TRUCK FIRE – Firefighters knock down a fire in a Ford Explorer truck in Arrowhead Trailer Park in the 1200 block of Sawmill Creek Road Saturday evening. One person received fire-related injuries and was taken to the hospital, Sitka Fire Department Chief Craig Warren said, and the truck was considered a total loss. The cause of the fire is under investigation, Warren said. The fire hall received the call about the fire at 5:33 p.m., and one fire engine with eight firefighters and an ambulance were dispatched, he said. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

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Arrival of Spring Brings Blessing of the Fleet

By BRIELLE SCHAEFFER

Sentinel Staff Writer

Sunday’s annual Blessing of the Fleet will honor mariners who have died and offer prayers for those who are about to embark on another season on the water.

Mary Todd Andersen, president of Southeast Alaska Women in Fisheries and an organizer of the blessing, said the event is a way for families and others to find comfort from ringing the bell for loved ones who have passed since the last blessing.


 

Sitkans watch from Crescent Harbor as flowers are taken out to sea during the 2016 Blessing of the Fleet. (Sentinel File Photo by James Poulson)

The event starts at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Crescent Harbor main shelter. 

“It means a lot to people who come,” she said. “It means the world to them.”

The blessing is also a way to highlight marine safety, Andersen said.

“It’s a reminder for all mariners working or traveling on the waters,” she said. 

Good practices include wearing life jackets while on boats and walking the slick docks, as well as being mindful of a vessel’s weight limits, she said.

“All it takes is one slip,” Andersen said. “It’s amazing a lot of us haven’t died.”

The blessing, which is sponsored by SEAWIF and Sitka Lutheran Church, also includes the U.S. Coast Guard color guard, music, blessings of boats and gear, and the spreading of flowers across the water.

Two wreaths of flowers will be taken to sea by the Sitka Harbor Department, she said. 

“One is to commemorate those mariners who have passed and the other to send blessings upon the fleet of commercial fishermen, their crews, and other mariners who frequent the waters of Southeast,” Andersen said. 

Any wreaths brought by the public to the ceremony must have biodegradable backings.

Participating clergy include the Rev. Sandra Rudd from the Sitka Lutheran Church, Pastor Ryan Gluth from the Sitka Assembly of God, and other clergy from the Ministerial Association, she said. Members of SEAWIF will also participate. 

Music will be provided by Debra Lyons, Mary Soltis, Dave Glazier, Eric Gjertsen and Karen Lucas, as well as the Sacred Harp Singers and the St. Michael’s Orthodox Cathedral Choir.

“We’ll sing sea shanties to set the tone,” said Lucas, who has been singing at the event for more than 20 years.

The musical program also includes congregational hymns and other special music, she said. 

Songs include “Jeannie C,” “Grey Funnel Line,” “Fiddler’s Green,” “Star Spangled Banner,” “Amazing Grace,” “I Feel the Winds of God Today,” “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” “O, Beautiful Sea,” and “I’ll Fly Away.”

“It’s kind of a traditional service,” Lucas said. “It happens in the spring because everyone is getting geared up again to get out and go fishing.”

Refreshments will be served immediately following the blessing in the lower level of the Sitka Lutheran Church at 224 Lincoln Street. The church always hosts a “mug-up” with coffee, tea and snacks. 

Both the blessing and the reception are free and open to the public. 

Bells will toll after each name is read of mariners who have died since the last blessing of the fleet. 

Those mariners are Louie J. Baggen, Leroy Allan Bagley, Gary Berry, Douglas Bott, Stephen Brenner, James A. Broschat,  Peter Bryan, Tom Buckroyd, David Calder, Maryann Calvin, Lester Paul Davis, James ‘‘Jim’’ Davis, Boyd William Didrickson, Gary Lloyd Eddy, Ward Eldridge, Virginia May Erickson, Elizabeth Eskelin, Carl ‘‘Bud’’ Fetter, Paul Fredrick, Alfred Eli Gordon Jr., Jim Greenough, Keith Haas, Douglas Hardcastle, Martin ‘‘Poiken’’ Johnson Sr., Chuck Johnstone, Thomas Kinberg, George F. Laiblin, Arliss D. Marshall, George Martin Jr., Noah Stephan Mayo, Joseph Mettler Jr., Grant Jay Miller, Henriette Odell, Timothy Jay Olmstead, William Osbekoff Sr., Rhonda Rhodes, Darrell Philip Riggs, Teri Rofkar, Gary Stevens, Myron Wheeler, Lawrence ‘‘Buddy’’ Widmark, Richard N. Williams Sr., Randall Kurt Williams, Signe Wilson and Virginia C. Witham.

 

Those wanting to add names of mariners not included in the list above, who have died since the last blessing, may contact Andersen at 738-0969. 

 

“It’s a long-standing tradition,” Lucas said. “We are just following suit of other communities that honor the dead and bless the boats.”

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Businesses using the Centennial Hall parking lot testified Tuesday against a proposal to charge them rent in addition to the $200 annual permit fee. City Administrator Hugh Bevan made the proposal in response to the Assembly’s direction to Centennial Hall manager Don Kluting to try to close the $340,000 gap between building revenues and operational costs.


50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Alaska Native Brotherhood Grand President William S. Paul Sr. will be special guest and speaker at the local ANB, Alaska Native Sisterhood Founders Day program Monday at the ANB Hall.

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