Sometimes the sun comes out right on time.
Organizers of the Friends of V.I. National Park’s 10th Annual Beach-to-Beach Power Swim on St. John feared rainfall early Sunday morning might ruin the event. But the rain stopped and the skies cleared up right on schedule.
"We’re glad the weather cooperated," said Karen Jarvis, volunteer coordinator for Friends of V.I. National Park. "This is our biggest race to date. We’re really excited."
More than 300 participants and 100 volunteers came out to Maho Bay to compete in an open water swimming event that benefited V.I. National Park. Organizers hoped to raise $5,000 more than last year’s $30,000 haul, said Karen Vahling, Friends development director.
"All proceeds will go to protect and preserve the cultural and natural resources of the park," Vahling said.
Vahling said planning for the event took months and planning for next year’s event will begin soon. Multiple taxis and shuttles were provided to drive swimmers, volunteers and spectators back and forth on the island. The exact fundraising total should be tallied by next week.
The money will also help fund educational programs such as Summer Eco-Camps and programs to teach local children aged 9 to 17 how to swim. Summer Eco-Camps is held at the University of Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS,) on the south side of St. John in Lameshur Bay. Vahling raises scholarship funds for students who would otherwise be unable to partake in these programs.
"It’s like nurturing the next generation," Vahling said. "Its an amazing feeling to see a kid discover how to swim."
Participants were dressed in wetsuits, bikinis, speedos and swimming trunks. Relay teams wore matching green, pink, and gold swim caps. Organizers wrote each swimmer’s number on the swimmer’s arm with black markers. Once a swimmer finished the course his or her time was matched up with their designated number.
Registration started about a month ago and stopped Friday, Jarvis said.
The events were divided into short, intermediate and long categories for assisted and unassisted swimmers. Assisted swimmers used more swimming equipment than just goggles, typically including fins, snorkels, exposure suits or even dogs. Unassisted swimmers were allowed to use a mask or goggles. These categories also applied to the relay teams. Swim caps were mandatory and were provided by Friends of V.I. National Park.
The short course runs from Maho Bay to Cinnamon Bay and is approximately one-mile, according to a Friends of V.I. National Park press release. The intermediate course runs about 2.5 miles from Maho Bay to Trunk Bay and the long course runs about 3.5 miles from Maho Bay to Hawksnest.
Julie Marie Olson traveled from Palm Beach, Fla., to visit friends and decided to take part in the event. She even took a practice swim to prepare for the assisted short course beforehand. She was looking to complete the swim in less than 27 minutes but she ran out of breath midway and was forced to quit.
"I was definitely nervous," Olson said.
Jarvis said the event is "Joe Kessler’s baby." Joe Kessler, Friends of V.I. National Park president, said the idea for the event was born one day while he visited Francis Bay. As a longtime volunteer he’d watched the swimmers travel back and forth during the aquathlon portion of the Love City Triathlon and thought, "We need something here for the distance swimmers." An aquathlon is a two-stage race that involves swimming and then running.
Organizers threw an after party and award ceremony after the swim Sunday afternoon at Oppenheimer Beach. Volunteers sold $20 caps and $40 long-sleeved Friends of V.I. National Park T-shirts. Short-sleeved T-shirts came free with registration.
Kessler received reports Sunday morning describing how choppy or manageable the water was. He relayed this information to participants with an electric megaphone shortly before the event. Kessler also spoke to the swimmers about safety precautions, the nature of the courses and timing procedures. Kessler’s voice echoed throughout the area as hundreds of swimmers stretched and waded in the water.
Kayakers were on hand to help any swimmer in need of assistance as well as St. John Rescue and National Park Service, Kessler said. Some swimmers began to cramp up and waved their swim caps toward the kayakers, who gave them floating devices or allowed them to hold onto their paddling board until they were pulled out of the water. Each participant signed a waiver of liability at registration. Swimmers younger than 18 needed parental authorization.
"Safety is important to us," Kessler said.
The Beach-to-Beach Power Swim is an open water event, so swimmers are responsible for studying the map, which was posted on the Friends website. The organizers set orange two-foot and five-foot buoys to set parameters for the swimmers. Participants only were credited with completing the course when they crossed the finish line on land, Kessler said.
