PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — The 26th annual Blessing of the Fleet took place Saturday at St. Andrews’s Marina where boats from around the community line up to be blessed by a local pastor.
The event was started as a fundraiser for Second Chance of Northwest Florida, a Panama City-based nonprofit that serves the needs of adults with traumatic brain injuries and their families.
But has grown to become a special event in the historic fishing community.
“It’s also for us to bless our boat and our fishermen as they go out and make a living on the sea, Second Chance’s Chairman Andre Boyt said. “And this event is to honor those who are on who make this policy, but honor those who may have lost their lives as well.”
After the blessing of the boats ceremony attendees can participate in a unique ceremony Second Chance called ‘burning of the socks’.
