Registration open for environmental swim

Jan 14, 2020

NEW BEDFORD — The 27th anniversary Buzzards Bay Swim will be Saturday, June 27 in New Bedford and Fairhaven. Registration is open at savebuzzardsbay.org/swim with 40% off sign-ups through Jan. 31.

The swim is for athletes of all abilities and fitness levels, ages 11 and up. Four hundred or more swimmers will complete a scenic 1.2-mile point-to-point open water course from New Bedford’s South End. At the finish line at Fort Phoenix State Reservation in Fairhaven, swimmers and guests will be welcomed with a beach party. First-time and beginner swimmers can swim with a personal kayak or paddleboard escort for added support.

South Dartmouth resident Martha Yules and her husband tried the Swim for the first time in 2018. “We loved it — what a fun and memorable experience! This event should be added to the proverbial ‘bucket list’ for everyone living on the Southcoast.”

The $15 early-bird registration for the Buzzards Bay Swim is available through the end of the month. Swimmers commit to raising a minimum of $150 each. Last year, 347 swimmers raised $187,000 for clean water in Buzzards Bay, including first-time swimmer Xan Williams, a member of top fundraising team SPLASH from Rochester, which raised $6,350 in 2019.

“The swim is a great opportunity to push yourself and see what you can accomplish, and even better to do so for a worthy cause,” Williams said. Funds raised support the Coalition’s ongoing work to prevent pollution and protect water quality in the community.  

This year, participants will help the Coalition raise an additional $75,000 for clean water, through the final year of a generous four-year challenge grant from the Fish Family Foundation via long time swimmer and West Falmouth resident Larry Fish. To meet the terms of the challenge, the swimmers must collectively raise $200,000 for Bay conservation efforts.

Sign up  at www.savebuzzardsbay.org/swim.

The Swim is sponsored by BETA, Fiber Optic Center and YMCA Southcoast. To sponsor the Swim, contact events@savebuzzardsbay.org.