NEW CASTLE — A group of half-naked pirates stormed the beach at Great Island Common on Saturday. But don't worry, they were there to plunge, not plunder.

 

("Did you see the crazy people?" one observer asked her toddler.)

 

Fourteen souls jumped into 40-degree water for the Portsmouth Rotary Club's sixth annual Polar Bear Swim. Some even went in for an encore.

 

"Last year my son went in seven or eight times," said organizer and "double dipper" Peter Billipp.

Since its inception, the swim has raised more than $40,000 for local charities and scholarship funds, including Cross Roads House, Betty's Dream, Compass Care and Families First. Billipp said the amount raised this year wouldn't be known until sponsorships and other donations were considered, but in the past the swims have raised between $8,000 and $10,000 per year.

 

"We've had more (participants) in years past," Billipp said. "Maybe because of the economy." Each adult had a minimum of $250 to raise; each child $100.

 

The event started when Billipp decided to turn his monthly winter swim with friends into a Rotary fund-raiser. Now every swim has a theme. One year it was cavemen. Last year it was "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." This year, former Rotary president Karen Wendell was reading a book on pirate queen Grace O'Malley and "several wigs later..." that turned into a "Pirates of the Caribbean" theme.

 

"I convinced my husband to do up his pickup truck," said Wendell, who wore a long curly red wig. The truck in question was parked outside with a mermaid on the front and a pirate sail in the bed.

 

Even though the sun was bright with not much wind, it was still only about 25 degrees outside. Not exactly prime half-naked pirate beach weather.

 

"It was cold," Wendell said. "Last year we had a group go in three times. This year they only went two times. Either we're getting older or it's getting colder."

 

Rescue swimmers from the New Castle Fire Department were in the water during the swim in case anyone had hypothermia or another health issue. Everyone made it out fine.

 

Supporting Wendell was friend and neighbor Külli Barrett of Dover Point, who came with a cape and sword. Also dressed in full regalia with black Capt. Jack Sparrow braids was Jesse Cuff, there to support Wendell and his mother, Sue Ellen Cuff. The two women plunged. Jesse didn't.

 

"I'm not that crazy," he said, laughing. "Maybe one of these days I'll jump in."

 

Neal Ouellett of Portsmouth was just crazy enough. He's jumped every year — just one dip, though — since the event started, through wind and cold and sunny days like Saturday.

 

"The shrinkage is equal to other years," he joked. Why does he do it? "We're making money for a good cause, and it's something you can say you've done."

 

 

 

Article published Jan 11, 2009
Swimmers plunge into frigid Atlantic to raise funds for local nonprofits

NEW CASTLE — Josie Cutts has always enjoyed doing things with her mom, Nina, but said she never dreamed they would jump together into the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean Saturday along with 25 other hearty souls.

For Nina Cutts, it would be her fourth year of jumping into the frigid waters to help the Portsmouth Rotary Club raise money for several local nonprofit groups and high school scholarships. There was only one way Nina and Josie would be able to fulfill the mother/daughter partnership.

The Kittery Point, Maine, women held hands as they ran from the beach at New Castle's Town Common into the ocean and quickly ran back out.

"It was beyond freezing," said Josie Cutts after she changed into some warm, dry clothes and warmed up inside the rotary club's warming tent. "It was really fun, really fun. We screamed a lot."

The rotary club staged its sixth annual Polar Bear Swim event Saturday afternoon to raise money for a variety of local nonprofit groups and college scholarships for Portsmouth High School students, according to Jamie DeStefano, the rotary's president-elect.

Deb Rourke, the event's chairwoman, said each adult swimmer has to contributed $250 each in sponsorships to participate. She said each child age 12 to 18 has to contribute $100 in sponsorship money, and each member of the rotary's Interact group at Portsmouth High School is allowed to contribute whatever money they can raise to swim.

Peter Billup of Eliot, Maine, the former chairwoman of the event, said the swim has raised a total of $40,000 over the past five years. He said an average of 25 to 30 people swim in the frigid ocean water each year and tend to raise between $8,000 to $10,000 each year.

Billup said he is concerned the event might not raise as much money this year because of the struggling economy. But there was no shortage of excitement and enthusiasm from those who showed up.

Karen Wendell, the rotary's past president, and DeStefano were part of a group of rotarians and community members from Dover who dressed up as swashbuckling pirates and rode around the common on a pick-up truck decorated as a pirate ship. Last year, Wendell said the group sported a Lara Croft Tomb Raider theme.

Swimmers young and old arrived in full force on the cold beach before 1 p.m. and stripped down to just bathing suits in some cases or to sweat pants and T-shirts.

Mark Dooley, New Castle's deputy fire chief, said the department had three EMTs and three divers in the water along with four other firefighters standing by with a fire-rescue ambulance if any swimmer needed medical attention.

Dooley said the air temperature was a cool 24 degrees and the water temperature was 40 degrees when the group of swimmers ran into the ocean for their plunge.

Dooley said as long as the swimmers didn't remain in the water or in their wet clothes too long after leaving the water, they would avoid hypothermia.
The swimmers quickly made their way to a warming tent equipped with two gas heaters where they enjoyed steaming hot bowls of chili and clam chowder along with warm beverages.

"It's the worst on your feet," said one female swimmer as she ran toward the warming tent.

Wendell, who completed her fifth annual plunge, said, "It was cold. It was really, really cold."

Josie Cutts agreed that running out of the water was more difficult than jumping into the freezing water.

"When you ran up the beach, it was really awful," said Josie Cutts, adding "It was definitely worth it."

When asked what it takes to work up the courage to jump into such freezing cold water, Billup said it is quite simple.

"You can't think about it too much. You just do it. It's cold. It's a real shock to your system. Once you're out of the water and you're wrapped in a blanket and you're having chowder and chili, you feel like you've accomplished something," he said.

 

Rotary meals benefit hundreds on Thanksgiving

Operations manager for the Portsmouth Rotary’s 37th annual Thanksgiving dinner, Lynn-Del coordinated a volunteer staff that shopped, cooked, delivered, served and entertained appreciative holiday diners at the Unitarian Church. Soon after the noon bell rang in the nearby North Church, grace was said, thanks were given and Rotarians and their families began serving whipped potatoes, sliced turkey, vegetables and dinner rolls to diners who feasted from cloth-covered tables. And after the last piece of pie was eaten, Rotary members did all of the cleaning.

 

The “bulk of” the food was donated by Portsmouth Regional Hospital, with hospital chef Neal Cohn once again manning the church kitchen.

 

“He never fails me,” said Lynn-Del. “I don’t even go into the kitchen.”

 

Rotarians roasted 17 turkeys, with traditional sides scooped and served to the day’s guests. “Jay” came from the Cross Roads House homeless shelter and before dining, entertained the crowd with renditions of gospel and jazz-fused melodies on a nearby piano.

 

“Let’s just say if I eat all this, and I will,” Jay said gesturing to a full plate, “I will be too full to play the piano again.”

 

In a back room, volunteers made dinners assembly line style, scooping and sorting various foods into compartmentalized foil trays. Paired with pies, dinners were placed in paper sacks, tied with fresh flowers and delivered by Rotarians to as far away as Seabrook, Kingston and Epping.

 

“I need eleven dinners,” Lynn-Del shouted to food preparers, while drivers waited for the holiday cargo.

 

The tradition was started by the local Rotary as a way “to bring people together who would be alone on Thanksgiving Day,” said Lynn-Del.

 

“Since then, it’s just blossomed,” she said.

 

Five years ago, George Pierce organized the Rotary’s Thanksgiving dinner, but this year he was on the receiving end of the organization’s good will. Pierce has been ill, his wife has been caring for him and she called for a dinner delivery, said Lynn-Del.

 

“When you give,” said Lynn-Del, “you always get back in some way.”

 

 

Article published Nov 28, 2008
A community tradition: Rotary provides 260 Thanksgiving meals

PORTSMOUTH — Eleven-year-old Austin Drombetto said he was fully willing to delay his Thanksgiving celebration on Thursday when he joined more than 110 volunteers to help provide 260 meals to the less fortunate and elderly.

The Unitarian Church on State Street was buzzing with activity throughout the day as people of all ages gathered for the Portsmouth Rotary Club's 37th annual Thanksgiving dinner.

Drombetto — a fifth grader from Eliot, Maine — was among the younger helpers who worked the tables serving older residents meals and ensuring their cups were always filled.

This was the first year the Drombettos joined in the effort, which includes both hosting meals and delivering meals to those in the greater Portsmouth area who can't leave home.

Laurie Drombetto learned about the event on the Internet and decided it would be good for her son to assist.

"We just wanted to show him that others need help," Drombetto said with a smile.

The Eliot student described his job as: "keep people happy."

Lynn-Del, Rotary organizer for the event, said Rotarians roasted 17 turkeys at home and brought them to the church to be served.

She said the group served more than 100 hundred "sit-down" meals at the church, while other volunteers delivered 150 take-home meals to those unable to attend. They had hot meals headed everywhere from Newmarket and Epping to Dover and Kittery Point, Maine.

"It has been incredibly busy, but extremely successful," Lynn-Del said.

She added that the day always has touching stories, with many volunteers breaking into tears after deliveries.

"It's very emotional. There are some handicapped elderly who don't have much exposure to the outside world," Lynn-Del said.

The event involves new volunteers each year.

"The volunteers are happy, and the recipients are happy. It's just a good feeling," Lynn-Del said.

James O'Callaghan, 48, of Portsmouth lives alone and has been attending the meal for years.

He said the meal charity event fills his heart as much as it does his "belly."

"This is fantastic. I don't really have any family around here and this makes me feel at home," O'Callaghan said.

He added that he starts his Thanksgiving with the city parade and caps it with a "full belly" among new friends.

"I love people. This is special, and it makes my day," he said.

Ken Pierce of Wakefield attended with his mother, Patsy St. Jean of Portsmouth, as they have for the past 10 years.

"It's tradition," Pierce said.

St. Jean said the dinner offers them the chance to meet new people and reunite with those they often only see once a year.

Darcy White, 33, of Portsmouth said his family doesn't get together for Thanksgiving, so he headed to State Street to get a good meal and spend time with a few people from his nearby neighborhood.

"The food was delicious. I met a lot of different people," White said.

Neil Cohn, 53, of Kittery, Maine, is the event's head cook and has been lending his kitchen experience for the past 20 years.

He praised Portsmouth Regional Hospital and fellow cook Tom Jefferies for lending food and their large kitchen to help prepare the side dishes.

"It's a good way to spend Thanksgiving. Obviously there are people who need the help," Cohn said.

He added that he just gets the food and "follows the Rotary's lead" each year.

The longtime cook began preparing the meal at the hospital's kitchen at 1:30 a.m. on Thursday and was still going at 1:30 p.m. when the meal was being wrapped up. He had his large dog "Bear" at his side for much of the day as volunteers darted in and out of the small kitchen in the church's downstairs functional hall.

When asked if he was going home to eat his own Thanksgiving meal he laughed.

"I'll have some steak ... enough of the turkey," he said.