nd in class
- 350 2008 Chicago-Mac, Beneteau 44.7, Indecision, watch captain
- 630 2010 Bermuda Race, Cal 40 Gone with the Wind, navigator, 3rd in class, 8th overall
Off-shore Deliveries/Cruises
- 600 1956 ten days cruising Cape Cod on the 48’ eight meter, Proton 900 1954-68: weekend cruises on the Chesapeake Bay, Proton
- 200 1966 July and August, charter crew, , 48’ Alden schooner, Olad, St Thomas, V.I. 850 1968 delivery, Bermuda to Annapolis, 45’ New York 32, Proton
- 3200 1969 December, Transatlantic crossing, Canary Islands to Antigua, Proton, watch captain 500 1970 Jan – June, Live aboard & maintain NY 32, Proton, English Harbor, Antigua 500 1970-74: week-long cruises, Maine coast, Amphibicon 26
- 300 1973 two-week cruise, Camden to Roque Island, 36’ catamaran
- 2800 1991 delivery, Hawaii to San Francisco, Cal 40, Illusion, co-skipper 200 1993 week-long instructional cruise, Maine coast, C & C 40, instructor 2800 1996 July-October, Passage: Hawaii to British Columbia, cruise inside Vancouver Island 3000 1997 July-October, Cruise Anacortes to Glacier Bay to San Francisco 150 2001 PlayStation, delivery Philadelphia to New York
- 2800 2003 double-handed delivery, Hawaii-San Francisco, Illusion
- 10000 2014-2020 Cruise from San Francisco to Maine, via Panama Canal
Current Positions (as of 2022):
- Director: SailMail Association, providing worldwide email to offshore vessels
- Chair, World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations Sub-committee (she is the most senior person responsible for offshore safety in our sport worldwide)
- Member: US Sailing, Safety At Sea Committee;
- Member: Cruising Club of America, Safety And Seamanship Committee
Sailing-related Employment:
- 1998 – present: Director, SailMail Association, email service for yachts via Iridium, Inmarsat, or SSB (www.sailmail.com)
- 1979 – 2007: Owner/president, Precision Technical Sewing, Inc. and Spinnaker Shop, Palo Alto, CA Sailmaking, marine canvas, and industrial sewing for the aerospace, electronics, medical, and exhibit industries. (www.techsewing.com, www.spinnakershop.com)
- 1975 – 1979: Sail designer and production manager, One-Design Department, North Sails East, Stratford, CT
- 1972 – 1975: owner, Sally Lindsay Sailmakers, Swampscott, MA
- Fall, 1971: seamstress, Cressy and Curtis Sailmakers, Marblehead, MA
- January – June 1970: Transatlantic crossing, Canary Islands to Antigua, then boat maintenance person on 45′ sloop, English Harbor, Antigua.
- 1969: Sail cutter, Dyson Sails, Marblehead, Massachusetts.
- 1969: Sail cutter/layout, Hood Sails, Marblehead, Massachusetts.
