By Staff reports
After canceling last year for rain, Saturday's Tour de Coal saw a record number of participants, organizers say. An estimated 859 boats and 1,000 people were on the river for the annual community float trip on the Coal River, said Bill Currey, co-founder and chairman of the Coal River Group, a nonprofit that organizes the event.
The event saw its second best year in 2014, when 440 boats were on the river, Currey said.
Currey attributed this year's success to the reputation the river now has for being clean and to the fact that more people are buying flat-water kayaks.
The event, which started 12 years ago, is a major fundraiser for group, which aims to preserve and promote the Coal River watershed.