MATTAPOISETT — Friends, family and supporters of the Mattapoisett Boatyard gathered at the Bay Club on Thursday, Oct. 20 for a fundraiser to support the 60-year-old family business.

The fundraising event was the culmination of a nearly three-month effort by local couple David and Susan Horne to raise money for the Mattapoisett Boatyard, which was destroyed in a massive fire in August.

Following the fire, Horne started a GoFundMe page that has raised $98,965 as of Oct. 20. He then started an online auction where around $50,000 worth of donated items were up for bid. 

Now, after selling 160 tickets to Thursday’s fundraiser, nearly $150,000 has been raised for the Mattapoisett Boatyard, said Horne. 

The fundraiser had a live and silent auction, and music by Rochester native Rebecca Correia, who flew up from Nashville to perform.

“Everything that happens in this area is near and dear to me,” she said. 

For Mattapoisett Boatyard co-owner David Kaiser, the generosity shown by the community has been overwhelming. 

He pointed to a similar fundraiser at Rustico and a boat parade that brought over 120 vessels past the boatyard’s dock as evidence of the community’s support.

“The fact that people took the time to come out and support us — people aren’t supposed to just hand you money without doing something for it,” said Kaiser. “This is a very surreal experience.”

According to Horne, the Kaisers have done a lot to deserve this outpouring of support. 

“[With] over 400 days at sea over the last six years I never once had [a bad day],” said Horne. “Every single day when I turned the key, [my] boat ran. That’s because [the Mattapoisett Boatyard] was taking care of the boat. They’ve been our guardian angel over the sea — they’ll do whatever it takes to keep you on the water.”

And the boatyard will do whatever it takes to keep running, said Kaiser, even though the path forward has seemed uncertain at times. 

“It was really hard and there were a lot of tough days where I just had to push through,” Kaiser said. “Do I really know that everything is going to be okay? I have no idea. I don’t know how we’re going to pay for everything — this is a whole new world for us, but we’ll get through it, I know we will.” 

But for now, Kaiser said, the fundraiser “is incredible, plain and simple.”

“Really, from the bottom of my heart — this has been an incredible event to experience,” he said.