Blessing of the Boats

The inaugural Blessing of the Boats is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, June 14 at Dockside on Torch Lake.

 All boats, from power boats to fishing boats to sailboats to kayaks, are welcome to the site, at the conflux of Torch and Clam lakes.

The blessing ceremony will be officiated by Pastor David Ramage of Church in the Hills in Bellaire with a performance by the Charlevoix-based Green Sky Hill Indian United Methodist Church Women’s Drum Group.

The purpose of the event is safety, mindfulness, thankfulness, respectfulness and beauty. It will begin with an opening statement followed by music/hymns by the Church in the Hills Praise Band, followed by the blessing of the water, a prayer and blessing of the boating season, and, finally, the blessing of the boats. 

The event is scheduled for approximately 20 minutes and area media outlets are invited to cover live or to provide advance publicity. Similar events are performed annually across the state, including at Huron Lady II Dock on Black River in Port Huron.

We, as organizers, hope that this becomes an annual event that will serve as an unofficial kickoff to the season for Northern Michigan boaters. We would be happy to facilitate an interview with organizers and/or participants and will be available to act as a liaison on the day of the event.