Registration Opens March 3 for Save the Bay Swim

Registration for the Save the Bay Swim opens March 3 and this year's swim, set for July 19, marks a return home to Newport for the annual fundraiser that brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars to protect and educate the public about Narragansett Bay.

"We are thrilled to return to the Newport start,” said Save The Bay Executive Director Jonathan Stone. “This is how it should always be, swimming with the towering span of the Pell Bridge next to us. We are thankful to the City of Newport and Naval Station Newport for their past support of the Swim and look forward to an incredible trek across the East Passage this July.”

Starting at Naval Station Newport on Coaster’s Harbor Island, swimmers and kayakers will enter the water at 7:00 a.m. and travel across the East Passage to Jamestown’s Potter Cove. A post-Swim party and awards ceremony will be held on the lawn of the R.I. Turnpike & Bridge Authority in Jamestown.

Save The Bay was forced to alter the course for last year’s “Sequester Swim,” a name given to the event due to sequestration cuts to the military. Historically, the course started in Newport and ended at Potter Cove in Jamestown. Last year's course was reconfigured in a triangle to start and finish at Potter Cove.

On Saturday, July 19, 2014, Save The Bay will welcome 500 swimmers and accompanying kayakers from across the country to traverse 1.7 nautical miles in open water across the East Passage.

The Swim is sponsored by Citizens Bank and many other local businesses and organizations. To register and find information about The Swim, visit www.savebay.org or follow The Swim on Twitter: @SaveTheBaySwim