Four vessels sink at pro-Trump boat parade in Texas as it draws an 'exceptional' number of MAGA supporters

Wakes formed on Lake Travis due to the number of boats, causing some to be submerged and others to crash into rocks

(Reuters)

At least four boats sank during a “Trump Boat Parade” in Texas as hundreds of MAGA supporters around the country took to the open waters to show support for the president.

Officials said that during the parade on Lake Travis, outside of Austin, wakes formed due to the number of boats on the water. The rough conditions caused some boats to sink and others to crash into rocks. 

“That was truly an exceptional number of boats,” Kristen Dark, public information officer for the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, whose deputies patrol the lake, told Reuters. 

“Several of the boats did sink.”

Ms Dark said more deputies were deployed due to the expected increase in boating activity but that they still received a large number of distress calls. 

“When they all started moving at once it generated wakes,” she said.

A Facebook page for the event showed that more than 2,000 people were scheduled to attend the parade. An additional 5,000 people said they were interested.

Trump supporters are rescued during a boating parade for the president on Saturday (Reuters)

The event encouraged boat owners to bring “boats of all shapes and sizes” to participate in the parade.

Trump memorabilia, such as Make America Great Again flags and Trump/Pence signs, as well as American flags were pictured on many boats in attendance.

This was not the only boat parade taking place over the Labour Day holiday weekend.

Choctawhatchee Bay in the Emerald Coast region of Florida was also packed with hundreds of boats filled with Trump supporters eager to show their love for the president on Saturday. These boats also were decorated with Trump signs and American flags.

Entitled the Emerald Coast Florida Trump Flotilla, the group of boats went towards Navare to join another boat parade in an effort to break the Guinness Book of World Records’ “World’s Largest Boat Parade”.

A pro-Trump boat parade at Toms River on the Jersey Shore also launched on Saturday morning in an effort to break the world record.

Currently, a 2014 celebration in Malaysia holds the Guinness world record for the largest boat parade in history after 1,180 boats gathered.

Guinness was reviewing a potential record-setter from August’s gathering in Clearwater, Florida, according to The Tampa Bay Times.