Blessing of the Fleet

July 28, 2024 3:47 PM • Last Updated: July 28, 2024 4:01 PM

Members of Hartford-based Rancho Folclorico da Igreja perform a traditional Portuguese dance during the Blessing of the Fleet in the Stonington neighborhood on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) Buy photo reprints

Lobster fisherman Geal Roderick decorates the Stacy & Geal during the blessing of the fleet in the Stonington neighborhood on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) Buy photo reprints

Poppy DeFeitas, 3, of Stonington, checks to make sure her cardboard boat fits before marching in the Blessing of the Fleet parade in the Stonington neighborhood on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) Buy photo reprints

The Rev. Dennis M. Perkins, pastor of St. Michael’s Church in Pawcatuck, blesses a fishing boat during the Blessing of the Fleet in the Stonington Borough on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) Buy photo reprints

Lil-Bit passes Stacy & Geal in the parade of boats during the Blessing of the Fleet in the Stonington Borough on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) Buy photo reprints

Students from St. Michael School play along the rocks before the Blessing of the Fleet ceremony in Stonington Borough on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) Buy photo prints

Grand Marshal Walter Roderick lays a wreath at the Fisherman’s Memorial during the Blessing of the Fleet in the Stonington neighborhood on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) Buy photo reprints

Friends and family sail on the fishing vessel Tradition during the blessing of the fleet in the Stonington neighborhood on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) Buy photo reprints

Visitors watch the parade during the Blessing of the Fleet in Stonington Borough on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) Buy photo prints

Members of the Westerly Band perform at the Blessing of the Fleet in Stonington Borough on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) Buy photo reprints

The Rev. Dennis M. Perkins, pastor of St. Michael’s Church in Pawcatuck, blesses the Sally Maria II during the Blessing of the Fleet in the Stonington Borough on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) Buy photo reprints

The Mystic Pipes & Drums warm up for the parade during the Blessing of the Fleet in the Stonington Borough on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) Buy photo reprints

Members of the Nutmeg Fife and Drum Corp. prepare to march in the parade during the Blessing of the Fleet in Stonington Borough on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) Buy photo reprints

Harley LaBrosse, 5, adjusts balloons on the VFW float as her sister Arianna Simson, 12, both of Stonington, looks on during the blessing of the float in the Stonington neighborhood on Sunday, July 28, 2024. The float was a tribute to their late grandfather Tim Medeiros, a former boat captain. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) Buy photo reprints

Stonington – The annual Blessing of the Fleet was held in the neighborhood on Sunday.

The day began with a mass at St Mary’s Church, followed by a parade through the town centre, a short service at the Fisherman’s Memorial and a parade of boats laying the broken anchor in the water at the breakwater.