Oct. 22, 2006 — Proceeds from Sunday's 11th annual St. Croix Coral Reef Swim went to the St. Croix Nature Conservancy to train local fishermen as Coast Guard-certified captains.
"For the past two years, proceeds from the swim have benefited the Nature Conservancy," said Elizabeth Armstrong, owner of the Buccaneer Hotel and organizer of the swim. "We saw this as a concrete way to use funds raised in St. Croix to benefit St. Croix."
Shona Paterson, a conservation specialist with the Nature Conservancy, accepted the $8000 check, saying the donation will give some local fisherman an alternative career.
The idea hatched following a Senate meeting discussing the recent ban on gill and trammel net fishing, Armstrong said. As of Jan. 1, 2007, the use of gill and trammel nets will be prohibited in the Virgin Islands. (See "Fishermen, Conservationists Square Off Over Recent Fishing Ban.") The donation will train at least eight St. Croix fishermen presently engaged in net fishing, Armstrong said, offering them alternative employment opportunities on the sea and enabling them to make the most of their knowledge, experience and personal history.
"It offers then a great option to earn a living while protecting the resources," she said.
Sunday's swim saw 87 athletes traverse a five-mile open-water course that began at Buck Island and continued two miles to St. Croix's coastline. There the swimmers — who participated as individuals, relays and with fins — continued along the shore, finishing on the main beach at the Buccaneer Hotel.
At one point, dolphins — including a calf — swam along with the racers. First out of the water was Pan American Gold Medalist Alex Kostich, 36, of Los Angeles, with a time of 1:42:42. The first female and second out of the water was 15-year-old Annie Myrvang of St Croix with a time of 1:54:48.
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