As long as men and women have been sailing, they have been looking to the skies for guidance, often of a divine nature.

In deciding when to stick to the schedule and when to adapt for inclement weather, Lance Woodworth, a captain for Jet Express, one of two ferry lines that count Put-in-Bay among serviced destinations, said safety is the priority.

But the ocean-approved catamarans are designed to handle rough seas, said Mr. Woodworth, who has navigated a ferry in such conditions more than few times in his 28 years with the company. He recalled just one day since the ferry line launched in 1989 when conditions on the lake forced a complete cancellation of service.

The rough days are among the times when an annual blessing service at Put-in-Bay feels particularly welcome.

“I’m not one to pass up a blessing,” said Mr. Woodworth, who is also the ferry line’s general manager. “It’s a piece of mind when you’re out there and the conditions are tough and rough.”

This year’s Blessing of the Fleet begins with the 31st annual incarnation in Put-in-Bay. Peter Huston, ambassador with the Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce, said participating vessels tend to include ferries, water taxis, rescue vessels, pleasure boats, and more. Each falls in line in front of Fox’s Dock during the ceremony for an individual blessing offered by a minister stationed there.

Mr. Huston said he’s hoping to see a similar mix of vessels at Fox’s Dock this year. If the weather proves favorable on Tuesday, he said participation could surpass the approximately 25 vessels that braved the chill for last year’s Blessing of the Fleet.

The annual ceremony, which in some respects marks the start of the island’s boating season, reflects a maritime tradition. The Rev. Mary Staley, one of three ministers set to participate in this year’s ceremony, looked into the tradition upon moving to Put-in-Bay to serve St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in 2010. She described the Blessing of the Fleet as a “time-honored tradition going back hundreds of years.”

It’s believed to have originated in fishing communities in Europe. Today the Blessing of the Fleet is recognized widely in the United States, including by several northwest Ohio yacht clubs that host separate ceremonies on Memorial Day weekend.

On Lake Erie specifically, Rev. Staley said prayers have been offered since at least to 1813 in the Battle of Lake Erie. She noted that a biographer of Oliver Hazard Perry made reference to the historic captain’s Book of Common Prayer, a detail that she draws on when she participates in Put-in-Bay’s annual ceremony.

Among the individualized blessings she offers vessels during the ceremony is an adapted version of a blessing from an Episcopalian prayer book that, she believes, the commodore would have had on board.

“Preserve us from the dangers of the waters,” it reads in part, “that we may be a safeguard unto the United States of America and a security for such as pass on the lakes upon their lawful occasions; that the inhabitants of our land may in peace and quietness serve thee our God; that we may return in safety to enjoy the blessings of the land with the fruits of our labour; and, with a thankful remembrance of thy mercies, to praise and glorify thy holy Name.”

In line with Episcopalian tradition, Rev. Staley said her blessings are intended for the people associated with the vessel rather than the vessel itself. The Rev. James Lehman, of St. John Lutheran Church in Port Clinton, and the Rev. James Peiffer, a retired Catholic priest out of Marblehead, are also set to offer blessings in Put-in-Bay on Tuesday.

Billy Market, president of Miller Ferries, another line that services Put-in-Bay, said that history and tradition associated with the Blessing of the Fleet give it significance beyond religion. 

Miller Ferries sends at least one of its four-vessel fleet to the ceremony each year. Mr. Market’s mother was among the coordinators of the first blessing ceremony in Put-in-Bay.

“It’s a great combination of religion and tradition,” Mr. Market said.

Mr. Market was among several to say that the boating community tends to take such blessings seriously. Commodore Tony Blank, of the Bay View Yacht Club, said that “a lot of the boating community gets their boat blessed every year.”

For Toledo-area yacht clubs, an opportunity comes during the Opening of the Port held each year on Memorial Day weekend. The Bay View Yacht Club, Maumee River Yacht Club, Toledo Yacht Club, and Toledo Sailing Club participate in the festivities, which include a parade of boats and blessing. This year it will take place May 27 at the Maumee River Yacht Club.

Michael Schenk, general manager of the Catawba Island Club, said that club participates in a separate blessing ceremony on the same weekend. The annual ceremony often ties in the Huron Yacht Club, Mentor Harbor Yachting Club, Middle Bass Island Yacht Club, and Port Clinton Yacht Club as well.

Mr. Schenk said this year’s ceremony, on May 28, also will recognize the Stouffer family for the 50th anniversary of their ownership of the Catawba Island Club.

Mike Manion, a retiree who docks his powerboat in Catawba Island, said he plans to attend the Blessing of the Fleet in Put-in-Bay for the first time this year. He learned about the ceremony through a fellow member of the Lake Erie Grady White Club, of which Mr. Manion serves as president and which counts members from Toledo to Mentor.

Because the club’s members are predominantly working-class and cannot attend a midweek outing, Mr. Manion said he hopes to share the “blessing” he receives with members who cannot attend. He said he also hopes club’s participation can increase in the future.

Mr. Manion, who says he and his wife as religious, said he’s particularly drawn to the spiritual nature of the ceremony. He sees it as a way of both “looking back and looking forward,” he said, in that it both calls for a safe and rewarding season going forward and gives participants pause to look back on the blessing that boat ownership is in itself.

“It’s an opportunity to reflect on the blessings we’ve been given,” he said.

Contact Nicki Gorny at: ngorny@theblade.com or 419-724-6133.

First Published May 6, 2017, 4:00 a.m.