Swimming Anyone?

Good morning everyone. Winter is still here in New England though it seems to be taking a rest these days. We have enjoyed a little bit of a thaw. We still have snow covering our field but it is thinning out in the sunny patches. Mary Day rests comfortably in the harbor, bilges dry, cover intact, waiting for the crew to return.

Another busy week has passed so I will get you up to speed on everything that is happening here at the global headquarters. Jen is putting the finishing touches on year end taxes. Blockfest 2008 is finally finished. The blocks have received quite the massaging. And while we have the off-white paint out we are starting in on the lifeline stanchions, the davits, and a few other miscellaneous parts. Alex asked me last night how we were doing with our pace. We are doing great but in the back of my mind I know that there is never enough time to do it all. Having perfectionist tendencies is a curse. I want to do it all and know we will never have enough time.

There several big projects in the works, one of which we can finally reveal to the world. Visit the homepage to see a PDF of our all new brochure. Not that our old brochure was all that bad but we felt it was time for a new look. With the digital age upon us we realized that the 40lb box of lead plates that comprised the old brochure was limiting. Many thanks to Mimi, Tim and Jim and those of you who granted permission to use your photos. Jen has also revamped our educational program overview in a similar fashion. She amazes me everyday. She spent about 10 days learning Adobe InDesign and putting together a marvelous 22 page document with some great photography that gives potential sail training groups a good picture of what to expect.

Other projects in the barn include replacing the bearings on our tandem axle trailer. We finished that yesterday. That trailer is about to make a road trip on our next big project, all to be revealed in good time. We have been interviewing potential crew and met some great folks in-person and over the phone. We would hire them all if we could. I have been busy on the fire department and ambulance service. I am in the process of getting certified to teach first-aid and CPR to our crew. Around here it is also the season for chimney fires and ice rescue classes. Hope you like the fashion statement. The swimming is actually pretty good. My guess is that most of our guests would enjoy more of our summer ocean temperatures with one of these "Gumby" suits. But what fun would that be? Thanks for the photo Becky... I think.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.