Sunny skies greet 28th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla; an estimated $200,000 raised for AIDS, women’s health & the community

PROVINCETOWN, MA. After two days of torrential rain and wind, the Provincetown annual Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla emerged on Saturday to clear blue skies, bright sunshine and warm and friendly water. In its 28^th year, this traditional, post-Labor Day event generated an estimated 0,000 for AIDS, women’s health & the community with the support of 404 swimmers, 75+ kayakers and safety boats and 150 volunteers. Swimmers came from across the US, Canada, London and Bulgaria.

The Mystic makes a dramatic visit to Long Point for Swim start!

The event at the Boatslip Beach Club, sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact and organized by director Jay Critchley, honored two swimmers who have swum 25 times: Joe Stewart of Baltimore and Bill Silvestri of Boston. They were presented jackets imprinted with, The Compact Long Point Award 2015. The annual David Asher Volunteer Award was presented to Far Land Provisions, owned by Tom Boland and Jim Farley, for their community business and involvement and their long time catering of the post-Swim Mermaid Brunch. Jim has also swum fourteen times.Provincetown artist Zehra Khan created the 2015 Swim for Life design.Each year, handcrafted medallions by Christie Andressen of Taqua Glassworks are given to swimmers who have swum ten times or raised $10,000 in pledges. Circle of Honor recipients include: Michael Lynch, Boston; Chris Brenner, West Dennis; Chris Perry, and Peter Mellett, North Truro; Gail Greenwood, Waterford, CT; Jackie Palmer, Acton, MA; Linda Heard, and Janet Villas, Bloomfield, NJ; Jonathan Scott, Provincetown; Barbara Jo Revelle, Gainesville, FL; and Nancy Civetta, Wellfleet, MA.Fifty-two swimmers and kayakers raised over one thousand dollars each in pledges and joined the $1,000 Club and received prizes from local businesses totaling $10,000 in value. Top eight fundraisers include: Jim Youngerman, Lenox, MA at $ 13,482; Jonathan Scott, Provincetown, $8,501; Ed Moore, Boston, $6,800; Barbara Jo Revelle, Gainesville, FL, $6,915; Paul Mast, Waldwick, NJ, $5,450; Peter Mellett, North Truro, MA, $5,400; Gene Elizabeth Landis, Amesbury, MA, $5,125; Mark Bastian, Boston, $4,455.Abby Walker and Zoe Galaburda, seven years old, swam the 1.4 miles distance in a pool over the summer as a “Satellite Swim” and raised over $2,000. And Mark Kitteredge of Randolph, MA collected 14,500 bottles and cans and raised $747.50 for the Swim.Although not a race, times are recorded for personal best. The fastest male swimmer was Justin Burkhardt of Portland, ME at 28 minutes, 27 seconds. Top female finisher was Kristen Read of Kennebunk, ME at 29 minutes, 25 seconds.Other weekend events included the festive Celebration of Life Concert the night before the Swim at the UU Meeting House, produced by John Thomas, and, the Mermaid Brunch on the Boatslip deck following the Swim. Zoe Lewis provided entertainment. The awards ceremony was assisted Tom Donegan, Chair of the Board of Selectmen.Special thanks go to volunteer crews from Seamen’s Bank, Helping Our Women, AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Outer Cape Health Services and Far Land Provisions who catered the event, Wellfleet and Cape Cod National Seashore lifeguards and support from Provincetown Rescue Squad, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, US Coast Guard, Provincetown Harbormaster, Mayflower Trolley, Ptown Trolley, Provincetown TV, Provincetown Aquasports, transport boats Cee Jay, Dog Gone Sailing, John Salvatore, Mystic, along with Flyer’s Boat Rentals.Swim beneficiaries include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Provincetown Schools, Youth Art Reach at Provincetown Art Association & Museum, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen of Provincetown, Outer Cape Health Services, The Compact Community Fund, Provincetown Rescue Squad and Accessible Provincetown.Event sponsors include: Lead Sponsor, Seamen’s Bank, Media Sponsor, Provincetown Banner. Business sponsors include: Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach Club, Marc Jacobs, Harbor Hotel, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club, with support from the Provincetown Visitor Services Board.The 29th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla is set for September 10, 2016.

Far Land Provisions receives Swim for Life Volunteer Award

The Red Rooster at Far Land Provisions is delightfully crowing this summer. Now in its twelfth year, with a second location at Herring Cove Beach, Far Land proprietors Jim Farley and Tom Boland have reached their goal of creating a nexus of the year round community. Witness the phenomenal response to their free Sunset Music on the Beach series at the bathhouse which attract 3-400 people per show. Their “more than a corner grocery store“ has been supporting the Swim for Life all those years, catering the free, post-Swim Mermaid Brunch at the Boatslip, open to the community, for 700+ swimmers, volunteers, kayakers and a crowd welcoming swimmers on shore. Not to mention that Jim has swum across the 1.4-mile distance 14 times since 1991.Far Land Provisions has been selected to receive the Swim for Life David Asher Volunteer Award, given to individuals, groups or businesses that have contributed to the Swim for Life and to the vitality of the community. It will be presented on September 12 at the awards ceremony following the Mermaid Brunch. Past recipients include: Boatslip Beach Club, Susan Roderick, Jim Rann, Steve Roderick, Donna Flax, Brian Cabral, Wayne Ryerson, George Libone, Jan Kelly, Joy McNulty, Ann Maguire, Madeline Miller, Raymond Johnson, Patrick Finn and the Provincetown Rescue Squad.Tom and Jim met in the Berkshires in the mid 1980s, and by the early 1990s they were partners and committed to living in Provincetown. Tom put his Masters in Historical Preservation to good use, collaborating with Ginny Binder at Binder Boland Associates, whose design work included the rebuilding of Whaler’s Wharf, and projects at Brass Key Guest House, Schoolhouse Center and Truro Town Hall. Jim worked with the Visiting Nurse Association as a Registered Nurse in the early 1990s and then went on to earn a Masters in Nursing to become a Nurse Practitioner, working at Outer Cape Health Services for five years. But they wanted bigger challenges and decided to open Far Land to support year round jobs and enhance the sense of community. They have sixteen year round employees, bumping up to forty plus in the summer.Besides being a longtime business sponsor of the Swim for Life, they also support the Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, and Tom sits on the Provincetown Theater board and Jim on the Lower Cape Ambulance board. An example of their community spirit and compassion is the critical help they provided for a longtime employee from Kosovo who had life-threatening kidney failure. They facilitated his visits to the emergency room and a Boston hospital for surgery. They have set up a fund with YouCaring for his care.

Bill Silvestri, 25-year swimmer, receives The Compact Long Point Award

At its core, the Swim for Life, now in its 28^th year, is a community event that spreads its largesse to numerous non-profit organizations that help create a healthy and sustainable community.The event relies, in large part, on swimmers who have made the Swim a priority in their lives and return year after year. This year two swimmers will reach a milestone in their commitment to Provincetown, swimmers who have swum twenty-five times: Bill Silvestri, from Dorchester, and Joe Stewart, from Baltimore. They will be honored at the September 12 event at the Boatslip with the Long Point Award, presented by the Provincetown Community Compact.I asked Bill a few questions:- When did you start swimming?My parents taught me how to swim as a baby. Soon after, they would fight with me to get out of the water because my lips would be blue.I feel totally connected with life and nature every day I swim. It is hard to describe the different textures and palette of colors seen when you swim at different times day or night.- What do you like about swimming?I was smoking upwards of two packs of cigarettes a day and leading a rather sedentary life and realized I was headed for trouble. Soon after I quit I met Jim Doty, a legendary swimmer and one of the founders of NE Marathon Swimming. He asked me to join a relay team in the Boston Light Marathon Swim. His encouragement helped me to do something I never, ever thought possible. Then he suggested the Swim for Life.- What was your first Swim for Life like?  I was terrified, but it turned out to be one of the greatest thrills of my life. I just knew I would be back the following year.- Why do you do the Swim for Life?I have felt a connection with the Provincetown community ever since my first swim. I love the camaraderie and feel strongly about supporting the causes that receive funds from the swim. As a musician, I am a strong supporter of the arts and the Provincetown Community Compact's philanthropic efforts to preserve the special character that is Provincetown.  My late brother, Jim, absolutely loved joining me every year for the swim. It was our "brother weekend" away. The year the Tibetan monks were there was pivotal for him finding peace before he passed.Bill’s long-time partner, Somchai Darnsirichaiswad, will be completing his eleventh consecutive Swim this year.

25-year swimmer, Joe Stewart, receives The Compact Long Point Award

“I was inspired to organize and coordinate the Maryland Swim for Life – now in its 24^th year - by my first Provincetown Swim for Life.” So states legendary activist swimmer Joe Stewart of Baltimore, who has employed his love of swimming and the environment to organize a handful of open water swims in the Chesapeake Bay area. He and Bill Silvestri will be the first to complete twenty-five Swims for Life this year on September 12, but that’s only the beginning for him. Both swimmers will receive the Long Point Award from the Provincetown Community Compact, Swim sponsors.Photo: Bill & Joe.Chesapeake Bay is a complex, ecologically and economically important natural resource with 150 rivers and streams flowing into it. The northern Bay is Maryland territory where Joe has swum numerous times - from eight to thirteen miles – for AIDS and environmental causes. He organized the “For the River’s Sake” swim in 1993, which evolved into the ongoing “Potomac River Swim for the Environment”, the Eastern Shore Marathon Swim and the Patapsco River Swim, which focused on the urban watershed.I asked Joe a few questions:What do you like about swimming?I like the feeling of being “outside gravity”, the meditative Zen frame of mind that I can get when doing laps in a pool or out in open water and the mind-body-spirit exercise I get through swimming.\What was your first Swim for Life like?Inspiring and joyful.How has the Swim evolved/changed since your first swims?The number of participants has increased which has its own challenges and rewards. The celebratory spirit and sense of community has remained an integral ingredient to the Swim over time.It has become an annual ritual, which I look forward to and enjoy.What has kept you so passionate about it for so long?The sense of community, celebratory spirit and feeling of accomplishment, especially with other liked-minded people, keeps bringing me back. Perhaps I should state the obvious: Provincetown is a very special place - one of the most beautiful natural places there is - with a very sophisticated but small town charm.

Swim for Life initiates the “Satellite Swim”

Satellites, and their planets, are in the news lately, and the Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla is adding its own version. The recent breathtaking images of Pluto and its satellite, Charon, offer us an ancient, timely example for the Swim’s latest idea: the Satellite Swim. What if you want to swim but can’t make it to the event? What if you’re too young to swim but want to participate? You don’t want to keep circling and circling around the mother ship, like a moon, without dipping your feet in the water.Over the years, there have been a number of adventurers who have swum in parallel with the Swim for Life event. Tim Moran has swum about ten times, but two of those were in Miami Beach and one in Morocco in 2001. All were timed to the date and time of the Provincetown event. Jim Youngerman was planning his first Swim for Life in 2008 when his sister in law died the day before. So he dove into Laurel Lake in Lenox, MA, and swam the 1.4-mile equivalent of the Provincetown Harbor swim. He has traveled here every year since. And to top it off, last year Kim Oler from NY climbed the Rocky Mountains and raised enough in pledges to join the 00 Club.Last year we were inspired by six-year-old Abby Gametchu-Walker of Cambridge and Provincetown who wanted to participate but was too young. So she decided to take to a pool and swim 1.4 miles. She does most of her laps at the Provincetown Inn, which equals 45 laps! She raised 00. This year she’s back with her friend Zoe Galaburda, who said, “I love Ptown, I want to swim too.” She’ll also be swimming in Brookline and Maine, keeping close track of her distance. Jeff Walker, Abby’s dad, has set up a “Abby & Zoe page” on FirstGiving for donations.The Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, set for September 12, is sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact and has raised $4M for AIDS, women’s health and the community since 1988. For information for swimmers, kayakers, boaters and volunteers, contact: thecompact@comcast.net, and www.swim4life.org T-shirts, designed by Zehra Khan, are 100% organic cotton and are available at Seamen’s Bank downtown. Business sponsors include: Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Seamen’s Bank, Provincetown Banner, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach Club, Marc Jacobs, Crown & Anchor, Harbor Hotel and Mussel Beach Health Club.

Artist Zehra Khan designs 2015 Swim for Life Image

Exactly 100 years ago artists got tired of carving into separate wood blocks for each color in a design and began using one block with a groove between the colors. This simple, ingenious method became know as the Provincetown Print. The groove became a white line, thus, the “white line woodblock print”.The influence of this tradition lives on in Zehra Khan’s provocative image created for this year’s 28^th Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, set for September 12. The blue and orange watercolor and line drawing shows Provincetown Harbor with playful, repetitive waves outlined in hand drawn white lines. A mysterious figure emerges with an orange bathing cap. Is he reaching for the orange star, or catching it?Provincetown’s Centennial Decade, 2010 to 2020, celebrates the remarkable events of 1910-1920: the creation of the Provincetown Print, building of the Pilgrim Monument, the founding of the Art Association and Museum, the formation of the Provincetown Players and Eugene O’Neill’s debut.Zehra Khan is a multi-media artist living in Provincetown. When she's not drawing she may be making sculptures, costumes, masks, installations, performances or films.A Pakistani-American born in Indonesia, she grew up in France and Switzerland before moving to the United States for high school.  She received a Bachelors degree from Skidmore College and a MFA from the Mass College of Art & Design at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown.Zehra is currently part of the NYC Drawing Center Viewing Program and the deCordova Museum’s Corporate Lending Program.  She has attended art residencies at Yaddo, the Vermont Studio Center, the Contemporary Artists Center, and most recently ArtLab at the Mountain Lake Biological Station through the University of Virginia. She was artist-in-residence for the Cape Cod National Seashore C-Scape Dune Shack in 2012.Zehra is represented by ArtSTRAND Gallery in Provincetown, and you can find her artwork online at www.zehrakhan.com The Swim for Life is sponsored by the Provincetown Community Compact and has raised $4M for AIDS, women’s health and the community since 1988. For information for swimmers, kayakers, boaters and volunteers, contact: thecompact@comcast.net, and www.swim4life.org Business sponsors include: Fanizzi’s Restaurant, Lobster Pot Restaurant, Seamen’s Bank, Provincetown Banner, Far Land Provisions, Boatslip Beach, Club, Marc Jacobs, Crown & Anchor, Mussel Beach Health Club.