This will be my third Save the Bay swim. I learned to swim young: summer swim team, high school swim team, and years as a lifeguard and swim instructor through college. That made me a strong swimmer, but nothing prepared me for open water.

I started open water swimming four years ago with my friend and neighbor, Jeanne, with a small group at Potters Cove. Every swim was a challenge for me: the murky water, unpredictable currents, waves slapping you mid-breath. It was disorienting. Jeanne convinced me to register for Save the Bay in 2024, and I was terrified. But partway across, with the bridge to my left, something shifted: I felt connected to the water like never before, like I was meant to be out there, not just surviving but really enjoying the feeling of being out there. I made it across, and it was surreal. I am no longer afraid of open water.

That first year, my oldest daughter Lauren was my kayaker; she was 18. In 2025, my middle daughter Karina, also 18, took her turn. There's something humbling about asking your children for help, and something moving about hearing them say, "Of course, Mom, I'll lead the way." I'll never forget searching the water for Lauren's kayak, again and again.

This year, Karina will be my kayaker once more. These swims with my daughters are some of my most treasured memories, and I hope to continue the tradition with all three of my daughters for years to come.

I also swim in honor of Keith Ryan, a fellow swimmer who died of pancreatic cancer. He was part of that small group of swimmers I mentioned earlier who introduced me to Potters Cove. Our team is named #withkeith

Save The Bay is a nonprofit founded in 1970 to protect Narragansett Bay, working today through advocacy, education, and habitat restoration toward a Bay that's swimmable and fishable for everyone. Since 1977, the Save The Bay Swim has crossed the Bay's two-mile East Passage as the organization's largest annual fundraiser.

Please join me in helping keep these waters clean, so others can feel as connected to them as I do.