A few comments in other posts questioning if people swam got me thinking.  I guess I just took it for granted.  However, after searching the forum, I couldn't find the subject.

Several have mentioned an aversion to swimming while on canoe trips, or questioned why others did it so much on their trips.  I've never gone on a trip before Memorial Day, but if it's not raining and above 70 degrees (air temp), I'll probably take at least a dip.  If you can stand the initial shock, the cold water is great to relax sore muscles.  We typically swim/float around for 10 minutes if the weather isn't great, but have often stopped while travelling to enjoy a lunchtime swim in the sunny July and August days.  For safety and relaxation, we wear our PFDs.  Since we wetfoot portage, we just stay in our boots to protect against the sharp rocks and numerous rusty fishing hooks submerged around campsites.