Monday, July 21, 2008

Catholic Priest in South Carolina Blesses the "Clothing Optional Boat"



May almighty God bless The Clothing Optional 3," the Rev. Ronald Cellini of St. Peter's Catholic Church said Sunday while waving his aspergillum toward the boat, hoping to strike it with holy water. "Father, son, holy spirit."

Ok this is pretty cool, (and kinda of funny). I also enjoy the Blessing of the Fleet. I saw it South Louisiana once. The above is today's Front page (he is blessing a Shrimp Boat in that Pic) of the The Beaufort GazetteBeaufort, S.C. Ahhh Boat people and their wacky boat names :)

Beaufort was blessed with fine weather the final day of its 53rd annual Water Festival, a day traditionally remembered for a different kind of blessing.

May almighty God bless The Clothing Optional 3," the Rev. Ronald Cellini of St. Peter's Catholic Church said Sunday while waving his aspergillum toward the boat, hoping to strike it with holy water. "Father, son, holy spirit."
About 35 boats large and small floated by the seawall of Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park to receive Cellini's blessing and enter a contest to determine whose vessel best represented the festival's theme, "Living a Coastal Dream." The top prize went to Fisherman's Dream, a boat decked out with two women fanning and serving drinks to a lazy fisherman.



Frank Schwab of Sun City said he didn't attend any other Water Festival events this year, but he wouldn't miss the boat parade.
"I come every year for the boat show. This is the main (event)," he said. "The boat show is the best part of Beaufort."



Barbara Daniels of Fripp Island said she has come to the boat parade every year for three decades.


"I just love to sit out here in the afternoon. There's no place I'd rather be," she said. "It's a nice, lazy day ... and it's not raining, which it's been doing almost every day."


During the festival's opening ceremonies July 11, a performance by the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island Band had to be cut short and the audience evacuated because of lightning. Rain has been a common sight since then at the Water Festival, but Commodore Les Brediger said it has not put a damper on the celebration.

"Everything came out absolutely brilliantly," he said. "We have a great crew that worked really hard, and we had to dodge a few raindrops, but we got every event in."


Brediger also praised the owners of boats in Sunday's parade for finding exceptional ways to decorate their boats and exemplify this year's theme.

"Living a coastal dream is why we live here," he said. "When you can come out here to Waterfront Park and stare out at the moonlight on the water ... it's a very special place down here in Beaufort and in Waterfront Park."

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