They stood 21 strong, their backs to the harbor, shirts billowing in the sea breeze, cheered on by honking cars, applause and exclamations of gratitude. Their messages, plastered to their chests by a gusty wind off the Vineyard Haven harbor, were names of individuals and groups of women they wished to honor in the fight against domestic violence.

They were fathers, uncles, sons, grandfathers, Islanders and visitors, standing vigil Saturday afternoon on the Vineyard Haven seawall in support of local victims of domestic violence.

A line of men holding signs and standing on the seawall along Vineyard Haven harbor Saturday prompted motorists to slow down, wave and honk their horns in support of the group’s message: end domestic and sexual violence.

Among those on the wall near the drawbridge landing were several police officers, including Oak Bluffs chief Erik Blake and West Tisbury chief Dan Rossi, as part a four-hour Sea Wall Stand meant to enlist men in anti-violence efforts.