It likely began as a wager between watermen on the Chesapeake decades ago. Today, the Water Rodeo is a thing. And the Chesapeake Cowboys are rock stars—or should we say “dock stars.” Welcome to the Chesapeake Bay’s Eastern Shore, an area well-known for its maritime work-boat tradition.
As anyone who has seen an episode of The Deadliest Catch knows, competition runs thick amongst maritime work-boaters. So we were hardly surprised to learn of a “sporting event” unique to the Chesapeake Bay: the “Water Rodeo.” Throughout the summer, these “Chesapeake Cowboys” compete for the title of “Fastest Docker in the East.”
And as this video suggests, there’s only one speed when docking these boats: full throttle.
The rules are simple:
1. The timer starts when you leave the dock.
2. Boats transit down the waterway as fast as possible, and then must back down on a slip, and lasso four poles in order to stop the timer.
3. Fastest time wins.
These events see captains of all ages, with some as young as age 10.
Asked why they do it:
Enjoy the video. Obviously, we recommend you don’t even think about trying this at home. This kind of docking is best left to the experts—err, the Chesapeake Cowboys.
