Chatham Blessing Of The Fleet Returns Sunday

CHATHAM – After a five-year absence, the Blessing of the Fleet will return Sunday.

 The ceremony, sponsored by the Women of Fishing Families, will be held at the municipal fish pier from 2 to 4 p.m. and will celebrate the town’s commercial fishing fleet, the largest on the Cape.

The blessing of the fleet has a long tradition among maritime communities, going back to the days when fishermen took their lives in their hands when they crossed the bar; while commercial fishing is still ranked among the most dangerous occupations, modern technology such as radar, GPS and accurate weather forecasting has made it much less risky.

 “It’s a way to give a blessing over the entire fleet at the height of the season, to keep them safe crossing the bar, while at sea and coming home to port,” said Shannon Eldredge of Women of Fishing Families (WOFF).

 On Cape, Provincetown hosts probably the best-known blessing of the fleet. Chatham’s event will be less grand, Eldredge said, with no long parade of commercial vessels.

 “Our blessing is more of a symbolic blessing,” she said. Fishing boats will line up at the south jog, where clergy will offer blessings for the boats and their operators, for the ocean waters and for the families of fishermen.

 Chatham held a number of fleet blessings until 2019, when renovations at the fish pier put the event on hold. And then COVID hit, and WOFF — which provides emergency financial support for fishing families in need — “went into emergency response mode” to help fishermen weather the pandemic, said Eldredge.

 “We’re just starting to get our fundraising groove back,” she said, noting that the group was the beneficiary of a holiday gala and resurrected its “Mustachio Bashio” event in March. 

 In the past the blessing event partnered with St. Christopher’s Church and pastor Brian McGurk. He retired last year, and at this year’s event, clergy from St. Christopher’s, the First Congregational Church of Chatham and Holy Redeemer Church will participate in the blessing ceremony, Eldredge said.

 The blessing will begin at 2 p.m. and last about 45 minutes, she said. A celebration in the lower parking lot of the pier adjacent to the south jog will happen immediately afterwards. 

 Appropriately, “there’s going to be a lot of local seafood,” Eldredge said, provided by the Chatham Harvesters Cooperative and the Chatham Shellfish Co. The fish pier market will be open, and Devil’s Purse Brewery will serve beer. Chatham Village Market donated juice boxes and soft drinks. Retired fisherman Mike Anderson will read a poem, fishermen lost in recent years will be remembered, and a bagpiper will play.

 North Chatham Outfitters will sponsor children’s games and activities, and a display of different types of fishing gear will provide an educational component to the event. 

 “It makes it really well rounded,” Eldredge said of the participation from local businesses and organizations. “It’s a real community event.”

 Parking at the fish pier is notoriously difficult. Off-site parking will be available at Chatham Elementary School, with a free shuttle bus to take people to and from the pier beginning at 1:15 p.m. Police will be at the pier and the school to provide assistance, Eldredge said.

 While the event is free, WOFF’s distinctive pink boots will be stationed around the area for donations, all of which support the nonprofit organization’s efforts to help fishermen as well as provide scholarships for children of fishing families.

 “The big thing is that this is for the fishermen and the fishing community,” Eldredge said. “We’re hoping to get a good turnout.”