STUART, Fla. -- Rainy weather on the Treasure Coast Friday afternoon made for a soggy start to the Stuart Boat Show.
Organizers typically expect thousands of people on the opening day, but Friday’s attendance didn’t meet their expectations.
Now, they hope the dry weather expected for the rest of the weekend will help make up for Friday’s smaller crowd.
Boat show guest, Ted Laputka, was one of only a few dozen people who trickled in by the early afternoon. “It’s just a little bit of rain, but after awhile, it becomes a little much,” Laputka said.
But, the smaller crowd helped him feel more like a VIP. “No crowds, I think I’m the only one here!”
The visitors picked up later in the afternoon as the rain dried up.
Wet roads also caused some dangerous conditions for drivers in St. Lucie County.
St. Lucie County Fire Rescue took reports of single car crashes all within an hour of each other on I-95 north early Friday afternoon.
Drivers tell WPTV they hydroplaned while driving about 60 MPH.
Cars crashed into guard rails and trees. No serious injuries were reported.
Stuart Boat Show organizers say crews will be drying and cleaning up the mess left behind from Friday’s rain showers. Everything will be in good shape, they say, when the gates reopen at 10am Saturday.
