Patrick Finn of Wellfleet (center) with his lifeguard volunteers at the 2004 Swim for Life. Patrick Finn organizes lifeguards for Swim for Life Once a lifeguard always a lifeguard. Patrick Finn has been swimming and lifeguarding since high school. A native of Troy, New York, he attended Boston University Law School and then migrated to Cape Cod in 1988, near the water. His “day job” is head of Child Support Enforcement for the Department of Revenue for Southeastern Massachusetts. Lifeguarding for the Town of Wellfleet, where he has lived since 1990, is a relaxing weekend activity he relishes. When Finn heard about the Provincetown Swim for Life in 1991 from a friend associated with the AIDS Support Group, he enthusiastically participated and hasn’t missed an event since. “It’s a positive, affirming day,” he explains. Several years ago he joined the elite Circle of Honor for swimming in ten events. Recognizing the importance of safety for swimmers in the harbor, he proposed organizing a group of professional lifeguards to work with the scores of motor boats and kayaks out on the water, which are backed up with support from the US Coast Guard, and on shore by the Provincetown Rescue Squad and the Swim for Life medical team. Lifeguards have developed a unique language on the water, utilizing whistles and hand and arm movements to communicate needed help or assistance across long distances. With the blessing of Wellfleet Beach Department head Suzanne Thomas, rescue boards and torpedo buoys were borrowed and the contingent made a dramatic appearance at the Boatslip beach in 2003 before swimmers were transported to Long Point. Lifeguards who have volunteered for Finn’s team, augmented by representatives from the National Seashore and Dennis, include Dan Gagnon, Courtney Ryeberg, Kevin Stanton, Bill Blake, Lise Hembrough, Annie Haggerty, Colleen Finn, Dave Pike, Karen Orkney. Finn plans to recruit others at the annual Cape-wide lifeguard duel in early August. The 18th Annual Provincetown Harbor Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, a fundraiser for AIDS, women’s health and youth, is scheduled for September 10, 2005. This year’s event will include the traditional Friday night Celebration of Life Concert at the Meeting House presented by John Thomas, and the post-swim Mermaid Brunch at the Boatslip Resort. The Pool Splash will run concurrently for those who choose to swim in a pool or are “harborly-challenged.” The second annual Provincetown Harbor Lights, created by Ewa Nogiec, planned for dusk, will conclude the weekend. The 2005 t-shirts, designed by Sally Brophy, are available at Venture Athletics Outdoor Shop, 306 Commercial Street, Unit 3. Beneficiaries of the event include Helping Our Women, the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Outer Cape Health Services, Cape and Islands Gay Straight Youth Alliance and the Provincetown AIDS History Project. Sponsors to date include the Provincetown Banner, Mike's Movies/Boston, Paul Mitchell, the Boatslip Resort, Far Land Provisions, Provincetown Visitor Services Board and Massachusetts Cultural Council. The Swim for Life is produced by the Provincetown Community Compact, Inc. Registration on September 10 for kayakers and safety boaters begins at 8:30 am at the Boatslip Resort beach, 161 Commercial Street, with swimmer registration on the deck at 9:30 am. Swimmers will be transported to Long Point for the 11:00 am start. The public is invited to cheer swimmers at the finish line beginning at 11:30 am, followed by the Mermaid Brunch at noon on the Boatslip deck. For pledge forms and volunteer, Pool Splash, or Provincetown Harbor Lights information, or to make a contribution, contact: thecompact@comcast.net, 508 487-1930, www.swim4life.org, or write, Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, P.O. Box 819, Provincetown, MA 02657. Friday Sept 8 8:00 PM Celebration of Life Concert @ Universalist Meeting House Saturday Sept 9 8:30 - 10:30 AM Kayak / Paddler Flotilla Registration @ Boatslip Resort 9:30 - 10:30 AM Swimmer Registration @ Boatslip Resort 11:00 AM Swim for Life Begins from Long Point 11:30 AM Public Greets Swimmers 12:00 - 3:00 PM Mermaid Brunch @ Boatslip Resort Sunday Sept 10 Starting at dusk Provincetown Harbor Lights at MacMillan Wharf