It's not palm trees and Pina Coladas at CCB...What do we do in the winter?

You wouldn't believe how many times I have been asked the question... "what do you do full time or in  the winter?" While most people scrape off their cars, shovel their walks, put on their duck boots and trudge their way to work every day, dreaming of sunlit beaches, glistening waves and soft westerly breezes, I do not.

While I don't have a daily grind, a clock to punch or a boss to hover, (yes I do have one of the best jobs in the world)  I also dont sit idly by all winter readying my PFD for the first fleck of spring time.

As any sailing pro will tell you winter is often one of the busiest times of the year. Oh sure some bleach blond, jet set types scurry off to Saint Somewhere with the snow birds and others take to the slopes to carve up the winter days, I do not, and can not, for there is way too much going on.

1rst up, Swimming for a $1- yes that's right , just a $1. With our partner The Shehan Center in Bridgeport, we're committed to driving down the 80% of kids that don't know how to swim in the Cities of Connecticut. Just yesterday we found out that child deaths by drowning are the lowest they have been in decades. We'd like to think that that is because we are just so darn good at our jobs, but that probably isn't true.

Odd's are, numbers are down now, NOT because more kids know how to swim, but rather more kids dont have any place to access the water and instead spend their days in front of TV's, PCs, Wii's, X-box's, I-Pads, and all the other sedentary devices that occupy the youthful minds and times these days resulting in the highest rates of childhood obesity ever.

 Every Wednesday, we hit the pool, with dozens of kids from across the region and give them  a safe, affordable, fun way to learn about water safety and exercise while learning a important life skill. That comes with a whole bunch of costs, work and time that we sure would rather be using to sun ourselves in the BVIs, but then who would do what we do if we did?

Next of course, Beach Clean Up 2012! Ok so the ground is frozen and the winds whipping, who wants to be on a beach in New England right now, right? Well not us either- its cold. But that doesn't mean that in two months time, the weather wont warm and the millions of migratory birds, fish and people will not come back to Connecticut to once again enjoy the great spring weather we have and bountiful estuaries that these species come back to each year to procreate and populate. But before they do, we have to get in their and clean the beaches.

The State DEP, local conservation organizations and local governments restrict access to many of our estuaries, islands and beaches after April 15. The reason: we have to protect the birds. Beach cleaners would run the risk of crushing newly laid eggs and hatchlings if we waited until the weather was balmy and beautiful to get in and clean the beaches. Besides that, grasses grow so fast in late April (probably why birds decided to lay eggs there and why we cant see them) that plastics, paper and other trash that collects on the beaches over the rest of the year, becoming impossible to reach, collect and sequester.

 If we dont hit the beaches by March 15 and finish by April 15, we often lose the chance to catch the trash before it winds up in the water column and makes it way to open sea to kill the very birds that come to Connecticut to mate- ironic huh? And cold and uncomfortable, but important.

We use the winter months to engage volunteers, fundraise, get permissions, create great relationships like the one we have with Fairfield U who dispatch at least 250 volunteers each year to clean beaches and much much more. You try to clean 100 miles of beaches starting March 15 with no prep, no insurance, no permission and no help- Winter is busy busy busy- and when we're done, we get to enjoy cleaner waters to sail, paddle, motor, swim and fish in come summer- makes sense huh?

And then there's the summer- We plan great things to do every summer from our Maritime Explorers Program, to our Sailing For Adults Classes to our newAdult Racing League to our Membership Program that allows you to access our fleet and Sound anytime you want 24-7-365. To do that we're in negotiations with The City of Bridgeport, The University of Connecticut, The DEP and The City of Groton to put in docks, gain access to the water, come up with agreements on fees, permissions and insurance. That's a full time job in itself and once May 1 hits, you expect to hit the waves dont you? You dont want to hear, sorry we're waiting on this person to give us permission or that organization to give us the ok, or build the docks, ready the fleet, launch the moorings .yadda yadda yadda- it all has to be done by May 1 or it's game over for the season. That's why we work all winter.

So when when the clock strikes 12 on New Years Eve's we better be well on our way for March 15, April 15, May 1, June 30 and all the other spring deadlines we have hit each year or we have some very unhappy kids, adults, birds, fish, boaters, swimmers, fisherman, kayakers and all the other people we aim to serve each year and why we need your help in winter to keep the lights on, keep the ball rolling and keep the dollars coming in.

Remember, on these days when winter seems so robust and Spring so far off, CCB is not dormant. We have not headed South with the Plovers. We're not sleeping in, watching you clean off your car, sipping coffee or pulling the covers up over our heads- The hard working staff, board and volunteers at CCB are working together as a community to build a better Connecticut for everyone. So please donate today and help us better serve you when the sun shines this Spring.