The 34th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla Makes Waves!

The Provincetown Community Compact presents the 34th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla set for Saturday, September 11, 2021; Make Waves!

Welcomes swimmers, kayakers, volunteers, boaters and the public back to town.

Legendary fundraiser, the Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact, will Make Waves on Saturday, September 11, 2021 with a new harbor swim route, a new time, and a new post-Swim Mermaid Tea!

Catching the wave of enthusiasm and relief as the pandemic winds down, the 34th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, we welcome swimmers, volunteers, kayakers, boaters and the public back to town for this quintessential Provincetown tradition. The event has raised over $5M since 1988 for AIDS, women’s health and the community.

Artist Jim Youngerman, longtime Swim for Life swimmer from Lenox, MA, has created the 2021 Swim for Life design. For registration details and donations, contact Swim4Life.org. 

The new shoreline swim route will run along Provincetown Harbor’s East End shoreline from the Harbor and Breakwater Hotels at Snail Road to the new town-owned East End Waterfront Park (387 Commercial Street), a 1.2 mile distance. The Swim will start at 2:00 pm, coinciding with high tide. Mermaid Tea, catered as usual by Far Land Provisions, will be served under the tent at Waterfront Park. Registration will remain at its traditional location on the expansive deck of the Boatslip Resort & Beach Club, from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm.

The public is invited to greet the swimmers at the finish line beginning at 2:00 pm at Waterfront Park and to attend the Mermaid Tea, with music by Zoe Lewis.

For those who prefer fresh water or feeling “harborly-challenged”, the organizers will also sponsor a Swim at Wellfleet’s Great Pond (limited to 50 swimmers). Those unable to Swim on the Cape in person are invited to participate virtually - Swimming in Place. During the 2020 pandemic, swimmers, bikers and paddlers participated and raised pledges in twenty-six states. 

“The Swim and the community made waves in response to HIV/AIDS and now we have a renewed mission to strengthen our resilience as we act to create a more diverse and equitable future,” states artist and Compact Director Jay Critchley. “Let’s come together once again in a joyous celebration in the town that we all love and support.”

Beneficiaries of the September 11 Swim include: the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod (ASGCC), Helping Our Women (HOW), Outer Cape Health Services, Provincetown Rescue Squad Association, Lower Cape Ambulance Association, Soup Kitchen in Provincetown (SKIP), Provincetown Schools, The Compact Community Fund, Accessible Provincetown, West End Racing Club and Cape Cod Children’s Place.

Business sponsors include: Seamen’s Bank, Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Provincetown Banner, Boatslip Resort & Beach Club, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Cape Air, Bay State Cruise, Berta Walker Gallery, Art’s Dune Tours and WOMR 92.1, with support from the Provincetown Visitor Services Board. New sponsors this year include: Provincetown Aquasports, Cape Cod 5, Cranberry Square Dermatology, The Palette Fund, Arthur H. Platt Trust and b/well Cannabis Dispensary.

Image: Jim Youngerman