Workboat docking contests are a staple of Chesapeake Bay entertainment.
The thrill of watching professional watermen compete to see who can back a boat into a slip the fastest is a perennial crowd pleaser.
The sport is said to have started in Crisfield, Md., where the 43rd annual competition was held during the Labor Day weekend as part of the community’s annual Crab Derby.
“Black smoke and white water” is the way J.B. Tieder, announcer for the Taylors Island contest, describes what is exciting about watching watermen docking to see who is fastest. Of course, at the speeds these guys maneuver in tight spaces, the margin for error is slim, as this video shows.
