Eighteen Swimmers, Sept 11, 1988

Twenty-five years ago eighteen swimmers responded to an idea - swim across Provincetown Harbor to celebrate the heart of Provincetown and raise funds to fight a virulent virus called HIV. Sure there were stories of a couple of guys who had braved the crossing years ago, but there wasn’t much encouragement in 1988.Beaches along the East Coast were being closed for the first time because of the dumping of sewage and hospital wastes, but not in Provincetown Harbor. And HIV was running rampant in the community. These two factors brought together a group of determined swimmers who showed up on September 11, 1988 - adventurers seeking a way to respond to the sense of loss and mystery.The top fundraiser was Brian Neilson who raised ,055, the first person to join the ,000 Club. John Tom would be the first to swim ten times and join the Circle of Honor. Chuck Vetter showed up in a legendary sequined dress and a paper bag filled with bills totaling 1 - he died of AIDS shortly after. Funds were raised for Provincetown Positive/People with AIDS Coalition.There were no pledge sheets, liability release forms, Prayer Ribbons or a Mermaid Brunch. But our records are surprisingly intact. On a small sheet of paper from a notebook torn out at the top, volunteer Roger Beatty, with a fish box as a desk, wrote down the names of the swimmers with three columns each: collected, owes, total. Two people on the list collected pledges but didn’t swim: Rita Speicher and Jackie ?. Beth Barton raised 7 and Coleen Wheeler 6. Other swimmers included: Jay Critchley and Walter McLean, organizers; Mark Deane; Dr. Paula Sperry; Iris Sands; Suzanna Zimmet; Eleanor Pechet; David Sine; Jacynthe Tremblay; Bill Fry; Nancy O’Mara; N. Susan Culligan; and David Werner.Before the swim we huddled on the Boatslip Beach in a circle before swimming to Long Point. There was no one to greet us there and we had to flag down a couple boats for the ride back. I gave each person a souvenir I had made - a small clear bottle of salt water, sand, glitter and a small object I cannot remember. I’m hoping to find one of these relics.The 25^th Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla will be held on Saturday, September 8 at the Boatslip Resort, where an awards ceremony and the Mermaid Brunch will be held after the Swim. Check out our new website, www.swim4life.org, with our exciting Flickr photo, YouTube and Facebook connections. Sponsors to date include: the Provincetown Banner, Boatslip Resort, Seamen’s Bank, Far Land Provisions and Fanizzi’s Restaurant.Beneficiaries include: the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Outer Cape Health Services, Provincetown Rescue Squad, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen in Provincetown, the Academy at Provincetown School and The Compact Community Fund.For swimmer, kayaker, volunteer and sponsorship information: www.swim4life.org, thecompact@comcast.org. The Provincetown Community Compact, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization founded by Jay Critchley in 1993 to enhance the well being of Provincetown and the Lower Cape, sponsors the event.