For most in attendance at the annual Blessing of the Fleet in Darien, the event is about having fun in a festival-style atmosphere. For the shrimpers whose fleet is receiving the titular blessing, however, it’s business.
“It’s not a party, it’s not Mardi Gras or anything of that nature,” said George Gale, a shrimp boat captain and the grand marshall of this year’s festivities. “We’re doing this to get a blessing on our boats and our crew, because Lord knows we need a blessing.”
Fluctuations in the market for everything shrimpers need is hitting the industry hard, he said. One thing most don’t spare a second thought on is ice, but when you’re carrying a load of wild-caught shrimp — Georgia’s coastal cash crop — it’s got to reach the plates and shelves fresh. That takes a lot of ice, and price has more than doubled in the last few years.
“If you catch 1,000 pounds of shrimp, you have to shave 1,000 pounds of ice to keep that shrimp cold,” Gale said.
Ice is only one problem he faces. The other is labor. Finding people to work is nearly impossible, and he’s downsized his operation not for any financial reason, but because he can’t staff a larger boat.
So any help, in this case a blessing, is much appreciated by the shrimpers. While the shrimpers all stand on equal footing, it’s not uncommon for one to try to outdo the others in the shrimp boat procession.
“No one is better than anyone else, but do have a competition of boats trying to be the prettiest with the best decorations,” Gale said.
A loose association of shrimp captains get together for a big breakfast every year, at which they start planning their side of the blessing and select a grand marshall. Gale prefers the honor go to one of the old-timers. He’s 47, but wanted to nominate one of the elders. The two oldest are 75 and 78. Alas, it was not to be.
It’s still an honor, though. Gale’s father was a shrimper, as were his grandfather and great-grandfather. His great-great-grandfather brought the family to Coastal Georgia from the Isle of Man, where he was a shepherd and fisherman. Coastal Georgia has been his home his whole life, and he’s spent all of it on the water. His mom wouldn’t let him work on the shrimp boats until he was 14, but he was working on the rivers with his grandpa from a young age.
His crew will be helming the smaller boat he now runs, one of the few all-wood shrimp boats still in commercial operation.
“I have an affection for the wood boats,” Gale said, a little wistfully. “The steel boats don’t have any soul, and the fiber-glass boats are just tupperware to me. The wood has curves … it’s beautiful to me.”
He’s been in some rough weather, and with wood the sea can be very harsh. He recalled a time he had to put his shoes on in a storm, because the sea was so rough it was making the planks on the hull open and close, pinching his feet.
“She complains and groans,” Gale continued. It’s the same noise his ancestors heard.
Tradition is a big deal among shrimpers as most of them have similar family stories behind how they got into the business. That’s why, despite not wanting it, Gale couldn’t turn down the election to grand marshall.
He’ll lead the ceremony on Sunday morning, April 7. The festival itself kicks off on April 5 with two days of music, food and games on the Darien waterfront. Arts and crafts vendors will line the streets and the city is hosting a 5k race on Saturday as well.
The blessing itself will be held at 2 p.m. April 7.
Kat Hoyt, president of the Darien-McIntosh Chamber of Commerce, said this year also features the return of the shrimp-heading competition.
“That’ll be fun to come and watch,” she said. “There are still a few places open to test their skills at shrimp heading.”
Visit the chamber’s website to sign up.
On Saturday evening, Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band SkynFolks takes the stage, which is easily the headline performance, followed by the blessing on that Sunday.
“The blessing of the fleet is probably my actual favorite,” Hoyt said. “It’s such a feat of maritime skill, because they’re fighting an outgoing tide, so they’re holding against an outgoing tide but they also back up and turn around in the Darien river. I’m impressed with their skill, but it’s also such a beautiful thing to watch.”
Tickets are $5, free for kids under 12, on Saturday. The blessing is free to attend. Harris Ace Hardware in Brunswick has pre-sale tickets for $3, she said. For more information, visit darienmcintoshchamber.com/blessing-of-the-fleet.
