Swimming in Portland (Standish, Yarmouth, Freeport: buy, YMCA, high school)

[morzine]

How is the situation with swimming pools in Portland, ME? I am looking for info on lap swimming. I found one municipal pool in Riverton but it does not say how big is it (or deep) and the schedule is definitely not very generous. Thanks in advance for the replies.

[LBDVM]

Do you live right in Portland?

I currently swim at the Portland YMCA - downtown. It is a good pool, not super fancy, but I usually don't have a problem getting in. The Freeport Y (right above the Muddy Rudder in Yarmouth off Rt. 1, so it's close) has a really nice pool that I have taken lessons at.

If you're out of town at all, St. Joseph's College in Standish has a NICE pool, $5/day or you can buy a punch card that I think makes it a little cheaper.

I think there are some others - the Riverton Pool you mentioned, and I think the Reiche (sp?) School has a pool that you can use.

[lrfox]

Riverton is 6 lanes, 25 meters (not yards like most US pools) and 3(shallow) to 12 feet deep. Lap swims have all 6 lanes open with the outer lanes being "slow," lanes 2 and 5 being "moderate" and the middle lanes being "fast." It's a good pool, but I would advise anyone to get familiar with the courtesy practices there (i.e. splitting lanes for 2 swimmers, circle swimming for 3+, making sure you let other swimmers know you're getting in instead of assuming they'll know, etc). Just speak with a lifeguard and they'll help. I forget what daily drop in fees are, but they're cheap (under $5 no matter what age).

During open swim days (summers, weekends, vacation weeks), There are two lap lanes and the rest of the pool is open for diving and free play. High School and club swim practices during the winter also impact the schedule. Call the number and leave a message, they'll get back to you.

Reiche also has a public pool in the West End. It's 4 lanes x 25 yards and 3 feet on either end and 6 feet in the middle. They do lap swims as well. Call the portland aquatics number for more info.

[morzine]

Thanks for the info. I have swum in 3 different countries (not the USA) and this is the first time I hear of such courtesy rules. Rather fascinating.