Trump Boat Parade to Continue Despite Weather

Despite a stormy weather forecast Friday morning, organizers of “TrumpStock” still plan to hold the boat parade.

“We are very excited for tomorrow’s event which is why we are going to show our true patriotism and push through this parade regardless of weather conditions!!!,” organizers posted late Thursday night on the Boaters For Trump Facebook page. “Be there and bring all your friends and family and fly your flags high!!”

According to the National Weather Service’s latest marine forecast, winds had died down by Friday morning with northeast winds around 5 knots expected. Seas in Peconic and Gardiner’s Bay will be 1 feet or less. There is a chance of showers in Montauk with isolated thunderstorms late Friday morning and afternoon. With plenty of cloud cover, temperatures will only reach 75. Winds will be out of the east 5 to 11 mph.

The route changed after the parade was first announced. “Due to the amount of boats expected to attend, we needed to expand our parade,” the organizer wrote on Facebook. Instead of starting from Orient, the parade will now begin in Noyac Bay at 11 a.m. Boaters will then continue to the Orient Point Lighthouse, where they will arrive at about 1 p.m. and then set out for the Montauk Lighthouse.

The flotilla is expected to arrive at about 3 p.m., before heading for Fort Pond Bay, where they will tie-up off what they calling Navy Beach, though it is actually called Navy Road Beach. The parade has no affiliation with Navy Beach Restaurant and there will be no access from the restaurant, located on private property.

The Trump family will be attending, the parade organizer said. Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, who have a house in Bridgehampton, announced the parade on Sunday.

Two boats will lead the parade, “Team Deplorable” and Carlos Gavidia’s “The Official Trump Boat.” Gavida, a resident of Jupiter, Florida, arrived on the East End with his boat on Thursday.

The U.S. Coast Guard is deploying several units to ensure the safety of all those involved in the parade. Due to the high density of boats on the water there is always a higher risk of accidents, according to a spokesman. Units from Coast Guard Stations Montauk and Shinnecock will be out on the water, along with the cutter Coho, a patrol boat based out of New London, Connecticut. An HC-144 from Air Station Cape Cod will also be utilized, along with personnel from Sector Long Island Sound in a command capacity.

The best patriotic decorated boat along with the highest donation towards President Trump’s campaign will win a photo op with the President on Saturday, while he is on the South Fork for fundraisers for his reelection campaign in Bridgehampton and Southampton.

According to The Washington Post, tickets to the fundraising events range from $5,600 and $250,000.

Photographs from water or shore can be submitted to taylor@indyeastend.com.