In 2008, the Community Sailing Center celebrated Lake Champlain with expanded and new programs for school kids and youth camps, partnering with more organizations than ever, and over 15,000 user visits. Kate, Colin and Jen, along with the rest of our great staff, accomplished this in spite of some dramatic changes to our operations. Each year presents new challenges to the Center. The board, staff, and supporters continually impress me with their commitment to the Center’s mission of safe and affordable recreational access to the lake and their abilities to dynamically respond to these challenges and improve our facilities, programs and organization.

Our continuing work with our partners in Burlington’s Moran Redevelopment Plan made it clear that we had to move our office and programs out of the Moran Plant and into adjacent space in the Water Department Building and the Burlington Electric Department Yard. Thanks to the great efforts of staff, volunteers and the city’s department personnel, we made the move and gave the new space a fresh look just in time for our season to begin. The Center finally has a home where the rain stays on the outside!

By the end of summer we had another record setting season, with more community participation than ever – with our inaugural Rock the Dock fireworks fundraiser for our scholarship fund, the relaunching of our improved dock system and installation of the state-of-the-art submersible floating wave attenuator. These major capital investments were impossible without hundreds of hours of volunteer work, strong community support, and our grant funding in coordination with the City of Burlington, State of Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife and the US Fish and Wildlife Service – Boating Infrastructure Grant Program.

This year will certainly present new challenges for the Center – with the obvious concerns as we all adjust to a new financial paradigm, as we continue to pursue a permanent home at the Moran Station, and as we continue to improve our equipment, facilities and programs. I’m confident the Board, staff, community and our users, whether 6 or 96 years old, will continue to celebrate the lake and support the Center, as it strives to provide the best programming of its kind in the region and launches the WAVES initiative – bringing the community closer to the Lake with new partners supporting our environmental health and lake stewardship values.

Take a tour of our updated web page for updates and exciting events at the Center, come visit the new offices and staff, and certainly come play and celebrate the Lake during this Champlain Quadricentennial. And thanks for supporting the Center.

Mark Naud, President