Blessing of the Fleet at the Ross Barnett Reservoir

Power, sail and paddle boats of all sorts participated in the Jackson Yacht Club's "Blessing of the Fleet" at the Ross Barnett Reservoir in Ridgeland, Mississippi. The annual event signals the unofficial start of boating season in central Mississippi. The Rev. Kyle Dice Seage of St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Jackson bestowed the blessing from aboard Lisa and Will Manuel's sailboat anchored near the Jackson yacht Club. Celebrities, including Melanie Christopher, Malcolm White and Bobby Cleveland, judged decorated boats.  

Jackson Yacht Club Hopes to Make Blessing of the Fleet an Annual Event

Produced by Jim Albritton | Sister Mary Dorothea Sondgeroth, President and Chairman of the Board of St. Dominic Health Services, offered blessings to boats and their crews at the Jackson Yacht Club on the Ross Barnett Reservoir on Memorial Day as celebrities judged the decorated boats. The yacht club hopes to make this an annual event. 

Photos | The Memorial Day Blessing of the Fleet

 Photos of the 2011 blessing of the fleet at the Jackson Yacht Club on the Ross Barnett Reservoir.