Central Texas supporters of President Donald Trump showed up in force today with a Labor Day weekend flotilla of around 1,300 boats on Lake Travis, just outside of Austin.
Press coverage soon turned to "reports" of multiple boat sinkings, even being repeated in the New York Times. But according to eye-witnesses and Austin-Travis County EMS, one confirmed sinking this afternoon was not associated with the parade and with no serious injuries reported.
The Democrat-controlled Travis County Sheriff's Office tweeted that it "responded to multiple calls involving boats in distress during the Trump parade on Lake Travis. Several boats did sink" (emphasis ours). Replies to the tweet were disabled. An Austin American-Statesman photographer reported at least three vessels appearing to have been "swamped" in the somewhat choppy waters following rainfall in the area over the week, but these incidents appear to have been at the onset of the event and not en route and easily mitigated.
The event began with a prayer and singing of the National Anthem broadcast over the radio channel. At noon five parachute jumpers, among them three combat veterans, displayed flags and trails of red, white, and blue smoke.
A "Keep Texas Great: Vote Trump 2020" banner was flown around Lake Travis throughout the event, with air cover by a vintage biplane and a World War II-era B-52 bomber piloted by members of the Commemorative Air Force.
A variety of waterborne vessels -- from small fishing boats to personal yachts (and, we believe, a pirate ship-like boat) took to the route between 12:20 and around 2 p.m. between Emerald Point and the area around Point Venture on the North Shore and back.
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Photo credit: Ray Ward, via Facebook
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