In the United States there is a ridiculous boat docking tournament

If we had to name a special or famous place in the United States, we would find it difficult to immediately point to Maryland or Virginia. Probably the most famous attraction in that region, the East Coast of the United States, is… Washington, D.C., which is located 130 km from some of the most populous cities. However, things change in August and September: for more than fifty years, a certain – let's say ridiculous – sporting tournament has been held at sea on the coasts of Maryland and Virginia. It is basically a boat docking tournament. It all started in 1971, and the idea itself is very simple: e.g The New York TimesWhich in turn cites a documentary taken from the site chesapeakestory.com, “The Sailors were desperate to turn everything into a competition.” So they invented competitions to see who could anchor their boat first.

In the end, it's all here, but for locals it's a lot: many people who reach the coast – a few thousand – follow these races against the clock and inevitably end up getting wet. Of course the temperature in these parts in August reaches 40 degrees, so it's not a big inconvenience. But the fact remains that people come from surrounding towns to see the sailors in action. Or rather: those who turned their work into a competition. That's why they call themselves the Chesapeake Cowboys: Chesapeake is the name of one of the most important bays in the area; To understand the Cowboys' name choice, here's a rather pithy video:

Here's what happened

In short, it is much easier said than done and explained: in practice, motor boats have to anchor at docks, and to do so they must go in the opposite direction. And as quickly as possible, because there is a stopwatch visible to everyone that will determine the final ranking. Sometimes the hulls of the boats touch the towers, and Jake Jacobs, the captain of one of the boats, told The New York Times “We're constantly crashing, boats are getting scratched, and this is not racing for those who think their hull has to be perfect.”

All of this, of course, generates revenue. Jacobs himself said that “in one season we can win prizes of up to $10,000.” Some boats are also sponsored, often by construction companies. Some events of the season generate proceeds that are then donated to charities – in particular, the St. Michaels race made it possible to raise $22,000, which was later donated to a former competitor suffering from testicular cancer. Social media also plays a role in this growth: Although these races are still only rooted in a certain part of the East Coast, and sailors in the area are content with that, there is a bit of a fan base – made up mainly of sailors – that makes Views reach one million. And beyond. The great thing is that crews, in practice, have no limits. There are grown men, as would be expected in such a context, but there is no shortage of women, children and animals who form part of the families involved in the races. They are all there, enjoying the sea and their boats. A sport that doesn't make sense, but only if you're not from Maryland or Virginia.