Welcome to the Manchester Sailing Association (MSA) and the 2011 summer season. With record snowfall across the state this winter, summer can seem like a long way off.  In truth, it's right around the corner and the time to make plans is now.

Here at MSA, we've always got summer on our minds. Planning for the summer of 2011 began in September of 2010 and continues right through this spring. As usual, we've made some changes that we think you'll love, but we've maintained the overall structure of MSA that keeps families coming back year after year.

Thanks to the overwhelmingly positive response to the Sea Urchins schedule, we will continue to offer our youngest sailors the opportunity to sail four days in a row, which greatly enhances their educational experience. There will be 8, one-week sessions, meeting Monday thru Thursday afternoons. As with last year, we'll have our popular Adult class on Friday afternoons. What a great way to start your weekend! Other classes and schedules can be found under the "Classes" and "Registration" tabs on this site. As of last year we are 100% online with our registrations, bringing ease and efficiency to the process and saving a few trees along the way.

Hiring went very well and, as usual, you'll recognize some old faces and be making a new friend or two among our Instructor ranks. Our priority is always to find the instructors that will most effectively teach your sailors while maintaining all the fun and excitement that are synonymous with sailing. Check out the "Instructors" tab and learn about the 2011 crew.

Thanks to the generous support of all our friends in the MSA community, we are currently in the process of replacing our 18-foot Edgewater, which has given both MSA and the Manchester-Essex high school team years of service and safety. New boats are always great, but we are happy to receive donations of used boats and equipment anytime, both sail and power. Last year our Race Team members had access to a donated Megabyte and we hope they will join the competition during the Manchester Yacht Club One-Design series again this year (Opti and 420 racing will also be welcome!). Donations of all types help us to maintain the MSA as a true, award-winning (US Sailing's 2009 Outstanding Seasonal Program), community sailing program.

The first of our two-week sessions begins June 27, late enough that, even with multiple snow days, most should be out of school on time. We'll be sailing straight through to August 19 this year, just in time for the Board of Directors and I to start planning for the summer of 2012! Sign up for one session, sign up for all four, but make sure you sign up soon because classes fill up quickly and waiting lists grow even faster! As always, we hope the flexibility of our schedules allows you and your family to take advantage of all the opportunities that the summer offers you while still getting some quality time out on the water with us.

This will be my tenth summer with MSA and I can honestly say that each year is better than the last. Every summer at MSA is a journey to fun, excitement, new friends and a lifelong love of sailing. The journey starts right here, so get ready!