The Summer is in full swing, but soon enough...

Buxton  now enjoys a short wade in her pool 

A small child sits on a dirty curb in 90-degree heat. The smile on their face belies the heat, humidity and dust. All those young eyes see at this moment is the chilly drip slowly making it's way past their tiny fingers before it strikes the dirt below; to be feverishly devoured by the panting pup at their feet who now stares at this child with ultimate commitment to both his safety and that of the strawberry ice cream in his hand.

This is a scene played over and over during these hot dog days of summer. And one that we relish every winter when the drifts of snow build cold against the window. But summer is here now so forget about the cold winds ahead and pour yourself another ice tea and enjoy the heat.

Because in the coming weeks, those ice cream cones will vanish and the smell of freshly sharpened pencils mixed with the stale smell of school bus fumes will take the place of that smiling child on the curb. That's at least what I plan to do.

You see this summer for me, was the first one in a very long time, when I got to be that little boy once again, with a dog by my side, eating a strawberry cone on the curb. Thankfully Buxton, who digs Strawberries as much as I do, didn't complain at the meager share she was offered as it seems now that I am grown, I can manage the drips a whole lot better than I could when I was 8.

But back to my point- I got to enjoy summer this year in way I haven't for too many years. I got my beach week at the Atlantic, I got my garden time, I got my swim in the lake and I got my lemonade in the shade in 90-degree heat.

My past years since starting CCB, I have had my fun. Seeing smiling faces at the helm of a boat for their very first time is incredibly rewarding. But the work and effort it took to get them afloat is a seven day a week venture and leaves little time for summer dreaming. Who's gonna pay the staff, how do we get them bussed to the water, where is the next insurance payment and did I return that call to the donor? All that worry left little time to relax under a shade tree- even if we did have a shade tree in the landfill which we really didn't.

Now I am not saying, I didn't love every minute sharing the sport of boating with a whole bunch of wonderful people. I am just saying, all that sharing left little time for me. And while I missed the kids, I missed the water and I missed the fun we all had together last year for Pirate Day, Dead Puppet Theater and Capture the Schroeder, I didnt miss the work and the worry.

Well now it's time to go back to work. There are thousands of  kids across Connecticut who deserve a chance to hit the waves. Thousands of family's who've never had the opportunity to quality family time afloat. And there are beaches everywhere that need a mess of  enthusiastic volunteers.

Now that the summer has reached it's zenith and the powers that be have given us go ahead sign, we're kicking into gear at CCB and starting work on a major plan to build a community facility in Bridgeport, and hopefully Groton and who knows where else in Connecticut. We'll build boating facilities everywhere so that every man, woman and child gets the chance to harness the wind and enjoy our greatest natural resource. I envision public boat fleets across Connecticut, as common as public pools and baseball diamonds. Community boating is the future for waterfront recreation and there is no reason why every community can't enjoy a fleet eliminating the burden of personal ownership and providing the shared enjoyment for all.

I apologize if you missed CCB and boating in the summer of 2011. But I ask for your support for the summers ahead. I ask you to think about the kids who stand on a beach and look out and yearn for exploration and adventure. I ask for you to think about what Long Island Sound means to you the next time your enjoying a frozen treat by the sea. I ask for you to join our effort, help create facilities for children and families everywhere and help share our message. The Cause of Connecticut Community Boating may have been on summer vacation, but now that we're back, we hope you'll join our cause.

Thanks!

PS- Big thanks to the good folks at Higgin's Crab House in OC, Maryland- My first crab feast with the family in over 20 years was wonderful!

Vibes to Offer Boating Access this Year

In a break with tradition and  bold step toward a new chapter for the best waterfront music fest in the Nation, The Gathering of the Vibes has decided to permit an often made request this year- allowing concert goers to camp on their vessel for the four day weekend.

The 90-acre Seaside Park that sits on the shore of Bridgeport, CT and Long Island Sound has for now some ten years called the Park City home much to the delight of wayward hippies and music devotees alike.  And many a summer has been blessed with soulful sounds bellowing from the Bridgeport beach in late July to the enjoyment of power boaters, sailboaters, kayakers  who bely their boats right up the rocky coast at the high tide for the music fest. But when the sun dropped every other year until this one, the water-based boaters picked up anchor and sailed on home as they were not allowed to access the venue from the water.

Not so this year. If you want to bring your vessel, drop your anchor and come ashore to spend four days sloshing through mud pits or baking in dust bowls to enjoy the dozens of acts that will play July 21,22, 23 and 24, such as my personal favs, Jane's Addiction and Toots and the Maytals- then you can do so. And then when you have sang til your throat went silent, used your last fleeting fleck of energy or just simply need a few moments of rack time to pop a few Tylenol and recharge for another go round on the concert field- then you can hop in your dinghy and row out to your vessel at anchor in Bridgeport Harbor or hop a cab to your boat at Captain's Cove and enjoy all the comforts of ship board camping.

Admittedly, as a guy who has slept in the some of  the strangest corners of Seaside Park and the Park City, there are some awesome shoreside spots to cuddle up in an catch 40 winks around, but nothing beats dozing off enjoying the sway of the boat, the coziness of the the cockpit and the echo of 40,000 decibels of the best funk, rock and reggae blasting over the harbors of Bridgeport, CT.

It's my guess that the Vibes will become a floating fiesta, with boats from across the East Coast making passage to the Park City for this one weekend for many years to come. And when there are a thousand   Sabres and Beneteaus  rafted to another thousand Bertram and Sting Rays for the last weekend of July and 50,000 sailors spend the weekend partying like it's 1999. It is my hope to be handing out CCB brochures by zodiac and telling folks for many years to come, CCB made this happen.

See you on the water this weekend at the Gathering of the Vibes 2011!

Click here to download the rules to boating at this years Vibes