‘Blessing of Boats’ opens season

BY Ariana Shah

Photo provided by Dennis Reams

The second annual Canyon Lake Yacht Club Blessing of the Boats took place on Saturday, officially opening the community to “Boat Season.” The event was open to all registered Canyon Lake boats.

Yacht Club Commodore Dennis Reams welcomed all the boats to the Blessing of the Boats ceremony. At the conclusion of his opening remarks, the boats formed into a single-line parade following the Yacht Club lead boat.

The flotilla stayed close to the guest dock at the Canyon Lake Lodge as Pastor Thor Ramsey from the Canyon Lake Bible Club offered a benediction to each craft for a safe and fun boating season.

“Pastor Thor Ramsey did a great job offering blessings to the entire flotilla of over 20 boats on a beautiful afternoon,” Dennis said.

The Yacht Club flagship boat then led participant boats on a slow parade around the Main Lake, finishing up at Catfish Cove for a tie-up celebration.

“This event was a success. It was a great opportunity to meet new people and catch up with friends throughout the boating field,” Dennis said. “The cruise around our amazing Canyon Lake following the ceremony was a blast, along with the celebration at Catfish Cove.”

The Blessing of the Boats event as Canyon Lake’s second. The first was scheduled last year and was to be the inaugural Opening Day event.

Dennis Reams addresses the boats that gather at the beginning of the Blessing of the Boats ceremony to officially launch boat season in Canyon Lake. More than 20 boats attended and were blessed later by Pastor Thor Ramsey.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions the event was postponed from April and moved to July, making the “Opening Day” name irrelevant since boating season was well underway. Instead, the event was called a Midsummer Blessing of the Boats in anticipation of the larger event for this year, Ron Wilbur of the Yacht Club said.

Around the world, the Blessing of the Boats is a century-old tradition. Originating in fishing villages in the Mediterranean, this annual festival was an important part of boating life. Captains, crews and families sought divine favor for bountiful catches and safety for working boats and the men that served on them. Today, annual “blessing” events are held by most yacht clubs and boating fleets across the globe.

The other aspect of the ceremony, Opening Day commissioning, is a tradition signaling the reopening of yacht clubs in the spring, putting boats back in the water after a long winter.

Photos provided by Dennis Reams

Yacht clubs on the West Coast more recently have picked up the tradition.

“As in most Southern California coastal cities, Opening Day is a symbolic event in Canyon Lake since the weather allows year-round boating,” Ron said. “The Canyon Lake Yacht Club is proud to introduce this new tradition to our community.”

The Canyon Lake Yacht Club was established in 1990 by Canyon Lake residents who loved to get out on the lake. Since that time, it has operated as a social and philanthropic club within the Canyon Lake constellation of sanctioned clubs and organizations.

The club of over 165 members maintains a fun and busy social calendar, bringing members together for dinners, cruises and other recreation.

The club also produces several annual community events including Opening Day/Blessing of the Boats, the Parade of Lights in December, Lake Clean Up days, and the awards dinner where scholarships are awarded to local college students.