Blessing Of The Boats To Be Held On June 28

The annual Blessing of the Boats tradition will continue on Sunday, June 28, as St. David’s Chapel of Ease welcomes seafarers and ocean enthusiasts to Church Wharf in St. David’s for a dockside service and vessel blessing ceremony.

A spokesperson said, “The Congregation of St. David’s Chapel of Ease, in the Parish of St. George, Bermuda, invite all seafarers and ocean enthusiasts to join them for the Annual Blessing of the Boats at Church Wharf, St. David’s, in the Parish of St. George, Bermuda, on Sunday, June 28th, 2026, at 9:00 a.m..

“The event will begin early on Sunday at the jetty of the T.S. Admiral Somers – St. George’s Sea Cadet Squadron, who will row the priest and his spouse across the St. George’s Harbour for the dockside service later that morning.

“It is customary that the Sea Cadets would also fly the pennant of the Parish of St. George while the priest is aboard their vessel.

“Following a short worship service at 9:00 a.m., boaters who wish to have their boats blessed can approach the dock where, Rev. Thomas Nisbett, priest & pastor of St. David’s Chapel of Ease and St. Peter’s Church – Their Majesties Chappell, will pray for each vessel and issue a Certificate of Blessing.

“The Blessing of the Boats is a tradition that goes back to the mid-1800s when virtually every person who lived on St. David’s Island was affected by the sea in some way for their livelihood.

“Parish records indicate that an annual blessing of boats involved with fishing and boat-piloting goes back to the time of the consecration of the St. David’s Chapel of Ease in 1849, and has continued since that time.”

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