Swampscott Yacht Club seeks Polar ‘plungers’

SWAMPSCOTT – The Swampscott Yacht Club is seeking some hearty souls for its sixth annual Swampscott Yacht Club Polar Bear Plunge on New Year’s Day.”We have raised over $50,000 for local charities and it’s grown in popularity each year,” said Polar Bear Plunge organizer Jill Hartmann.The annual event raises money for local charities by having participants – or “plungers,” as Hartmann called them – collect pledges for being willing to dive into Swampscott Harbor on New Year’s Day.The minimum pledge is $25, Hartmann said, and all money raised this year will be given to the Swampscott Education Foundation.The 22-year-old organization funds special curricula and projects in the public schools. Pre-registration and pledge shirts are available on the Swampscott Yacht Club’s website, swampscottyachtclub.org.Registration and sign-in begin at 10:15 a.m. on Jan. 1, and the plunge starts promptly at 11. Hartmann recommended participants arrive early, noting that the plunge doesn’t take very long.For more information, contact [email protected] addition, if participants want to keep on swimming, they are welcome to head to Short Beach in Nahant.A group of residents will hold a plunge at noon in front of the Coast Guard Station. Organizers said hot chocolate and chowder will be available to help participants warm up and the station will be open to visitors from 11:30 to 1:30. All are welcome, no fee is necessary, just show up.Cyrus Moulton can be reached at [email protected].