Welcome To The Romney Olympics

On the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, history’s most vigorous vacation.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, rear left, and his wife Ann, with their grandchildren in the bow of their boat, depart from the public docks on Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, N.H., Monday, July 2, 2012, as they continue their vacation from the campaign trail. Image by Charles Dharapak / AP

WOLFEBORO, New Hampshire — On the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, Mitt Romney’s week-long vacation is proceeding with his trademark efficiency.

Not one to sit back and relax, the former private equity executive has moved relentlessly from leisure to leisure, shepherding five children, five daughters-in-law, and 18 grandchildren around the picturesque “cabin” and around the town billed as “America’s first resort.”

The compound, shielded from the road but easily visible from the lake, features a three-boat garage, a separate dock, and private beachfront where Romney’s grandchildren spent the day frolicking in the sand and water. (BuzzFeed was offered a nautical vantage point on the condition we not describe it in detail.)

The six-bedroom lakeside home was decked out in red, white, and blue bunting in honor of Independence Day — Ann Romney supervised the application of the decorations on Monday. The Romneys are planning to march in the town’s Fourth of July parade on Wednesday — their only scheduled public appearance of the week.

Across town, residents boasted of Romney’s presence — “We just want to see more of him,” said one excited local early Tuesday — and dozens of Romney’s neighbors on the lake prominently displayed large campaign signs.

On Tuesday Romney’s sons and daughters-in-law were seen riding jet skis with their children across the wide-open lake — Romney went out yesterday — and the so-called Romney Olympics appeared to be going on in full force, with Romney and his sons facing off in a game of volleyball.

But the Romney’s have been frequent visitors to Main Street, where they can arrive largely noticed in their boats. On Sunday, the family attended church. On Monday evening, Romney took the family to Bailey’s Bubble, the local ice cream shop, for treats — and was spotted strolling casually across downtown.

Between one and three police boats chased away gawkers and nosey reporters, preventing them from getting too close a view of the presumptive Republican nominee. Those seeking to grab a glimpse of Romney could risk darting passes from 100 yards offshore, always under the watchful gaze of police and Secret Service.

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, center, plays volleyball with his sons Craig, right, and Tagg, left, at their vacation home on Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, N.H., Tuesday, July 3, 2012. Image by Charles Dharapak / AP