The 2026 boating season has begun! On Saturday, June 6, the United Inter Yacht Clubs Association (UIYCA) and The Wharf held the annual Blessing of the Fleet to wish boaters a successful season on the water.
Hundreds of boats from 14 yacht clubs around the Jamaica Bay area passed by The Wharf late Saturday morning, where UIYCA Commander Hugh Hollingsworth and members of the U.S. Coast Guard gave a salute, while Rev. Joel Youngblood of Mount Pisgah Baptist Church in Queens and Deacon Frank D’Accordo of St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church in Brooklyn said blessings over each vessel.
Commander Hollingsworth began the ceremony with the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem while Deacon D’Accordo blessed a memorial wreath and led a prayer in memory of military men and women who have served the country, and those who continue to serve, and in memory of UIYCA members who have passed.
The participating clubs included North Channel Yacht Club, Iroquois Yacht Club, Anabas Boat Club, Riley’s Yacht Club, Howard Beach Motor Boat Club, Old Mill Yacht Club, Midget Squadron Yacht Club, Diamond Point Yacht Club, Paerdegat Yacht Club, Hudson River Yacht Club, Rockaway Point Yacht Club, Sheepshead Bay Yacht Club and the Miramar Yacht Club. The FDNY also brought out their large fireboat that sprayed their water cannons as the boats passed by for their blessings.
Photos by Katie McFadden.
