CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) -10 On Your Side first told you last spring that the Hickory and Great Bridge crew teams were in dire need of a new dock and were raising thousands of dollars to replace it.

Now, they’ve met their goal and invited us out to Atlantic Yacht Basin to unveil their replacement in this 10 On Your Side success.

After 22 years and a more than $60,000 upgrade later, the Hickory and Great Bridge crew teams can now hit the water with ease.

“We’ve been working to get this new dock up for quite a while,” said Hickory senior Jake Werning.

Sleek, stable and slip-proof, the new dock is quite the upgrade and comes with a hefty price tag that both teams fundraised to pay for themselves.

“It was a big effort from both us and Great Bridge,” said Campbell Gettier, Hickory sophomore.

When we first met up with the teams last May, they pointed out loose boards and multiple safety hazards from a more than two-decades old dock.

“There were loose planks, evidence of rotting,” said Jack Futerman, a Great Bridge senior. “We would have moments where we would have the whole team on the dock and we would have to be quick because it would actually start to sink on us.”

After 10 On Your Side aired their story, they told us donations started flooding in, on top of a generous amount from the Beazley Foundation.

“A huge thank you, ” Futerman said. “We’re going to put it to great use. It’ll last way longer than our old one.”

The new dock was finished just in time for the spring season and we even had the chance to go on the water as these rowers tested it out for the first time.

“We’ll really start to put it to use when our spring season kicks in,” Futerman said. “It’ll be just a matter of weeks now.”

The teams will have an official ribbon cutting later this month.

Know more?

For those interested in rowing, the Hampton Roads Rowing Club is hosting an Erg Pull event on Saturday, Feb. 11 at Catholic High School.