Swim25: After the Tsunami

State Troopers and their horses had left a couple of weeks before the 1989 Swim, invited to Town after an unmentionable sign in a quiet march for AIDS awareness sparked a tsunami in the community. The Carnival Parade was cancelled, but ACT UP members marched anyway. People were dying of AIDS. The fishing industry was in decline. Who are we as a community?September 9, 1989: It was a calm, sunny day. Eighty-nine swimmers were transported to Long Point for the 1.4-mile swim across the harbor. For the Swim start, I had fashioned the now signature flag from a found high flyer and attached red lamee flag material left over from a recent Old Glory Condom video shoot in the graveyard.Things were falling into place. We were now up on the expansive Boatslip deck, and local luminaries (and luminaries-to-be) took the plunge. Mary Jo Avellar, then Chair of the Provincetown Board of Selectmen and now Town Moderator finished last to thunderous applause (she was weighted down by a heavy diver’s wetsuit). This established the tradition of equal applause for all. Ryan Landry, trained by me, his swim coach, swam and raised ,580. “Before that I just paddled,” he was quoted in the Advocate. Our archives also list the much-loved seafarer Molly Benjamin who raised pledges, but did she swim?Another tradition begun the second year was the creation of teams of swimmers and supporters. The event is not a race but a personal challenge, and creative participation was encouraged. If you can’t do the full distance, team up with others. Remember Fat Jack’s (at Squealing Pig)? Their relay team included Laurie Macara, Steve Dueresne, Martin Hannigan and Yvonne McLean. And Team LeBlanc Relay included Rene LeBlanc, Jim Morgan and Chris Alverez.Of course we hadn’t fully arrived until the Surf Nurse made her dramatic entrance - wearing a fashionable bathing suit and cap and a nametag. Ready for duty, posing for her fans.The 25^th Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla is set for 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, Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Marc Jacobs and Mussel Beach. The Swim is also funded in part by the Provincetown Tourism Fund.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.