Blessing of the Fleet at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md

Celebrate the beginning of this year’s boating season by joining the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. for its annual Blessing of the Fleet ceremony. The April 25 ceremony begins at 5:00 p.m. near the boatyard, inviting the public to honor the working vessels and pleasure craft of the Chesapeake Bay, including CBMM’s floating fleet. Prayers will be offered to boaters for a safe and bountiful season, and also for those mariners whose lives have been lost at sea.

Easton High School’s NJROTC will begin the ceremony with a presentation of the colors, followed by the Star Spangled Banner and Navy Hymn. The blessing will be performed by the Rev. Kevin M. Cross of The Church of the Holy Trinity in Oxford, Md.

At this year’s event, a special blessing will be given for the 1889 log-bottom bugeye, Edna E. Lockwood. A registered National Historic Landmark, Edna represents the last remaining historic log-bottom bugeye still under sail, and is considered the queen of CBMM’s fleet of historic Chesapeake vessels. This historic restoration of her log-hull is underway in the boatyard through 2018.

Blessing of the Fleet is free and open to the public, with a reception following, offering light refreshments and live music with a Chesapeake theme from the Royal Oak Musicians. In the event of rain, the ceremony will be moved into CBMM’s Small Boat Shed.

“The Blessing of the Fleet is at terrific way to kick off the season for all boaters and CBMM guests,” said CBMM Guest Services Manager Ed Rowe. “Our campus starts to fill up in April, with a wide range of activities and projects for guests of all ages to engage in. We can’t wait to see everyone.”

Boaters are invited to bring their vessels to the ceremony, with marina reservations made by contacting CBMM Guest Services Manager Ed Rowe at [email protected] or at 410-745-4981. For more information, visit cbmm.org