Swim and Paddle for Boston Harbor

On Saturday, August 3^rd, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay will host The Swim And Paddle For Boston Harbor, a one-mile, championship chip-timed, professionally staffed, competitive swim followed by a chip-timed Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) competition.

Swimmers in last year’s Swim for Boston Harbor

The Swim And Paddle For Boston Harbor will take place at the BCYF Curley Recreation Center at M Street Beach in South Boston, which is among the cleanest urban beaches in America. Swimmers will follow course from the Curley Center in an equilateral triangle and return to the finish line at M Street beach.

Online registration at http://www.swim4bostonharbor.org is open until August 1^st. Participants can also register on-site the morning of the competition on August 3^rd from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Swim registration is $50, and the race will be capped at 100 participants.

 

The SUP competition registration is $25, and paddleboard rentals are available for an additional $25. Those wishing to join the party without competing in either event are asked to make a contribution of $25. Save the Harbor/Save the Bay hopes to raise $5,000 to continue our work to restore and protect Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay for all Bostonians and the region’s residents and visitors to enjoy.

Proceeds from the swim will benefit Save The Harbor/Save the Bay, while funds raised from the SUP competition will benefit both the Massachusetts Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.

The top fundraiser will receive a round trip ticket from JetBlue Airways to any destination they fly from Logan Airport. Winners of each event will be entered into a raffle to win tickets from JetBlue Airways as well.  Everyone who donates and attends the party can enjoy a cold pint of Harpoon Beer from our friends at Harpoon Brewery and treats from our new partners at Tasty Burger after the competitions.

10 years ago, this event would not have been possible because the water in the Boston Harbor was often unsafe for swimming after even a small summer storm. Today we are proud to say that this event will take place rain or shine on one of the cleanest urban beaches in America, thanks to the hard work and commitment of thousands of people and the tenacious advocacy of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.

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. 

For more information about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, please visit: www.savetheharbor.org. 

For more information about The Surfrider Foundation, please visit: http://www.surfrider.org.

To register for the Swim and Paddle for Boston Harbor, please visit:

http://www.swim4bostonharbor.org. 

The 2013 "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt Is On!

Calling All Treasure Hunters!

If you find a one-inch blue and white marble on a Boston area beach from July 4 through Halloween, you could win a round-trip ticket from JetBlue Airways to any domestic destination they serve from Boston's Logan Airport!

Help us find our marbles and you could be a winner!

This summer, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is again partnering with JetBlue Airways for the "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt. It is free and easy to enter. If you find a marble on your favorite beach from Nahant to Nantasket, just post a picture of yourself with the marble on Save the Harbor's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/savetheharbor or email your photo and contact information to info@savetheharbor.org.

If you don't find a marble, you can still join in the fun. Just make an online contribution of any amount to Save the Harbor / Save the Bay between July 4 and October 31 and you will be entered into the contest as well. 

The "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt began in 2012 on the beaches of South Boston with a beach clean up sponsored by JetBlue in partnership with the Massachusetts DCR. In just a few short hours, more than 100 people did 5 weeks worth of work cleaning up the beaches. At the end of the day, the participants released their marbles into the water for Boston beach-goers to find.

Watch a short video about last year's contest.

Ronda Ivy McLeod, JetBlue's Regional Marketing Manager, is looking forward to this year's treasure hunt. "We are proud of our relationship with Save the Harbor and with the community.  Boston is home to our 2,000 crewmembers, who mirror the company's philanthropic efforts with their own volunteer work locally. Partnering with Save the Harbor on the treasure hunt is right in line with our fun value as well as our commitment to the city that chooses JetBlue more than any other airline out of Logan."

"JetBlue Airways is a terrific partner," said Save the Harbor's Bruce Berman. "They care about their customers and our communities, and they are always fun to work with. We really appreciate their support"

Of course the marbles are environmentally friendly. "These marbles are made from glass, which is made from sand." said Berman."Its a great way to encourage people to explore and enjoy the Boston Harbor region's great public beaches."

One of last year's winners with her marble

More than 300 marbles have been "released" so far on Boston area beaches from Nahant to Nantasket by Save the Harbor's summer staffers and Better Beaches program partners already, so start hunting!

Save the Harbor will announce the winners on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/savetheharbor

The first drawing is on the day after Labor Day, so get busy - and stay tuned.

--Rachel Frenkil
Communication and Events Summer Intern

Give me that fillet of fish

Yesterday, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's Senior Marine Educators joined Bruce Berman and our 2013 Junior Program Assistants for a day of fish, fun and sun as part of our staff training week. We started the morning at the Bank of America Pavilion getting to know each other with introductions and a fun-fact ice breaker, thanks to Sarah Chang.

Then we headed outside, overlooking the harbor, to learn how to fillet a giant striped bass that Bruce had caught just the day before.

A beautiful striped bass

We checked out the scales and and the different parts of the fish before Bruce started filleting. A few brave souls tried their hand at filleting as well as soon enough we had 2 big fillets. 

Sarah cuts into the fish, being careful to avoid the spine. 

Filleting the fish

Bruce put some of the fish in a cup with lime juice and ginger and left the fish to cook in the acid--a classic ceviche preparation. We then continued to dissect the fish and learned about its gills, its stomach, its heart and more. It was a little gross and a lot interesting! Finally we got to eat the fish in two preparations: ceviche and sashimi with soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi. The fish couldn't have been any fresher!

Sashimi striped bass and ceviche

The whole group at the Bank of America Pavilion 

After this, we walked over to the aquarium and took a short board ride over to George's Island. With David Coffin, our Boston Harbor historian, we got to explore Fort Warren and the island, and imagined what this island would be like on a day with an All Access Boston Harbor trip full of kids. David led us through the dark passages of the fort, told us stories and tricks of the trade--which you can find out if you go on one of our All Access trips! 

Going into Fort Warren

On top of the fort, overlooking the harbor

David Coffin is a great guide and explorer

David challenged us to do something new today and we accomplished that. In the bakery of the fort, we found a giant oven and our smallest member, Bridget, got inside to see if she would fit! 

I hear baked Bridget is delicious

Finally, we ended the day on the beach. We skipped rocks, learned about crabs and starfish, and threw our "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt marbles into the water. It was a beautiful day and everyone had lots of fun. This is gong to be a great summer!

Exploring the beach on George's Island

--Rachel Frenkil

Communications and Events Summer Intern

Schools to Careers

Recently a group of students from the Schools to Careers Partnership out of Blue Hills Regional Technical School contacted Save the Harbor/Save the Bay asking to set up a talk with Save the Harbor's Bruce Berman about the history of the Boston Harbor clean up and about environmental advocacy in general. The students were from Avon, Blue Hills Technical, Canton, Dedham, Holbrook, Milton, Norwood and Randolph and are interested in the sciences. The hope for this talk was to provoke some thought about different STEM careers.

The group poses with Bruce Berman right on the Harbor.

It was a hot day at the Bank of America Pavilion, when the students arrived. After finding a cool, shady spot under the tent, Bruce began his talk about the history of Boston and the Boston Harbor and how it came to be clean and enjoyable thanks to both legislation and popular opinion. He pointed out that where they were at that moment, at the Bank of America Pavilion, was not only the meeting point for Save the Harbor's summer youth programs, but that it used to be an abandoned industrial site. Bruce mentioned water quality tests on the beaches, asking "do you know the water quality of your favorite beach?" Most students said no, and they surely will consider this when they next head to the beach. He also shared the options that young adults have to get involved in the Harbor clean up.

After the history lesson, Bruce engaged with the students in a discussion about their future opportunities and careers. What do they want to accomplish? How are they going to achieve that? The students discussed internships, motivation, summer classes and more. They were very interested in the advice that Bruce had to offer and left feeling inspired to continue on the path to college and beyond. One student even approached Bruce about how to get an internship at Save the Harbor!

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is grateful to have had the opportunity to share its story with the next generation of environmental advocates, marine biologists, engineers and informed citizens.

--Rachel Frenkil
Communication and Events Summer Intern