Between 75 and 100 swimmers took the plunge Saturday in Greilickville to support the efforts of the Watershed Center Grand Traverse.
A large crowd of swimmers conquered the wet conditions for a 2-mile open swim called “Swim for Grand Traverse” Saturday at Greilickville Harbor Park.
Ian Clap of Elsworth was the first swimmer out of the water, “It was an awesome swim, it was nice and had a good back wind … I was (focused on) looking ahead,” he said.
Roughly 75-100 swimmers participated in the Saturday morning dunk. Most wore wetsuits and others enjoyed the cool conditions with water temperatures in the upper 60s.
The fifth 2-mile bay swim was hosted by The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, a non-profit that works to protect the bay and its 1,000-square-mile watershed. This was the first open race in three years.
Christian Vanderkaay was the second swimmer who completed the open swim.
“I did this race a while back and decided to do it again. Other than it being kind of cold, it was a lot of fun and it was for a good cause donating money to help support the clean lakes. We had to do that,” he said.
The Swim for Grand Traverse Bay is a fundraiser for The Watershed Center, a nonprofit that advocates for clean water in Grand Traverse Bay and acts to protect and preserve the bay’s watershed.
Watershed Center Executive Director Christine Crissman rang the bell to unleash the swimmer for the event that has happened for the first time in three years.
“I think ringing the bell is the funnest part. All the swimmers get super excited, I think just that community of swimmers in general. They’ve been so excited and supportive this whole time,” she said. “They’ve been working really hard to get here and to be able to do that and watch them come in, it’s been pretty fun.”
Each swimmer was responsible for raising at least $150, though no fundraising experience is required.
Dozens of support paddlers along with safety boats from Leelanau, Grand Traverse, and Coast Guard helped with the safety of the event.
“We never know what the weather’s gonna do, and for swimming, it doesn’t matter if they get wet. We are making sure that we’re safe when we’re on the course and making sure that we have all of the things in place. There’s a lot of thought and process that goes into that. Everything’s come together really well,” Crissman said. “Thank you to our swimmers. Our swimmers not only train for the course, but they help raise funds for the watershed center and helping to protect the bay. And thank you to their families and supporters, as well, as people who come to cheer them on and help them train. We have a list of sponsors and a bunch of people who help financially. Our team at the watershed center is a big group effort.”
