Dock project approaching completion!

On opening day (April 1) under snow and rain I espoused to the news cameras that it was really 80 degrees and sunny at Community Boating. I think I mentioned something about weather being a state of mind.  hmmm...I know I was feeling the fact that being open at all on April 1st was really quite remarkable.  To have seen, day to day,  the dock construction throughout the winter and perhaps understand better than most that there were many more reasons for the project to fall behind than push ahead, such as a brutal winter and materials coming from third world countries on slow boats, I am still pinching myself to see that we are open and coming close to completion.  Some of the areas still being worked on include the 420 floats, the high performance floats, the boat ramp by the crane, the fence around the facility, some areas of decking and bumpers along the edges of the entire structure.  There's also a "punch list" being worked through. I'm feeling pretty comfortable that we will see the entire facility 100% by mid May. Keep an eye out on this web site, blog, and Basin Breezes, for info about when windsurfing and Lasers will be "open".  They're coming soon!

Spending so much of my attention and energy focused on the construction project makes me miss paying more attention to sailing.  This is one reason why I really appreciate our great staff.  There's a reason why CBI received a lot of awards this past winter from the US Sailing Association. Thanks to the work of our program directors this winter we will see great programming again this summer.  Just today we have a group of kids from two Boy's and Girl's clubs embarking on a week long course of sailing instruction - a jump start to the summer junior program.  Last weekend CBI hosted an important high school qualifying regatta.  Sign-ups for the Accessible Sailing Program are underway and the adult program will see a continuing emphasis on on-the-water instruction and advanced classes such a sailboat racing (Look to our class schedules on the web site to see what's being offered).  While I honestly feel a little pride for all of us in the new facility, I am most excited about what we will do with it in the future.  It's no mystery - we're gonna turn more and more folks, young and old, into sailors.  Think of that song  " What the world needs now....(more sailors!)

Charlie