Swim Around Vancouver Island??

Swim Across America is a favorite fund raising event which supports primary cancer research in cities across America. In Seattle, it is held on the 1st Saturday after Labor Day each year, this year on 9/11/21. I had swum in the event for 10 years before last year when we signed up for a guided boating flotilla trip scheduled for September 2020, around Vancouver Island which, of course, was rescheduled to this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been waiting patiently for: 1. the Canadian Border to open and 2. a “go” date from the Flotilla leaders.

Meanwhile, last month our friend Ed McCarthy was diagnosed with Lymphoma. All the more reason to swim for cancer research! I decided to join Swim Across America (SAA) again in honor of and in support of Ed. SAA has a “Virtual” swim option for those who cannot make the in-person event. I am calling my virtual event “Swim Around Vancouver Island” with the plan of swimming at as many places on our trip around Vancouver Island as possible, blogging along the way to Ed and Carmi and whomever else wants to remotely come along for the ride. Ed, this one’s for you!

But then my step sister, Nina, was diagnosed with Lung Cancer! And there are a minimum of 45 other friends and family members who have been touched by this disease over the years. All will be remembered along the way. Thank you for joining us in supporting friends and family members dealing with cancer now, remembering those who we have lost and celebrating with our survivors.

We are thrilled that the Canadians are welcoming Vaccinated people into Canada as of August 16th! We are still waiting for the Flotilla organizers to give us a “GO”. So this year of uncertainty continues and we will keep you posted! No matter what, we will be out on the boat in September, whether in Puget Sound or in the Straights of Georgia, Johnstone Strait and the Pacific! Wherever we are, we will be swimming for you, Ed and you too, Nina and for many others.