JetBlue Swim & Paddle for Boston Harbor!

-->

 

On Saturday August 9th, at the BCYF Curley Community Center in South Boston, 70 swimmers and paddlers took part in the Jet Blue Swim & Paddle for Boston Harbor, a one-mile, chip-timed, professionally staffed, competitive swim followed by a two-mile chip-timed Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) competition to benefit Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.

Adam Homoki from East Boston came in first in the men’s swim, while Craig Hersh of Canton placed second. Caitlin Healey of Needham won this year’s women’s swim, while Katie O’Dair of Watertown placed second. 

 

Carly Tillotson of Duxbury was the SUP woman’s division winner in the 2-mile stand-up paddleboard race and Mark Jacobson of Lexington won the men’s 2-mile SUP race, while Jody Bue of East Boston and Seth Nichols of Duxbury won the SUP race for beginners. Each of the first place winners received a round-trip ticket from event sponsor JetBlue Airways to any domestic destination they fly from Logan airport.

“Boston Harbor’s beaches are a destination attraction,” said Donnie Todd, Corporate Social Responsibility Liaison for jetBlue Airways, who lead a team of JetBlue volunteers on the beach. “I am also happy to say that we crushed the team from Save the Harbor in beach volleyball.”

The swimmers and paddlers raised more than $5,000 to benefit Save the Harbor / Save the Bay and the Massachusetts Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. Following the races, event sponsors Harpoon Brewery and Tasty Burger provided refreshing beer and burgers for the beach celebration, while the team from JetBlue served their signature Terra Blues chips to all participants and spectators on the beach.

 

Bruce Berman, Director of Strategy, Communications, and Programs at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay said, “Ten years ago we were forced to cancel our swim because of water quality concerns on the South Boston beaches.  In fact after several cancellations because of poor water quality, our sponsors pulled out and withdrew their support.  Today we are proud to say that the beaches of South Boston are among the cleanest urban beaches in the nation.”

 The event was sponsored by JetBlue Airways, the Surfrider Foundation, Harpoon Brewery, Tasty Burger, Boston Centers for Youth and Families, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, SUP Sonas, Gather Food and Drink, and M.J. O’Connor’s Irish Pub. Special Thanks to the water safety team from the YMCA’s of Greater Boston, for making this a safe event.

If you want to learn more about water quality on the Boston Harbor Region’s public beaches, you can download a copy of Save the Harbor’s 2013 Beaches Report Card at http://www.savetheharbor.org/beachesreportcard/2013reportcard.pdf

About Save the Harbor/Save the Bay

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a non-profit, public interest, environmental advocacy organization, whose mission is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, and the marine environment and share them with the public for everyone to enjoy.

About the Massachusetts Chapter of Surfrider

The Massachusetts Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation was founded in 1996. They are an all-volunteer chapter composed of local New England surfer/environmentalists dedicated to the preservation of the New England coastal environmental, elimination of pollution, and open access to our beaches.