Blessing of the Fleet shows appreciation for R.I.’s fishing industry

NARRAGANSETT, R.I. (WLNE) — The Narragansett Lions Club’s 51st annual Blessing of the Fleet took place on Saturday.

The event, which started in 1972, featured a parade of decorated commercial and recreational boats that are blessed by a local clergyman as they pass.

This year’s clergyman was Bishop Richard Henning, the Providence Diocese’s 9th Bishop.

“What we do here today is fun and beautiful, but it’s also solemn,” Henning said. “Today we honor the fishing industry, along proud culture in Rhode Island, we honor the fishermen who take the risk, they dare the waves, and they bring back the catch to sustain us.”

The Blessing of the Fleet is a three-day event that includes a festival with music, food, a road race, and a boating decoration contest.

There is also a 10-mile road race that goes through historic Narragansett.