Friends of VINP Practice Swims Set To Gear Up for Beach-to-Beach Power Swim

 

As residents gear up for the 10th Annual Beach-to-Beach Power Swim on May 26, Friends of VINP officials are hosting a series of practice swims starting on Sunday, April 14.

Friends of VI National Park officials last week announced a series of practice swims to help participants prepare for the upcoming 10th annual Beach-to-Beach Power Swim which will be on Sunday, May 26.

The first practice swim will be on Sunday, April 14, and will be from Maho Bay to Cinnamon Bay, a distance of about one mile. There next practice swim will be on Sunday, April 28, from Maho Bay to either Cinnamon Bay or Trunk Bay, a distance of about two and one quarter miles.

The final practice swim will be on Sunday, May 12, from Maho Bay to either Cinnamon Bay, Trunk Bay or Hawksnest Bay, a distance of about three and one half miles.

All practice swims will start at 8:30 a.m. at the northern end of Maho Bay beach, near the dinghy channel. Swimmers should arrive by 8:15 a.m. for sign up and a briefing. Kayaks, stand-up paddlers, a dinghy and a VINP patrol boat will accompany swimmers for their safety. 

Swimming Sponsorships Available
Have a favorite swimmer? Sponsor them! Or just donate to help the event. 

The entire community can get involved to support VINP by visiting Friends’ Race for a Reason website at www.active.com/donate/B2B2013. 

The website is secure, fast and easy to use. Supporters will be able to choose an amount to donate or a swimmer to sponsor, and both will receive email confirmation of the donation. Swimmers who have already registered can go to the site to create a web page, add photos, post updates and invite friends.

It is just over seven weeks to the 10th annual Beach-to-Beach Power Swim on Sunday, May 26, in the beautiful protected waters of VINP. For full information about the swim please visit www.friendsvinp.org/swim.

Friends of VINP reminds potential participants that early registration runs until Friday, May 3. So save a few bucks and register now. Early registration for adults is $40 and general registration, which starts on May 4, is $50. For youths, ages 17 and below, both early and general registration is $25.

For this year, registration will be limited to 300 swimmers and there will be absolutely no registrations on the day of the event.

To register go to www.friendsvinp.org/swim. Once registered, go to www.active.com/donate/B2B2013 to set up a web page and be sponsored or invite others.

Residents can also register in person at the Friends of the Park store in Mongoose Junction, or Connections in both Coral Bay and Cruz Bay. On St. Thomas register for the swim at Caribbean Surf Company in Red Hook or Havensight.

Anyone who is not up to swimming a mile, or more, should consider volunteering for the event and be a safety kayaker or help on one of the beaches. For more information about the practice swims, sponsorhip or volunteering, call (340) 779-4940 or email swim@friendsvinp.org.