Tag Archives: Blessing of the Fleet
Annual Blessing of the Fleet Returns to Stonington Borough
As Stonington has done for over 60 years, the St. Mary community will celebrate the annual Blessing of the Fleet. This is to honor present and past commercial fishermen, lobstermen and their families. The traditional celebration returns this year. The annual Blessing of the Fleet will take place beginning at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, July 28, at St. Mary Church in Stonington Borough to honor and remember those who have died at sea on our local commercial fishing fleet, as well as to honor and bless the vessels–along with their captains, owners, crews and families–that will go out to sea in the year ahead. Following the 10:30 Mass, a procession will take place through Stonington Borough that will include the statue of Saint Peter, the patron saint of fishermen. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:33
Biloxi Blessing of the Fleet: A Coast tradition
It’s time for Biloxi’s Blessing of the Fleet, a yearly Coast tradition that dates back to 1929. This year, it’s happening Sunday, July 7. Each year before shrimp boats journey into the Gulf, they are blessed in the waters between East Biloxi and Deer Island. The ceremonial blessing, given by a local Catholic priest, marks the official beginning of shrimping season. During the event, an evergreen wreath is dropped into the Sound in the memory of those shrimpers who have died at sea. The event once only blessed working boats, but now recreational boats are welcome to be blessed, as well. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:29
Lifting Up the Patron Saint of Netmakers, Shipbuilders, and Fishermen
The 28th Provincetown Portuguese Festival begins Friday, June 28 with live music and dancing in Portuguese Square on Ryder Street. During the three-day-long celebration, Capt. Kenny Silva will lead a fishing derby on MacMillan Pier, fishermen will tell stories on Ryder Street where there will also be a crafts fair and poetry, and the Knights of Columbus will hold a soup tasting under a tent at the Bas Relief Park behind Provincetown Town Hall. But for at least some people, none of this will compare to the event happening for the 77th time, the Blessing of the Fleet at MacMillan Pier. “Everyone confuses the festival for the blessing,” says Provincetown fisherman Alex Brown. “The festival leads into the blessing, but the blessing is a separate event — it’s always the last Sunday of the month.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:14
Annual Charleston Fisherman’s Memorial “Blessing of the Fleet” – Memorial Day
In honor of the commercial fishing fleet and its importance to the Charleston community, the annual Blessing of the Fleet and Memorial Service will be held at the Charleston Fisherman’s Memorial Garden, near the launch ramp at the Charleston Marina at 10am on Monday, May 27th, 2024. The service honors the local men and women involved in Commercial fishing and the fishing industry who have died since 1941. As part of the event, local marine services firm owner, William Elderkin will speak at the memorial and a Blessing of the Fleet will take place. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:34
75th annual Blessing of the Fleet: The last for some shrimpers
Archbishop Thomas Rodi led the town in prayer for safety and fruition over the waters in Bayou La Batre. After the prayer, the Archbishop, the Blessing of the Fleet Queens, and Father Micheal Long Vu boarded a boat. Father Vu dropped a blessed wreath into the water to honor the souls who were lost at sea. However, despite the yearly tradition, shrimpers say the blessings are not going very far. “We’re all probably going to have a little cry it’s our last year doing it and we will probably not be going to be able to do it again,” Haleigh Keith lamented. For the past 20 years, Haleigh and Peyton have gone shrimping with their grandfather on the family’s shrimping boat called “God’s Blessing’s”. However, that boat is going on sale at the end of the season. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:41
Loved ones gather for reading of 264 names on Fishermen’s Memorial and the Blessing of the Fleet
Brett Van Alen was a commercial seiner and troller in Southeast Alaska, as well as a fisher for squid and sardines in California, who died last December aboard a boat at the age of 38, according to his father Ben. On Saturday members of Brett’s extended family gathered at the Alaska Commercial Fishermen’s Memorial for an annual ceremony where his name was announced as one of the six that will be engraved into the memorial wall this summer. The reading of the 264 names on the wall, including those being engraved this year, to honor people lost at sea and others involved in the fishing industry occurred following the 34th annual Blessing of the Fleet at the downtown wharf. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:46
A call for the price of shrimp to rise as St. Helena Island’s boats head to sea
The future is uncertain for shrimpers in coastal South Carolina, but you wouldn’t know that from the bright, buoyant crowd that gathered Saturday at the Gay Fish Company. Attendees rang in the start of the 2024 season with cowbells and noisemakers, sending off a fleet of shrimp trawlers into the Harbour River as their nets waved like sails in the gentle morning breeze. Owned by a family of veterans spanning three generations, the Gay Fish Company on St. Helena Island held its inaugural “Blessing of the Fleet” Saturday morning. Typically involving a local pastor praying over captains for a safe and bountiful season, the practice has been a staple in fishing communities for centuries. But as fisheries up and down the coast grapple with industry shakeups from overseas, the ceremony takes on a new sort of significance. Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:29
Mount Pleasant’s annual ‘Blessing of the Fleet’ honors local shrimp and fishing industry
An annual event that pays tribute to the Lowcountry’s shrimping and fishing industry returns this weekend to Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park. Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival serves as a kickoff to coastal shrimping season, which typically begins in early June. It also serves as a reminder to eat and buy locally caught shrimp to support Charleston’s seafood industry. It happens Sunday, April 28 from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Attendees can enjoy a boat parade, live music, craft show and plenty of free activities with the Ravenel Bridge and Charleston Harbor as a backdrop, organizers say. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:34
Gay Fish Company to hold Blessing of the Fleet ceremony, public welcome
Since 1948, the Gay Fish Company on St. Helena Island has been fishing, shrimping, processing, and selling local seafood to thousands of customers from all over the country, and the world. After 76 years in business, you would be hard pressed to find many other families in the Lowcountry who are more synonymous with the shrimping and fishing industry. To do something special for the commercial fishermen that are docked there, and to raise awareness for the industry to the public, the family-owned seafood company is hosting its first ever Blessing of the Fleet Ceremony on April 27th, and the public is welcome to attend. more, >>click to read<< 06:22
Blessing of the fleet asks for good weather, safety, and courage for Chilkat Valley fishermen
On a bluebird Sunday, a few dozen people gathered at the Small Boat Harbor for the Blessing of the Fleet. There was some confusion among people who attended about when exactly the tradition started in Haines – but many said the weather was the nicest it has been in years on the day of the ceremony. The annual gathering is sponsored by the Haines Ministerial Association and brings a multi-denominational crowd. “One of my favorite things about it,” said Haines Presbyterian Church Pastor Dana Perreard, “[is] you get folks who aren’t regular churchgoers because they want to honor their family members and remember them.” photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:09
On Sunday The Fleet Will Be Blessed
St. Raphael’s will hold its regular Sunday Service at 10 AM at the Erickson and Jensen Shrimp docks (1100 Shrimpboat Lane off Main Street). The Blessing Service will take place at 11 AM. This is a short service of prayers, songs, and readings followed by the Blessing of the Fleet where Reverend Rowe will walk along the docks and personally bless each boat. After the Blessing, St. Raphael’s will be serving its famous peel and eat shrimp. Thank you to Ellie Bunting from the Estero Island Historical Society for sharing these 2 classic photos. more, >>click to read<< 17:35
Norh Carolina: Blessing of the Fleet pays tribute to commercial fishing families
The sun glistened on the rippling waters of Beaufort Inlet, creating a picture-perfect day Sunday for the 26th annual Blessing of the Fleet ceremony, held at Radio Island between Morehead City and Beaufort. Thirty-two commercial fishing vessels slowly made their way by Radio Island as wreaths were thrown into the water. Each wreath represented a commercial fisherman or family member who had died. The solemn procession was a segment of the NC Seafood Festival that honors area commercial fishing families and those who have died while harvesting food from the sea. As well as about 200 people lining the shore to watch the procession, private boaters filled the waterway to pay tribute. 13 photos, >>click to read<< 14:39
Westport: Clear skies grace annual Blessing of the Fleet
A steady onshore breeze carried the smell of salt air over the assembled crowd at the Westport Fisherman’s Monument on Sunday as civilians, emergency personnel and Coast Guardsmen gathered to remember those claimed by the sea over the years. More than 50 fishermen and Coast Guardsmen from the area had set out and not returned, given over to the ocean, and that afternoon, the community gathered to remember them. “It means everything. Our job is to protect the fleet,” said surfman and bosun’s mate Petty Office 2nd Class Victoria True, a Coast Guardsman at Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor, who read the list of the Coast Guardsmen who had died at sea. “It’s our community too. We’ve got their backs.” Photos, >click to read< 20:09
Blessing of the Fleet honors those in local fishing industry
The annual Blessing of the Fleet and Memorial Service will be held at the Charleston Fisherman’s Memorial Garden on Memorial Day. The service honors the local men and women involved in commercial fishing and the fishing industry who have lost their lives since 1941. This year they will be honoring fishermen Stan Main and Chauncey Woodworth, and fishing industry professionals Kevin Roy Cameron and Fernando Sandez. The 1954 Buoy Bell will be rung as each name is read, which is significant because fishermen rely on this sound to aid in safe navigation. The Fisherman’s Memorial Committee members said everyone in the community is invited to participate in the event. “It’s a matter of showing appreciation to the fisherman and to honor them, and it’s a nice event that shows patriotism,” Whitmer said. photos, >click to read< 11:26
Shrimp boat that caught fire, sank on way to Blessing of the Fleet removed from water
A shrimp boat that caught fire and sank on its way to this year’s Blessing of the Fleet ceremony in Mount Pleasant was removed from the water on Tuesday, according to a witness. Rocky Magwood, who was there on April 30 when the boat caught fire, says that Coastal Dredging retrieved the boat and brought it to land – all free of charge. Michael Cobb says his 78-year-old father, Larry, was hospitalized after his hands were seriously burned. “I’m just thankful he’s alive,” he told reporter Natalie Spala.7 Photos, >click to read< 13:26
Shrimp is the fruit of the sea, and Mississippi has many ways to celebrate National Shrimp Day all month long
As Bubba from “Forrest Gump” said, there are many, many ways to cook shrimp, and restaurants on the Mississippi Gulf Coast are ready to offer dozens of them in celebration of National Shrimp Day. In anticipation of the day created to recognize America’s favorite seafood, National Shrimp Day on May 10, Coastal Mississippi has curated a variety of ways travelers can celebrate all month long. The region, which produces nearly three-fourths the nation’s domestic shrimp, has many unique experiences for seafood enthusiasts, from learning how to find your own fresh catch to exploring the history of the seafood industry. >click to read< 17:46
Video Update:1 injured after shrimp boat catches fire on way to ‘Blessing of the Fleet’ Sunday
A shrimp boat on the way to the annual “Blessing of the Fleet” festival Sunday ended up catching fire and leaving a sailor injured, according to Mount Pleasant Fire officials. Fire officials said the boater attempted to extinguish the fire before abandoning ship. He was the only person onboard at the time and was rescued from pluff mud nearby. He was transported to the Medical University of South Carolina for treatment of unknown injuries, fire officials said. >click to read< 07:43
Shrimp Boat Burns During ‘Blessing of the Fleet’ off SC Coast – Fire decimated a boat during a celebration to kick off shrimping season along the South Carolina coast, photos show. >click for video<
Sunday, April 30th: 36th Annual Mount Pleasant Blessing of the Fleet, ‘Blessing of the Fleet’ shirts include tribute to Capt. Wayne Magwood
The annual Blessing of the Fleet & Seafood Festival celebrates Mount Pleasant’s rich maritime heritage and highlights the importance of supporting our local shrimping/fishing captains and their crews who are prayed over for a safe and bountiful season ahead during the ceremonial boat parade as it passes the end of the Mount Pleasant pier. Video, >click to watch< ‘Blessing of the Fleet’ shirts include tribute to Capt. Wayne Magwood >click to read< 10:59
50th Bodega Bay Fish Fest to celebrate coastal fishing traditions despite salmon season closure
A two-day celebration of Bodega Bay’s fishing traditions will go on as usual this weekend, honoring the hardships and labor of the local commercial fleet, despite the setbacks of a curtailed crab season and a salmon fishery that has been shut down this year. Long scheduled to mark the start of the keystone king salmon season, the annual Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival, now in its 50th year, will fill the air with live music and the shouts and laughter of thousands of people gathered harbor-side for fun and games. For the commercial fishermen and women in whose honor the festival is held, it may be a more sober version than most. >click to read< 07:45
Darien, preparing for the 55th Blessing of the Fleet
The City of Darien is gearing up for their biggest event of the year – that’s the annual Blessing of the Fleet! Every year, local shrimpers drive their boats under the Darien Bridge and clergy members at the top of the bridge bless the boats for a prosperous fishing season. Organizers say they’re looking forward to bigger crowds and some new additions this year. It’s the 55th year of the Darien tradition. The three-day long festival features vendors, musical performances, a worship service, parade through town, and of course, the shrimping boat parade. Video, schedule, >click to read< 18:48
Mount Pleasant to celebrate shrimping season with annual Blessing of the Fleet
The Lowcountry will gather to celebrate the local shrimping and fishing industries during the annual “Blessing of The Fleet” on April 30. The Blessing of the Fleet is a tradition local shrimpers have been a part of for years. The annual event will feature a boat parade, seafood samplings, shag and shrimp eating contests, and local artists and food vendors. >click to read< 17:35
Stonington Tradition: Blessing Of The Last Commercial CT Fishing Fleet
This year will mark the 70th Blessing of the Fleet. A tradition for decades, the blessing of Stonington fishing fleet is also a memorial to those who have died at sea. A fisherman’s mass, parade, and procession of decorated fishing vessels are part of the annual July event in Stonington Borough. The blessing, given for many years by The Most Rev. Michael R. Cote, D.D., Bishop of Norwich, has him walk the line of quays conferring the blessing on every fishing vessel and their captains and crews. After boarding the flagship, they will put to sea and once outside the harbor entrance, past the breakwater in Long Island Sound, the Stonington Fishermen’s Association will place a wreath in the shape of an anchor on the water in remembrance of those gone before. As of 2022, 40 members of the Stonington Fishermen Association have perished at sea. >click to read< 19:05
Blessing of the Fleet pays tribute to commercial fishing families
The sun broke through the clouds Sunday morning just in time for the start of the Blessing of the Fleet ceremony at the N.C. Port in Morehead City. Thirty commercial fishing vessels slowly made their way by the port as wreaths were thrown in the water. Each wreath represented a commercial fisherman or family member who had died. The solemn procession was a segment of the N.C. Seafood Festival that honors area commercial fishing families and those who have died while harvesting food from the sea. In addition to 200 people lining the shore to watch the procession, private boaters filled the waterway to pay tribute. “As these boats are getting ready to come by, I can’t help but think of those fellas in Florida who have lost everything,” he said. “They just don’t need prayer, they need help. – Guest speaker Zack Davis. 23 Photos, >click to read< 22:17
Stonington, Connecticut celebrates 69th annual Blessing of the Fleet
A procession of commercial fishing vessels head out through Stonington Harbor as visitors look on from the Fisherman’s Memorial at the Stonington Town Docks on Sunday afternoon, July 31. The event is a yearly rite of passage and an integral part of the Annual St. Mary’s Church Blessing of the Fleet event, now in its 69th year. >click to view 19 photos< 10:09
Blessing of the Fleet an important tradition for Provincetown fishermen
Captains and crew of lobster boats and mobile gear boats, including scallopers, sea clammers and draggers were readying their boats for the procession Sunday morning. A lobster boat crew used a crane to lower lobster pots with onto the deck of their boat. Antonio Dias was squid fishing off the family boat, Berco De Jesus while waiting for his brother, Jorge. They were planning to take their 45-foot scalloper out to line up for the procession. The Dias family grew up in Provincetown, one of hundreds of Portuguese families that have made their living from the sea. Photos, >click to read< 08:01
Georgia: For first time in 20 years, Thunderbolt revives Blessing of the Fleet
It’s been decades since the Town of Thunderbolt hosted its Blessing of the Fleet festival, a three-day affair that paid homage to the city’s shrimping history. Shrimping and fishing boats would fill the marsh-lined river, waiting to be blessed by the Catholic bishop before heading out to sea. For more than 20 years, the town, including Thomas who served as mayor in the early 2000s, had tried to bring some semblance of the ritual back, but it never quite gathered enough momentum. This year, after a two-month sprint of preparation and planning, Thunderbolt is reviving the Blessing of the Fleet. >click to read< 08:24
Blessing of the Fleet returns to the Pass Christian Harbor Saturday
A celebration steeped in tradition and history returns to the Pass Christian Harbor this Saturday. The annual Blessing of the Fleet returns and organizers hope it brings awareness to the struggles faced by our Coast seafood industry. Chairman Kirk Kimball said, “It’s an honor to bring back something that we can put back on the pedestal that was once dusty and we want to refine it and put it back again.” Shrimpers will once again be blessed for a safe and bountiful season at the Pass Christian Harbor when the 44th annual event happens this weekend. > click to read < 10:25
Juneau holds annual Blessing of the Fleet
On a brisk sunny morning, amid the keen and wail of the pipes, Juneau residents and visitors gathered for the 32nd annual Blessing of the Fleet at the Alaska Commercial Fishermen’s Memorial. Capt. Bonny Millard of the FV San Juan delivered the wreath as the Rev. Gordon Blue of Holy Trinity Episcopal delivered the invocation and blessing. “We are here to celebrate commercial fishing as a unique way of life,” said Carl Brodersen, who gave the dedication and led the ceremony. “We acknowledge those who still go down to the sea and make a living and the community that supports them.” photos, >click to read< , and >here< 08:46
Bayou La Batre fishermen back on the water after sitting idle due to soaring fuel prices
A large turnout Sunday for the annual Blessing of the Fleet at the docks behind Saint Margaret’s Catholic Church in Bayou La Batre. It was a much-needed event for shrimpers to come together after having to stop work due to the pain at the pump. Several fishing crews gathered at the docks excited to be a part of the blessing today “We’ve cleaned her up and put a little makeup on the old gal so we put her in the fleet blessing,” said Joseph Rodriguez, shrimp boat owner. >click to read< 09:11
Blaine, Washington: The 38th year for the Blessing of the Fleet, Sunday, May 1st
The Puget Sound commercial crab season closes by the middle of March. For me, when we get all of the gear put away for the season, it’s time to focus on preparing for the Blessing of the Fleet ceremony, which is put together and organized by the Fisherman’s Memorial Committee along with the Port of Bellingham and Blaine Chamber of Commerce. The blessing this year will be 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 1, and like last year, we will be outside by Gate 2 at Blaine Harbor – weather permitting. If it rains, we will be inside in the conference room. >click to read< By Gary Dunster 10:58
