Life! The Celebration and the Swim, 2013

This weekend offers a lot of events, starting tonight at 8 PM at the U U Meeting House, found at 236 Commercial Street, with the 20th annual Celebration of Life. This free community concert is the brainchild of local musician, composer and community activist John Thomas, who produces this annual musical celebration in conjunction with the Provincetown Harbor Swim for Life and Paddler Flotilla, which is described below.

This is always a highly anticipated concert, the feel-good event of the tear, with performances by talented local residents, celebrities performing in town over the summer, and always a few surprise guests. It is a life affirming event which raises the collective spirit of the entire audience while it honors those no longer with us.

This year’s performers include Jon Arterton, Peter Donnelly, Will Harrington, Billy Hough, Halcyone Hurst, Roxanne Layton, Zoë Lewis, Ken Lonergan, James Mack, Phoebe Otis, Elena Mancheva, Miss Richfield 1981 Scarbie, Sylvie Richard, John Thomas, Nedko Zdravkov Valchev, Janet Villas, West End Wendy Wendell and other surprises.

The 26th annual Swim for Life follows tomorrow morning, Saturday, September 7th, with hundreds of swimmers, along with kayakers and standup paddleboarders, making their way across magnificent Provincetown harbor, setting out from the Long Point Lighthouse, at the very tip of Cape Cod. This is an open-water swim of about a mile-and-a-half, finishing on the beach at the Boatslip Resort. Swimmers unable to conquer their fear of deep water, or those with other limitations, will be swimming in pools, making laps to equal the distance across the harbor. Teams of swimmers from Wellesley High School and from swim clubs in Philadelphia and Chicago, among others, travel to Provincetown to join in this event. Swimmers in other cities, and even in other countries, will participate in their own events.

Last year's event saw some 400 swimmers raise over $200,000 for local healthcare and other nonprofit organizations, lifting the total to about $3 million in contributions to local charities and nonprofits over the years. It's not too late to decide to swim. Registration will be Saturday from 9 AM to 10 AM at the Boatslip Resort, 161 Commercial Street.

Join us tonight at the Celebration of Life, and tomorrow morning at the Boatslip, to cheer on the swimmers, and at the Mermaid Brunch, which follows the swim, catered by Far Land Provisions. The brunch will feature awards for swimmers in many categories, along with up-beat entertainment, and caps off this wonderful, affirming, two-day celebration. 

What's New? - Paddleboarding

Paddleboarding near the breakwater in the West End

The nation's newest sport, Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) has arrived in Provincetown. This gentleman was spotted paddling on his knees down near the West End breakwater. That's one way to do it. This new form of recreation is sweeping the country. Just about anyone can do it, with very little equipment. You can get a full body workout paddling while standing or kneeling on a wide, stable board meant to glide you over the water while you steer with the same long-handled paddle. Click on this link to learn the ins and outs of Stand Up Paddleboarding. It looks like great fun. You can rent a paddleboard at Flyer's Boat Rental, in the west end, just off Commercial Street. Flyers also rents boats, moorings and kayaks, and you can take sailing lessons as well.

Katie and Greg caught 2 beautiful
Striped Bass.  Get out on the water
and catch a couple yourself!

In the photo at the left (robbed from Flyer's Facebook page) are Katie and Greg, who rented a Bayboat and caught a couple of nice stripers off Long Point.
Flyer's also runs the shuttle boat out to the Long Point Lighthouse, at the very tip of Cape Cod. Catch the shuttle on MacMillan Pier, departing on the hour, or down at the boatyard at ten minutes past the hour, all day in the summer.
Flyer's can arrange for parties and cruises, too, And if you need supplies or repairs for your own boat, they'll be able to help. They've been serving the seagoing public for something over 66 years.
So check out their paddleboard rentals and get out on the water. And check out Flyer's web cam, looking out over the harbor, running 24 hours a day.
Technically, their address is at 131A Commercial Street, but you'll find them by walking down a little alley off Commercial Street, called Good Templar Place, right next to Lorraine's. Phone Flyer's at 508 487-0898.

NOTE: Since this post was written a couple of things have changed…
This summer (2017) Flyer's Long Point Shuttle has a new schedule, running daily from slip #8 on MacMillan Pier, departing every half hour from 9 AM to 5 PM, with no departures from Flyer's boatyard.
Also, Lorraine sold her building next to Good Templar Place. It's now Joon restaurant, so to find Flyer's, walk down the little alley between Joon and Provincetown Antique Market.