Me_has_a_Boat
N/A
Or whatever it is called.
and if so, what religion are they?
and if so, what religion are they?
Do the RNLI still "bless" their Lifeboats?
- Thread starter Me_has_a_Boat
- Start date
VicS
Well-Known Member
It would seem so and at a multi -faith ceremony
Recent news item:
but be sure you request one that has been blessed by one of your own Gods if you get into difficulty.
Recent news item:
Guernsey's lifeboat and marine ambulance have been blessed
Organised by Churches Together in Guernsey, the service was held at St Peter Port Harbour.
It was conducted by Guernsey's Anglican dean, Canon Paul Mellor, Catholic dean, Canon Michael Hore and clergy from other churches.
Local fishing boats lined up along the harbour wall with the two emergency vessels for the blessing.
Organised by Churches Together in Guernsey, the service was held at St Peter Port Harbour.
It was conducted by Guernsey's Anglican dean, Canon Paul Mellor, Catholic dean, Canon Michael Hore and clergy from other churches.
Local fishing boats lined up along the harbour wall with the two emergency vessels for the blessing.
but be sure you request one that has been blessed by one of your own Gods if you get into difficulty.
savageseadog
Well-Known Member
Best not "rescued" by this lot, they look like muslim terrorists with their Bin Ladin style waistcoats.
pvb
Well-Known Member
Mmmm, kapok!
VicS
Well-Known Member
Thought they were cork!
charles_reed
Well-Known Member
I was forcibly blessed by the local parish priest in Kilmore Quay in 1995 - the only place I could tie up for the night was alongside the Avon and the following morning, after a few libations I was held up on the foredeck of my boat by two if the RNLI crew whilst the others stood on the lifeboat foredeck.
The whole thing was done - holy water, individual (Latin) prayers and incense - and it was done every year to ALL the boats in Kilmore Quay.
So I can confirm - 17 years ago, in Ireland, boat-blessings took place.
The whole thing was done - holy water, individual (Latin) prayers and incense - and it was done every year to ALL the boats in Kilmore Quay.
So I can confirm - 17 years ago, in Ireland, boat-blessings took place.
pvb
Well-Known Member
Cork was used in lifevests from about the 1850s, but that photo is from the 1920s, by which time kapok was more commonly used as it was more flexible and therefore easier to wear.
VicS
Well-Known Member
They don't look flexible !
saltylegs
Well-Known Member
those still look like cork as the Kapok was stitched in to canvas "jackets" giving a more rounded softer look to the section. IMHO
PS my first lifejacket was Kapok and purple on the outside and yellow on the inside.
reginaldon
Well-Known Member
Thank God some people have their priorities right still!
Me_has_a_Boat
N/A
I am surprised that in Guernsey they didn't also use some sort of whicker donkey
.The reason I asked was that 4 or 5 years ago (In Jersey) there was some sort of do in St Aubin's Harbour involving a lifeboat, a man in a skirt and some chanting........from the comments so far might be simply a Channel Islands thing? (on some things we are kinda stuck in the Bronze age
) - maybe the UK has moved on 
.rob2
Well-Known Member
Blessed or not, I bet you'll mutter "Thank God!" when it hoves into view - and that from an atheist.
Rob.
Rob.
Reverend Ludd
Well-Known Member
Do you have a link for that, I'd be interested in what faiths were represented.
Seems we have a bunch of christians so far, anyone else.
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Reverend Ludd
Well-Known Member
Normally "Thank f****" for me.
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VicS
Well-Known Member
I found it by Googling. A BBC news site IIRC but the relevant bit is copied and pasted.
LittleShip
Well-Known Member
Little Ship has been blessed twice in the past 3 years once in Caernarfon Wales and once in Poolbeg in Dublin.
Seems to have worked up to now
Mind you I also have Buddha on board and Tin Mau (goddess of the sea) it pays to spread your bets.
Tom.
Seems to have worked up to now
Mind you I also have Buddha on board and Tin Mau (goddess of the sea) it pays to spread your bets.
Tom.
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
Vic, I think you are confusing multifaith with 'interdenominational' or 'ecumenical'. The tradition at the moment is that the lifeboat is blessed at a service in which all the local Christian churches take part. I don't know what the RNLI would do if there was a sizeable Muslim or Hindu etc community in the local area.
The blessing of the new or returned to service lifeboat shouldn't be confused with the blessing of the fishing fleet (and any other boats that happen to be in the harbour) that occurs at several places round our coast and others.
VicS
Well-Known Member
Probably ... what ever it means.
If I ever have to be rescued I'd be happy that it has been blessed by someone and their gods.
"Me has a boat" perhaps should insist that they send one to him that has been cursed by evil forces.
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
Fair enough.
Once when I was working with the Submarine Service, one of the boats had been returned to service after a refit and hadn't had its 'Service of Rededication and Blessing'. Some of the old and bold chiefs were very upset and nearly refused to sail on her and dive until I did the deed. Needless to say they were all disinterested agnostics at best and superstitious atheists at worst and didn't come near the service!
They still didn't like sailing on her until she was blessed though!
padipaddy
Well-Known Member
blessing a boat from whatever god does seem a little silly to me...... especially when taking predestination into account it becomes a complete waste of time...
In Ireland if a religious man dressed in black tried to bless a boat the intelligent thing to do would be hide your children first!
rab
In Ireland if a religious man dressed in black tried to bless a boat the intelligent thing to do would be hide your children first!
rab
