ROCK HALL — Uneventful does not mean unexciting, at least not when used as a descriptor for the annual Waterman’s Day program here.
It’s true, thankfully, that there were no calamities this year — no equipment failures; no man, woman or child overboard; no missteps; and no heated disagreements.
But unexciting?
Hardly.
Across the board — in the anchor toss, tube races, crab pot pulling and boat docking contests — the competition was fierce on Sunday, July 7, while at the same time the focal point remained celebrating the waterman’s way of life.
The number of spectators at the Caroline Avenue bulkhead was considerably less than the record of 3,000 on land that was established last year. One reasonable explanation is that a heat index of triple digits kept folks away.
But there were plenty of workboats and small craft, plus inflatables, anchored in the harbor.
There was a noticeable uptick in the number of contestants in the anchor toss, including 22 youth and 13 women.
Calvert “Butterball” Thompson Jr., who holds the record of 84 feet, came out of retirement to head a list of “who’s who” on the men’s side that included former winners Bobby Plato of Rock Hall/Earleville and Todd Sauerwald of Sparrows Point, Rock Hall Volunteer Fire Company Chief Troy White, James “Big Perm” Stout of “exotic” Church Hill and southpaw Rusty Mench who celebrated his 69th birthday earlier in the week.
In what has become a friendly rivalry, Sauerwald (52 feet, 6 inches) edged 2023 winner Plato (51-6) for bragging rights in 2024, with Devin Higgs of Ingleside finishing a close third with a toss of 51 feet even. All three donated their winnings back to the Kent County Waterman’s Association, which sponsors Waterman’s Day.
Plato’s 20-year-old daughter Ashlyn (32-6) led the women, followed by runner-up Deb Brown (32-0) and then Heather Kelley, both of Rock Hall. They also donated back their cash prizes
Owen Witmer, 12, of Florida, who was visiting family in Rock Hall, topped the 12-and-younger coed division with a distance of 36 feet — 3 feet, 6 inches better than his nearest challenger. Liam Perry, 11, of Rock Hall was third at 30 feet even.
All contestants — boys and girls, men and women — threw the same 12-pound anchor.
In tube races for kids, Layla Perry partnered with Jeff Baker to successfully defend her title, besting the team of Trevor Stanton and his dad Mike in the final round.
Baker also was a winner in the crab pot pulling contest, an event that was added in 2019 along with the tube races. Bobby Gattus was second and Bobby Plato was third. Troy White was the driver for both Baker and Plato.
Waterman’s Day is always held on a Sunday, a throwback to the time when men and women who make a living on the water were able to carve out a day of rest.
It’s long been a part of Rock Hall’s extended Independence Day festivities.
Trace Kelley on acoustic guitar and Aidan Peet on keyboard performed the national anthem to get things started this year; the program lasted nearly four hours.
The highlight of the afternoon — as is always the case — was the boat docking contest. Cash prizes were awarded to the top three place-finishers in three categories.
Prize winners are listed here.
25 to 29 feet: Danny Haddaway, Hard to Handle (Bozman), first; and Jamie Plummer, Lil’ Noel (Rock Hall), second.
30 to 39 feet: Jake Jacobs, Outlaw (Taylors Island), first; Mort Deckelman, The Rock (Rock Hall), second; and Ronnie “Reissee Cup” Reiss, May Worm (Tilghman), third.
40 feet and larger: Joel Haggerty, SS Never Easy (Ridgely), first; Jake Ritter, Minutes to Memories (North East), second; and Chucky Price, Miss Ginny II (Rock Hall), third.
In a special feature, JP Henry, an honorary member of the Kent County Waterman’s Association, made his Waterman’s Day debut in the boat docking contest aboard Capt. Don Pierce’s Bri-Steff.
Henry, who has autism, is a popular guy in Rock Hall because of his award-winning photographs of watermen and their way of life.
To wrap things up, at the urging of the crowd, there were grudge matches involving Capt. Jake Jacobs (17.0), Capt. Morty Deckelman (18.0) with his daughter Molly, 15, as crew, and Capt. Danny Haddaway (19.0).
Brian Jones continued his long service as emcee, with help from President Justin Perry and other officers of the Kent County Waterman’s Association.
Rusty Mench and Brian Nesspor returned to their longstanding gigs as official starter and timer, respectively.
Each year, the KCWA awards scholarship(s) to college-bound students. This year’s recipient is Trice Moore, who is headed to Washington College in the fall.
The waterman’s association also supports the Rock Hall police department and fire company, oyster restoration projects and the FallFest Run for Character 5K, among other beneficiaries.
