One hundred ten paddlers took to the waters of Milford Haven, Chesapeake Bay and Hills Bay on Saturday in the fourth Islander Regatta sponsored by the Mathews Outdoor Club.

Limited to human-powered boats, the regatta follows a nine-mile course in circumnavigating Gwynn’s Island. It starts on the beach at the Islander Motel, goes under the bridge connecting the island to the mainland, travels down Milford Haven, goes into the Chesapeake Bay which was choppy on Saturday, around Cherry Point and up the island’s west coast back to the starting point.

“We really lucked out on Saturday with the weather. The event went smoothly and sounds like … the paddlers were aided by a favorable tide and breeze” while out on the bay, said Chrisine Johnson of MOC, an organizer.

The club registered 115 people with a handful of no-shows. The participating watercraft were mostly kayaks, with a smattering of stand-up paddleboards, canoes, rowboats and even a pedal-powered kayak filling out the fleet.

Johnson said David Walsh, a member of the Mathews County Board of Supervisors, was on hand to assist with the paddle send-off. Volunteers managed a rest stop on the island and the Mathews County Parks and Recreation Committee, Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 66, the Mathews Family YMCA and other volunteers supported the effort at all stages.

The regatta was “very well supported by the community and by the county, which was wonderful,” Johnson said.