Provincetown is an historic fishing village, art colony, and gay and lesbian resort on the tip of Cape Cod, surrounded by the National Seashore. It has been devastated by the AIDS epidemic.

Although changing dramatically, Provincetown is a geographically isolated and economically depressed community, 50 miles from a hospital and large retail outlet, with one of the lowest per capita incomes in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The unemployment in the winter hovers around 50%.

Provincetown's beauty, carefree attitude, art and history continue to draw crowds of tourists here each summer to experience the magic and healing of this spiral spit of sand. People from all over the country think of Provincetown as their spiritual home. It is this connection that inspired the Provincetown Harbor Swim for Life.

In the summer of 1988, Jay Critchley and Walter McLean wanted to test their swimming ability by swimming across Provincetown Harbor. That summer, many New England beaches were closed due to pollution, but the Cape-tip beaches remained swimmable. The two made the swim and two weeks later organized the first Swim for Life, which continues to celebrate the healing waters and ecology of the harbor, while raising money for local health services. The first year 16 swimmers raised $7,000. Always held the weekend after Labor Day and the busy tourist season, the event has grown to attract swimmers from throughout the country and abroad. With the assistance of 200 volunteers and 300 swimmers, the annual fall ritual has become an event that defines the best of the Provincetown spirit.

In 1991, Hellen Roczcewski, a local gourmet chef, produced the first legendary Mermaid Brunch, which immediately followed the Swim. This annual feast is now attended by 1,000 people. The Brunch, along with the Celebration of Life Concert begun by John Thomas and Jim Vincent in 1994, has propelled the Swim for Life into a weekend long celebration.