Sunny Skies Greet 394 Swimmers at Provincetown Swim for Life
/Under sunny skies and warm, choppy water last Saturday, 394 swimmers crossed the 1.4 mile Provincetown Harbor at the 26th annual Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla. With about 100 kayaks and safety boats out in the water, all swimmers made it safely to the Boatslip beach where the Swim medical team, Provincetown Rescue Squad and hundreds of cheering people greeted them.
Organizer Jay Critchley of the Provincetown Community Compact estimates 0,000 was raised for AIDS, women's health and the community. Team McNulty, with Shawn and Nicole McNulty and others, raised over ,000 in pledges for their tenth swim. They were inducted into the Circle of Honor with other swimmers who have swum ten times or raised ,000. Other top fundraisers include: Jim Youngerman, Lenox MA, ,260; Joel Stahl, Larkspur, CA, ,300; Ed Moore, Boston, MA, ,755; Gene Elizabeth Landis, Amesbury, MA, ,620; Paul Mast, Waldwick, NJ, ,615; Mark Bastian, Boston, ,000; and Jane Barber, Breckenridge, CO, ,500.Swimmers hailed from across the country as well as from Spain and UK. Town Manager Sharon Lynn and Board of Selectmen Chair Austin Knight presided over the awards ceremony.The Mermaid Brunch, catered by Far Land Provisions, followed the Swim,with entertainment by Zoe Lewis. Susan Roderick of Truro was awarded the David Asher Volunteer Award for her decades of service to the community. The oldest swimmers were: Arthur Figur, 82, NY and Elizabeth Minifie, 71, Newport, RI. Youngest swimmers were: Gabriella Martinez, 11, Belchertown, MA and Kyle Martin, 12, Dedham, MA.Other teams that swam included: Team Adrian's, Yoga East/Provincetown Aqua Sports, Team Flipper, Moving Violations Motorcycle Club/Native Cape Cod Seafood, Wellesley High School swim team and Team Provincetown IB School. Katie McCully, who organized Team Fitzy's Mermaids, was top female finisher at 33:20. Top male finisher was Craig Milan of Miami and Truro at 31:20.Additional Circle of Honor inductees, who were awarded a handcrafted glass medallion from Taqwa Glassworks, include: Caitlyn Dionne, Provincetown; Max Richter, San Diego and Arthur Richter, Barrington, RI and Provincetown; Larry K. Smith, W. New York, NJ; Henry Faaland, Hull, MA; Helen Ederer, Vero Beach, CA; Jim Youngerman, Lenox, MA; Katie McCully, Eastham, MA; Jack Miller, Kingston, MA; Carla Kaplan, Wellfleet, MA; Rebecca Wagner and Olga Bravo, Pawtucket, RI; Peter Betit, Boston; Richard Friedman, NYC; Jim Christioni, Needham, MA; Joel Stahl, Larkspur, CA; Kenny Golding, Brooklyn, NY; Herve Hamon, Norwalk, CT; Mark Yates, Somerville, MA; Ro Pannessi, Watertown, MA; Martin Rook, NYC; Bill Klessens, Salem, MA; Tim Halke, S. Portland, ME; and Sherry Jefferson, Washington, PA.John Thomas, who produced a rousing 20th Celebration of Life Concert the night before, became an honorary member of the Circle of Honor.Swim beneficiaries include: 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.Business sponsors include: Seamen’s Bank, Lead Sponsor; Provincetown Banner, Media Sponsor; Far Land Provisions; Boatslip Resort; Fanizzi’s Restaurant; Lobster Pot Restaurant; Crown & Anchor; Mussel Beach Health Club; Harbor Hotel and Marc Jacobs. The Swim is also funded in part by the Provincetown Tourism Fund. Prizes for top fundraisers topped $10,000 in value from local businesses.The organizers wish to thank the large contingent of volunteers and the US Coast Guard, Cape Cod National Seashore, Wendelin Glatzel for his compelling design, Provincetown Harbormaster, Ptown Trolley, Cee Jay, Funk Bus, Flyer’s Boat Rentals, Arthur Richter, Jan Kelly, Mike Pelletier, Brandon Cyzoski, Leo Rose, Ian Miller, Jon Salvador and Russ Zawaduk.The 27th event will be held September 6, 2014. www.swim4life.org
