Northport Blessing of the Fleet

The annual Northport Blessing of the Fleet will take place at the Northport Dock on Saturday, June 16, 2012.  The USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 22-7 Band will begin performing at 10:30 am leading up to the boat procession starting at 11 am. Area clergy will be on the dock to offer blessings to those passing boaters for safety, fair winds and following seas as the summer 2012 boating season begins. Joining the clergy will be members of the Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary and area yacht clubs to salute those vessels in the procession that display an ensign (American flag).  Northport Mayor George Doll, Asharoken Mayor Pat Irving and other dignitaries will also be on hand. This kick-off event is coordinated by the Northport Flotilla (22-02) of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary with participation from both the Northport Yacht Club and the Centerport Yacht Club and in collaboration with the Northport Police and Fire Departments.

Leading the parade of boats will be a vessel from US Coast Guard Station Eaton’s Neck followed by the Northport Fire/Rescue Boat, followed by vessels from the two area yacht clubs as well as non-affiliated vessels in sequence.  Public safety support will be provided by the Northport Police Boat and US Coast Guard Auxiliary vessels. Providing musical accompaniment from the shore for the nautical parade will be the USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 22-7 Band playing various nautical and military tunes. A bag piper will be present dockside. 

Also downtown that day will be the Northport Farmers’ Market starting at 8 am and booths from various maritime organizations will also be nearby the park later in the morning.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard created by an Act of Congress in 1939. The Auxiliary, America's Volunteer Lifesavers, supports the Coast Guard in nearly all of the service's missions. For more information about the Coast Guard Auxiliary visit http://www.cgaux.org or www.uscgali.org.