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Photo Vincent Guadazno
Spot, the first dog to make the 1.4-mile swim from Long Point to the Boatslip Resort Beach, swam with owner Gary Reinhardt at the 18th annual Swim for Life fundraiser on Saturday. |
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Photo Vincent Guadazno
Greg Anton, a 43-year-old Provincetown resident, finished first with a time of 30:17. |
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Swim raises $150,000 for AIDS, women’s health & youth
By Michael Iacuessa
BANNER CORRESPONDENT
PROVINCETOWN — A record 375 swimmers, dozens of kayakers and one Dalmatian named Spot completed the Provincetown Swim for Life Saturday.
The 18th annual fundraiser raised an estimated $150,000 for AIDS, women’s health and youth, making the swim one of the most successful ever. The record for the event is $157,000.
“We had 60 more swimmers than last year. It was like an armada bringing all the swimmers across to Long Point,” said event producer Jay Critchley, crediting Flyer’s Boatyard, Provincetown Trolley, Cee Jay and the Viking Princess for their assistance.
Spot, the first dog to make the 1.4-mile swim from Long Point to the Boatslip Resort Beach, swam with owner Gary Reinhardt. The two swim in the harbor every day in the summer although it was the first time across it. The point of the experience is obviously a different one for a dog though.
“At one point in the middle, she started swimming toward Truro,” said Reinhardt. “So we got lost a bit there.”
The two finished in 55 minutes.
Reinhardt said Spot’s popularity at the Mermaid Brunch afterward probably tired her out more than the swim itself.
In addition to amateurs like Spot, the event annually attracts hardcore swimmers from as far as the West Coast. The largest groups this year included a dozen swimmers from the Philadelphia Finns swim club, 27 from the Boston Swim Team, 20 from the LANES Swim Team in Boston and 20 from Wellesley High School.
For some, such as first-timer Rodney Hameroff of the Chelsea Piers swim team in New York City, the bay offered a challenge not found in pools.
“In the summer I do a lot of open water swims but this is a challenge. It’s a little choppy,” he said.
“With the rollers coming at you it’s tough because of the prevailing winds,” added fellow team member Dan Gallager, a nine-year veteran of the Swim for Life.
“I swallowed a little bit of the bay today,” said Rachel Saks, another first-time participant.
Saks, who was the second woman to finish, is a member of the Boston Triathlon Team and regularly swims off the North Shore. She found Provincetown Harbor held its own particular charm.
“You can see the rays of sun coming through the water. It was very nice,” she said.
“This is an awesome event,” she added, with a nod to the countless volunteers on the beach who cheered, provided refreshments and assisted swimmers as they came out of the water.
Katie McCully, 39, was the first woman to finish, coming in at 32 minutes, 15 seconds, the time somewhat approximate since the low tide caused many swimmers to walk the last 50 yards. McCully, the Nauset High swim coach, brought four team members along.
Greg Anton, a 43-year-old Provincetown resident, was the first finisher, three ahead of McCully at 30:17. Sandwiched between them were Jason Klugman and Jake Taylor.
Anton said he was worried about the north wind chopping cold water in his face but noted the water, which was measured at 67 degrees, was warmer than expected.
The youngest swimmers this year were two 14-year-olds: Katie Quish of Provincetown and Abby Prives of Wellesley.
The last swimmer was clocked at one hour, 57 minutes, 30 seconds.
Top fundraisers included Kathryn Rafter and Francey Beal of Provincetown, who took in $11,440 as a team. Reinhardt and Spot raised $6,528, Daryel Duhaime of Wakefield raised $4,060, John Hopkins of Truro raised $3,500 and Taylor Polites of New York raised $3,422.
Eight swimmers also joined the Circle of Honor, awarded for those who have raised $10,000 or swum the event 10 years. They were Andrea Cohen of Charlestown, Bonnie Bishop of Nahant, Maura Twomey of Boston, Susan Massad of Framingham, Maureen Hurley of Dedham, Jim Farley and Rick Wrigley of Provincetown, and Susan Aranoff of Middletown, Conn.
Provincetown native Steve Roderick was honored with the David Asher Volunteer Award for his years of service to the community and the Swim. A $500 donation was made in name of his brother by the Asher family.
Beneficiaries of the event include Helping Our Women, the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Outer Cape Health Services, Cape and Islands Gay Straight Youth Alliance and the HIV/AIDS History Project.
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Airport gets peak fee exemption
In the News
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Sep 15th, 2005