Boats, Blessings, and Tradition: Montauk’s Annual Blessing of the Fleet

The Montauk commercial fishing fleet held its annual “Blessing of the Fleet” on Sunday, June 14th. The “Sea Gods” provided perfect conditions for this day of both thanks and blessings. The “Montauk Blessing of the Fleet” is one of the many traditions to help launch the East End season. This year, the blessings were given by Father Liam, the Catholic priest of Montauk’s “St Terese of Lisieux,” and by Pastor Bill of  the “Montauk Community Church.” They were aboard the VIKINGSTARSHIP.

The initial Montauk Blessing of the Fleet was on June 10th, 1956. The story goes that Vinny Grimes, a noted Montauk fisherman, witnessed a ceremony while he served in the U.S. Navy. The legendary god blessing has been a maritime tradition in many different cultures since ancient times. It took Grimes just one year to put the Montauk blessing all together.

The ceremony started around 5pm, as the boats pulled out of their docks and assembled in Montauk Harbor. People lined the docks to cheer on their friends and witness the spectacle. Then the vessels got in line to slowly pass by the “VIKING STARSHIP” on the port side in Montauk Harbor, right off the Montauk commercial dock. After being blessed with holy water by the clergy, the fleet slowly proceeded out into the Block Island Sound for the wreath laying. Once again, they assembled as the names of the deceased were read. After the ceremony that was broadcast over the ship-to-shore radio, bagpipers on STARSHIP played taps. Then, every boat had fun blowing the bullhorns.

This year, the Montauk fleet was also out there to honor Captain Paul Forsberg, who passed on March 20th, 2026, at the age of 86. He had been working on his family boats since the age of 5. Noticed were NIGHTMOVES, SEA SPEARIT, ANNA MARY, WINDY, WIFE IV, MISS MONTAUK II, FINCHASER, HURRY UP, EBBTIDE II, KIMBERLY, MY DAWN, MASTERPIECE, DEFIANT, KENNEBUNK, MORE FUN, EMOTIONAL RESCUE, KINGFISHER,  RUBY,  and Montauk legend Henry Uinlein on one of his boats. There were so many more, including sailboats and pleasure crafts. They skillfully motored around each other, shouting out hellos to fellow friends and fishermen on board.

Participating in the “Blessing of the Fleet” is always something special. This year, while Billy Joel’s fishing boat “ALEXA” was present, he was missing. Everyone hopes to see him healthy and back with his family next year. Also out there was East End icon, singer, wife and mother of three, Nancy Atlas,  who posted on Facebook at the helm of her boat named “THE FLYING PIG.”

This author was on the “ANNA MARY,” Anthony Sosinski, and John Aldridge’s boat. They are lifelong best friends. This day rings dear to them. While the wreaths were being thrown into the water, John Aldridge did say to his sister, Cathy Paterson, “It’s better to be standing here on board than being one of those wreaths out there.” 13 years ago, while heading out to sea with Anthony was catching some shut-eye, John fell overboard when a cooler handle he was holding broke, leaving him stranded at sea for almost 24 hours. Miraculously, Aldridge was spotted by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and rescued. The whole story is told in Sosinski’s and Aldridge’s Best Seller, “A Spec in the Sea.”

Afterward, there were parties on the boats and all over Montauk.  On the “Anna Mary,” there was live music as Porshia RainDance Denning (just back from a special art commission in Finland) led all on board singing. She played some standards and originals on her guitar as almost everyone sang along and danced. The day was a success.