In spite of the relentless sun and blistering heat, Mathews Volunteer Fire Department hosted an enthusiastic crowd at Williams Wharf on Saturday at the department’s first-ever Boat Docking Contest and Buyboat Race.
Held as a fundraiser for MVFD, the contest, which involved workboats competing to see which could dock the fastest, sold at least 2,500 tickets at $40 each, said organizer Neal Hudgins, who was still in the process of collecting all the proceeds on Monday. Add to that the sales of T-shirts at $25 each, 45 gallons of spiked orange crushes, and over 60 gallons of ice cream, and the event was “a huge success,” he said.
“I did not get one complaint the whole day,” said Hudgins. “Even with the heat, people were smiling, laughing, and having a good time. There were no fights and no drunks. Everybody I talked to said they made new friends.”
Hudgins said a drone operator did a flyover and counted at least 200 boats anchored in the East River for the event. Most were pleasure craft o...