Wake of other boats in a pro-Trump parade on a Texas lake caused 5 boats to sink

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — The wake generated by other boats caused five boats to sink on a Texas lake during a boat parade in support of President Donald Trump, according to the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.

The weather on Lake Travis, which is west of Austin, was calm Saturday, but the large number of boats moving together produced large waves, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

“It was like an ocean out there. I’m surprised I survived it. We didn’t make it all the way around the parade, because it was just too much,” said parade participant Danielle Severn said. “The boats were mainly just teeter-tot-erring. A lot of them took on water by the nose. After that it was over, especially for the smaller boats.”

The event began at noon Saturday, and the sheriff’s office says they began to receive calls “almost immediately.” The sheriff’s office responded to 15 distress calls, and a local towing company said there were “three additional reports of boats taking on water,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Of the five boats that sank, three have been towed out and two others remain on the bottom of Lake Travis, the sheriff’s office said.

“Most boats that were taking on water, or even fully submerged,” the sheriff’s office said, “were able to be hooked up and towed before they sank to the bottom of the lake.”