Daniela Abbott (center), with her parents Marcia and Jeffrey Hansen.

By Louise Carpenter

More than 320 swimmers are currently registered for the 40th Annual Save The Bay Swim on August 13. For one family, joining the Swim for the very first time, with two swimmers and two kayakers, the iconic event has special meaning. Daniela Abbott, 34, has lived in Portsmouth, Rhode Island for many years with her husband Branden and their children. Abbott grew up a swimmer, and she and her husband have many friends who’ve done the Swim, but she’s never quite found the right reason to dive in herself. Until now.

Last fall, Abbott’s mother, Marcia Hansen, of Circle Pines, Minn., was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The diagnosis enticed Hansen and Daniela’s father, Jeffrey, to make the move from Minnesota to Portsmouth, R.I. to be closer to Abbott and her family and their son John Victor (JV), of Somerville, Mass., before the disease takes its toll. Abbott and her husband had the idea that “joining this event together would not only bring us closer together as a family and provide a nice distraction from the changes that lie ahead, but also give my parents a great introduction to Narragansett Bay and their new home,” Abbott said.

In their very first Save The Bay Swim, Abbott and her brother JV will swim the 1.7 nautical miles, with her husband and father kayaking alongside them. They call themselves Team Bonito, for the fast, native South Atlantic fish from the mackerel family, which also happens to mean “beautiful” in Portuguese.

After 15 years living hundreds of miles apart, ALS has brought Abbott’s family closer (literally) and given them a reason to create new memories together. “Mom is very excited that we are all doing the Swim together and is looking forward to welcoming us at the finish! And we hope to pass our love of the water onto our kids,” Abbott said. “This is a good cause, and I hope to document the events with pictures, video, and stories and to share with others our experience as first-timers.”

The 40th annual Save The Bay Swim will be held on August 13, 2016. Nearly 500 swimmers and 100+ kayakers between the ages of 15 and 83+ annually participate in the 1.7 nautical mile journey from Naval Station Newport on Coaster’s Harbor Island across the East Passage to Jamestown’s Potter Cove. One of the most storied open water swims in the United States, the Save The Bay Swim celebrates tremendous progress in cleaning up Narragansett Bay since its first official Swim in 1977 and the organization’s founding in 1970. In the early years of the Swim, swimmers often emerged from the water with oil and tar balls on their skin and swimsuits. Last year, swimmers reported seeing schools of menhaden beneath them as they swam.

For more information and to register for the Swim, as a swimmer or virtual swimmer, visit savebay.org/theswim.

About Save The Bay: Founded in 1970, Save The Bay works to protect and improve Narragansett Bay and its watershed through advocacy, education, and restoration efforts. It envisions a fully swimmable, fishable, healthy Narragansett Bay, accessible to everyone and globally recognized as an environmental treasure.