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Welcome to Kingdom Swim

We’ve received your registration for Kingdom Swim 2017.  Welcome.

Every swimmer must be qualified for the swim distance they choose.  Put simply, we expect you to have completed an open water swim of at least 2/3rds the length of the course you have chosen and to have done this on or before July 1, 2017.  It doesn’t have to be a formal event.  It can be you, a kayaker, and a gps.  But it must be open water and it can’t be current assisted.

If you have requested a kayaker we are in the process of recruitment and will make assignments on a first come first serve basis.  If you have a kayaker, but need to rent a kayak, for $65 we will have one delivered to the beach on the morning of the swim, with paddles, two pfds, and a whistle.

The Swim

Kingdom Swim is widely recognized as a great swim in a great lake.  We work hard to assure that your swim is supported on the beach and out on the lake.  We have a team of motorized patrol boats with police back up to help you in the event of distress.  We take your safety seriously.  Here’s a link to our detailed SAFETY PLAN

Conditions on Lake Memphremagog can vary from calm to windy, from sunny to rainy.  They change from day to day and even within the course of a swim. Water temperatures at this time of year are generally between 70 and 75 F, but high winds and storms the day before can cause temperatures to drop 3 or 4 degrees in a short period of time.  Whether you are swimming one mile or 15, this is a true open water experience and you should be ready for just about anything.  We will only postpone, reschedule or cancel the swim in the event of serious threat of lightening, dense fog, or seriously heavy winds.  Since we started the swim in 2009, we have never been forced to cancel, reschedule or delay the swim, except in 2015 when we had to delay the start because of dense fog.

However, it is ultimately up to you and your kayaker, at any time, to decide for yourself whether to start or continue your swim based on the conditions you face and whether you are prepared for them.  Some swimmers love the challenge of “heavy lake.”  Others see big waves as unpleasant and even dangerous.  So, remember, this is your swim and your choice to “continue or call” as you see fit.  I’m not saying this to scare you.  We have had generally good conditions and very few dnfs over the years.  But, if the lake gets a little frisky, we are committed to continuing the swim, except under the circumstances described above.  We are equally prepared to help pull individual swimmers as they see fit.  If you get a chance to train in some difficult open water conditions, we strongly recommend it.

We encourage all of you swimming the longer courses to take advantage of the boat tours that leave at noon, 2, and 4 pm on Friday afternoon from the City Dock.  If you look at the charts of the courses which we have posted on the Kingdom Swim web page, you will see that in some stretches the buoys are far apart.  They are visible one to the other, but sometimes it takes a bit to find them as you make a turn.  While we try to have boats at the turn buoy to help point you to the next buoy, they may be called to a swimmer in distress and unavailable to help.  The boat tour will help you identify LANDMARKS that you can use during the swim to guide you to the next buoy.  The boat tours are a fun way to visit with other open water swimmers.  They are also invaluable assistance in learning the course prior to race day.  Space is limited, however, so grab your spots while they last.

At 5:30 pm on Friday evening, we have a MANDATORY safety meeting for all swimmers and kayakers who are signed up for the 3.1, 6.2, 10, and 16.5 mile swims.

We have also provided training tips which outline the kind of yardage you should be swimming to prepare for certain distances.  We know that many of you are out “lapping it up” in the pools and in the open water.  And we are truly honored that you have chosen Kingdom Swim as one of your summer open water swims.

The Party

As seriously as we take the swim itself, Kingdom Swim also involves a true celebration of open water swimming as well as a celebration of the heart of the summer in the heart of The Kingdom.  We want to have some kind of fun while you are here and also do justice and honor to the sometimes rambunctious Tribe of Kingdom Swimmers.  We have a full schedule of events around the swim.  And we hope that you will join us for many of them.  We have Pizza Parties, Pasta Dinners, Boat Tours of the Course, a Shuttle Tour of local Micro Breweries, a Jammie Party and Promenade on Friday evening before the dinner and a Pig Roast and Party at Prouty on Saturday evening.

New last year was our Party at Prouty, a pig roast, band, and bon fire on Saturday evening.  The Pig was roasted by Brault’s (who provide us with their beef jerky for prizes) with The EastSide Restaurant providing the fixings, and Kingdom Brewing hosting the beer tent (which is open from 11 am until closing on the beach).

Some, like the Friday afternoon boat tours, the Friday evening dinner, and the picnic lunch at the beach are free to you and your kayaker with nominal cost for additional friends and family ($10 for the boat tour, $15 for Friday’s dinner and $10 for the picnic lunch).  Others involve a cost, like the Pig Roast ($15)  or the NEKOWSA Pizza Party ($19).  Or the Micro Brewery Tour (to be determined).

Whether free or not, we ask you to make your reservations on line.  Space on the Northern Star for the boat tours and the NEKOWSA Pizza Dinner is limited to 49 people for each cruise.  So, we need you to make reservations to assure there is space for you.  As for Friday and Saturday night’s dinners, we have ample room, but need to know how many people to prepare for.

And of course, the Promenade along the boardwalk.  It is our way of welcoming Kingdom Swimmers to our community.  We encourage you to bring your state, provincial, and national flags.  We have poles you can use to carry them.  And we will fly them on Saturday at Prouty Beach during the swim.  We recommend 3 x 5 as a size.  You don’t want to show up with a 2 x 3 and experience “flag envy.”  As with previous years, it is a costume promenade.  This year it’s a Jammie Party theme with prizes for the best Jammies (extra points for terrific stuffies).    Be bold.  Let’s have some fun.  We start the promenade at 6:30 pm on Friday evening, grab some pictures of The Tribe and it’s over by 7 in time for the pasta dinner.

Please check out the Schedule of Events and make your reservations.

To make Reservations: CLICK HERE

To make a payment: CLICK HERE

We hope that you will slow down and plan to stay awhile.  Our experience is that the first time people join us for a run, bike, or swim, they tend to blow in Friday evening and blow out Saturday afternoon.  But Summer in the Kingdom is one of life’s many miracles.  When folks return the next year (and many do) they tend to stay longer and bring friends and family with them.  We’ve prepared a list of Ten Things We’d Do with an extra day or two in the Kingdom.  We hope you will grab an extra day or two to explore.  You will be happy you did.

Finally, on or about April 1st we will be opening up our fundraising drive for Memphremagog Watershed Association.  We have some great prizes available for high fundraisers but also some fine “thank you” gifts when you donate at certain levels.  So be forewarned.

Any questions, just holler.  Shoot me an e-mail at phw1948@gmail.com.  We’re thrilled that you have made the decision to join us and we want to do everything we can to make your swim and your visit a great one.

All our best,

Phil and the Clubhous Gang