30th Annual Swim for Life in Provincetown This Weekend

The first weekend after Labor Day always brings the annual Swim for Life to Provincetown Harbor. It's a challenging 1.4 mile swim, in open water, from the lighthouse on Long Point to the shores of the Boatslip Beach Club, on the edge of the harbor in Provincetown's West End neighborhood. Click to read about Swim for Life history. To date, the event has raised some $4 Million for AIDS, women's health and our community. It is perhaps the most joyous outpouring of love, energy and spirit in Provincetown every year. We invite you to join us!

The Celebration of Life is the year's most anticipated concert.
It is perhaps the most uplifting event in PTown every year.

Whether you are a swimmer, a volunteer, or a "cheerleader" on the beach, hooting, hollering and applauding the swimmers as they reach the shore, you'll want to be a part of this. Many people will participate by attending the lovely Celebration of Life on the night before the swim. This marvelous, free concert, produced by John Thomas, will take place at 8 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, at 236 Commercial Street, tonight, Friday, September 8th, 2017. Dozens of performers, singers, musicians and others will definitely raise the spirits of a packed house, so go early to get a seat. The UU is wheelchair accessible.

Swimmers and paddlers will assemble at Long Point Light
for the 11 AM start of Provincetown's annual Swim for Life.

The Swim will begin at 11 AM on Long Point, with boat rides provided to get swimmers to the starting point. Kayakers, paddle boarders and folks in boats will accompany the swimmers safely across the harbor. Click to find out about registering as a swimmer or a volunteer, which happens Saturday morning at the Boatslip. Whether you're a swimmer or are cheering them on, it's exhilarating.

The first swimmer reaches the Boatslip, greeted by a cheering
crowd. The Mermaid Brunch and awards follow on the deck.

The Mermaid Brunch, a free buffet catered by Far Land Provisions, will be held at the Boatslip from noon until 2 PM, with Zoë Lewis and friends entertaining. Around 1 PM, or whenever the last swimmer safely reaches the shore, Swim founder Jay Critchley will lead the awards ceremony for swimmers who have raised the most money in pledges or have participated in the most swims. This is another inspiring event giving all a feeling of community, even those who have joined us from other parts of the world. Many people return to PTown every year to participate in the Swim for Life.

It all started with 18 swimmers raising $6,000.
This photo shows Jay Critchley and Roger Beatty registering two unknown swimmers  at a makeshift desk on the beach in the first Swim, in 1988. 
This year we'll see over 150 volunteers making it happen, and more than 400 swimmers taking the plunge. Come and join us for some or all of these events and be a part of the 30^th, the 2017 Swim for Life and Paddler Flotilla, September 8^th and 9^th in Provincetown!

It's PTown's 28th Annual Swim for Life!

The 28th annual Swim for Life is this Saturday, September 12th, 2015

Some 400 swimmers will take the plunge at 11:00 tomorrow morning, swimming 1.4 miles across magnificent Provincetown Harbor from Long Point to the beach at the Boatslip Resort in PTown's West End. Paddlers in kayaks and canoes will begin making their way across the harbor as well, while others in swimming pools will begin swimming laps equivalent to the distance across the harbor.
All of these folks have taken pledges, and will be raising money for local organizations that assist people living with HIV and AIDS, as well as women with chronic and life threatening illnesses, and a number of other community agencies serving Provincetown and Cape Cod. The first Swim for Life, in the summer of 1988, involved 18 swimmers, raising $6,000. To date, The Swim has raised some $3 million for health and wellness services on the Outer Cape.

Jay Critchley and Roger Beatty register two
unknown swimmers at the first Swim for Life in 1988.

The event evolved over the years to include people who are "harborly challenged" but who still want to participate, doing so by swimming laps in local pools, while folks in kayaks paddle across the harbor, guiding and assisting swimmers, if needed. Swimmers are aided and looked after by myriad volunteers ensuring their safety and wellbeing during the event, with others working at dozens of jobs that pull this huge event together.
150 volunteers perform countless tasks like registering swimmers, transporting them to Long Point, providing moral support, giving first aid, cheering on swimmers as they near the finish line, serving food at the Mermaid Brunch, and providing splendid entertainment for the swimmers and supporters alike, both at the party after the swim and at the Celebration of Life at the U. U. Meetinghouse on the Friday night before The Swim.
It's not too late to get involved yourself, whether you'd like to swim, volunteer, make a pledge or contribution, or cheer on the swimmers as they near the finish line at the Boatslip. On Saturday you'll want to applaud and cheer for the swimmers and paddlers as they reach the shore, then enjoy the food and entertainment at the Mermaid Brunch, and the awards for swimmers, paddlers, fundraisers and volunteers.

The annual Celebration of Life concert on Friday night kicks off The Swim.

You'll certainly want to attend the annual Celebration of Life, considered by many to be the concert of the year, tonight, at the Universalist Unitarian Meeting House, at 236 Commercial Street.
This wonderful, free event brings dozens of performers to entertain and inspire us with music, song and the spoken word.
I'll see you at the
U. U. tonight at 8 PM, and at the Boatslip tomorrow, at 161 Commercial Street, to cheer on the swimmers who begin their odyssey out on Long Point at 11AM, followed by the Mermaid Brunch on the Boatslip deck from noon till 2 PM, with the awards, beginning about 1 PM, or whenever the last swimmer makes it safely to the shore. All events are free of charge and open to the public. Come and join us!

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. 

25th Annual Provincetown Swim for Life and Paddler Flotilla, and This Week's Hot Ticket, the Celebration of Life

The first swimmer glides in to the shoreline at the Boatslip
in the annual Provincetown Swim for Life and Paddler Flotilla

The first Swim for Life dates back to September 11th, 1988, as some 18 swimmers took the plunge from the Provincetown shoreline to the Long Point Lighthouse, raising $6,000 for the Provincetown Positive/People with AIDS Coalition.
This year's Swim, on Saturday, September 8th, marks the silver anniversary of this celebrated community event, commemorating the 25th annual Provincetown Swim for Life and Paddler Flotilla. The Swim is followed by the Mermaid Brunch, catered by Far Land Provisions, and held on the deck at the Boatslip. It is a free community luncheon with entertainment, (donations are welcome, of course,) celebrating the efforts of the swimmers, and Provincetown's magnificent natural harbor. At this event awards are given for the highest fundraisers of the day, the Circle of Honor Award is given to those who have made the swim ten times or have raised $10,000, and the David Asher Volunteer Award is presented to an outstanding volunteer.
There are a number of local businesses that sponsor this event, as well as restaurants, guesthouses, and many other businesses and shops that provide prizes for participnts, totaling nearly 90 businesses in Provincetown and Truro that sponsor or support the Swim. Check this list of Swim Supporters and give them your support by patronizing them, and thank them for their contributions to this amazing event.
Artist, activist and Community Compact founder Jay Critchly will be officiating, as usual. He and Walter MCLean hatched the idea for this event back in 1988 when they made their own swim across the harbor to see if it could be done, and then within two weeks the first event was pulled together. The swim now runs from Long Point Light to the Boatslip, where swimmers are greeted by throngs of cheering friends and supporters.
Last year's event saw some 150 volunteers as well as 400 swimmers, some from around the country, and a few from around the world, gather in Provincetown for the yearly 1.4 mile swim across the harbor, raising $200,000 for HIV/AIDS, women's health, and the Provincetown Community Compact, as well as various local non-profit organizations supported by the Compact. To date, this event has raised about $2.5 million for programs supporting health and the quality of life in our community. Watch this YouTube video about the Provincetown Swim for Life 25th Anniversary.
There is still time for you to participate, which is exactly what this flagship fundraising event for our little community is all about. Swimmers, paddlers and volunteers are still wanted, and you can go to the Swim4Life.org website to find out more. There are pages on their website for everything from volunteer opportunities to safety in the water to fundraising tips. Swimmers are required to raise at least $100 in pledges, but if your schedule permits you to join in at the last minute, you could write a $100 check yourself and still register to swim.
Don't leap lightly into the water, however. A swim of I.4 miles is a long one for most folks, particularly for those who haven't done any sort of training leading up to the event, and in past years there haven't always been enough wetsuits to go around, so it could be rather cold. But don't let me dissuade you from swimming at the last minute, either. All manner of safety precautions are in place, and there are volunteers in kayaks and boats in the water as well as a number of medical personnel available, should they be needed.
Volunteers are also needed, to help with registration, to operate support boats, to serve and clean up at the Mermaid Brunch, for the lost-and-found, handing out Tee-shirts to swimmers and volunteers, and for many other jobs. One of the most important things any community member can do is to turn out at the Boatslip to cheer on the swimmers and greet them as they come out of the water. Cheerleaders remain on the beach, whooping and hollering and cheering on the swimmers until the last one has come to shore, for whatever time that takes.
Registration will be held from 9 to 10:00 AM on the deck of the Boatslip Resort, at 161 Commercial Street, at the edge of Provincetown Harbor. At 9:30 AM the Provincetown Trolley will begin to shuttle the swimmers to MacMillan Pier and the Viking Princess, the Cee Jay, and boats from Flyer's Boat Rental, which will all take swimmers out to the very tip of Cape Cod at Long Point. The Swim across Provincetown Harbor, from the Long Point Light back to the Boatslip, will begin at 10:30 AM, barring unforeseen circumstances like whales in the harbor, which delayed the start of the swim one year. The Mermaid Brunch follows from 12 to 2 PM, with the awards ceremony around 1 PM, or whenever the last swimmer is out of the water.
One of the best events of all, the Celebration of Life, takes place the night before, at 8 PM at the Meeting House, at 236 Commercial Street, so don't miss it. For many years local musician John Thomas has been putting on a huge show the night before the Swim, featuring just a number or two from each of dozens of the Town's favorite entertainers: singers, musicians, comics... even spoken word artists have appeared to read a few paragraphs to the packed house at the Unitarian Universalist Meetinghouse, sometimes called the U U. Get there early to get a good seat. This event may be the most uplifting, joyous, life-affirming event in Provincetown every year, always held the night before the Swim for Life, and always at the U U. It is this weeks Hot Ticket, with no ticket actually required. It is a free event for the whole community. Donations are accepted, but not required, so don't let that be a barrier now that the season has shifted and some of us are already losing our jobs. I'll see you at the Swim and the brunch the next day, too.