The Sand Dollar Motorcycle Club spells its name two different ways, runs poker runs backwards, thinks the fewer road maps on hand the better, thinks the more U-turns during a ride the better, attracts rain and cold for scheduled rides but presses on anyway, has members with many different clothes, and will call you at 11 o’clock at night and say “let’s ride, they’re tearing down the Navarre bridge toll gate”.

This club seems to pride itself on being unofficially non-conventional as in “The Sandie Way”.

This is reflected in the skills sessions, in particular the box. While convention now says avoid convention and think “outside the box” it fits that the Sandies would do the opposite and stay “inside the box”. To further thumb their nose at convention, (sorry but this is my last chance to say it) the Sandie Box is real not theoretical, drawn on the ground in chalk and is as small as Joe Joe’s meanness level dictates. While conventional clubs are kicking the tires and hauling down the road, Sandies sweat the box. Why inside the box? Learning to drive inside the box teaches bike-handling skills and impresses on you the need to keep these skills up. When I first started the club our Road Box Guy noted I couldn’t stay in the box even if I were on a child’s tricycle. I still finish a beginning rider but thanks to all those who work, so hard to put on the Skills sessions I wound up being able to stay in the box even with figure of 8s. So keep on doing things the Sandy Way. It works.

- Bill Sleigh (1935-2007)

When Bill was terminally ill, this was his letter of resignation from the Sandies.

No one has better captured who we are as Bill did in this Letter.

It has become our Credo. This

is why we ride - it’s who we are.