Mary Catherine Pittman
Senior Reporter
Fishing communities all over the world have been blessing fleets for centuries. Blessing a fleet is typically done by a local priest in hopes that the fisherman would have a bountiful season.
Over the years the event has changed and been recreated to entertain not only the fisherman, but the public as well. One of the most well known blessings in the state of Georgia takes place in Darien. This year was the 50th anniversary of the celebration in McIntosh County.
The actual blessing is an amazing event in itself, but the smell of the local vendors selling fresh shrimp, and artwork showcased by all ages is an unbeatable experience.
The Blessing of the Fleet in Darien is very well known among people from the Brunswick-Jacksonville area, as well as fisherman all along the east coast. Each year around 25,000 people gather at a three day event full of good food, live music, and art shows to watch the shrimp boats be blessed by their local priest.
The event is not taken lightly for the people of Darien. Kelly McClellan, the festival coordinator, stated that it takes around six months to plan the weekend of the blessing.
Robert Todd, professor at Georgia Southern University, is not only an active participant in the blessing each year, he also lives the lifestyle.
“My family has been in the shrimping industry for several generations, and if I would had been born seven or so years sooner, I would be doing the same thing,” said Todd.
His father was the Grand Marshall of the blessing this year. His father participated in the inaugural event 50 years ago.
He discussed how the shrimping business just isn’t what it use to be, but is still something he cares about greatly. His father owns his own boat and each year at the blessing it is decorated with streamers, hand made signs, and hand painted artwork.
There is a contest for the best decorated boat each year. Fisherman come and line the docks with flags and streamers to not only get blessed, but also be judged on their effort and craftsmanship.
Rachel Barfield, attendee of the blessing, discussed how this event was awesome because she got to get a close look at the boats and talk to a few fishermen about what they do.
“My parents and I went to the blessing this year having no idea what we were getting ourselves into,” Barfield said. “My parents were so intrigued that this is still a thing and how many people come out to support the local industry.”
The blessing of the fleet strives to make this a community event, so they invite all local business to join. In the most recent years they have had up to 85 vendors participate in the event and sell their art, food, or beverages.
This year 14 boats came to the Darien docks to be blessed. The ministerial committee of Darien choose the priest to bless the boats and Catholic Knights join them.
Boats range in ages. Some of them are new, while others are dated back to 1942. Maintaining these boats are expensive and hard to do on a shrimpers salary, but that is not stopping these fishermen.
It is great to see a community come together for such a tight knit local industry. Other blessings around the area include Brunswick, Belleville, and Charleston, but Darien always has one of the largest turnouts.