Choir, priest, squirt guns bless Tofino fleet at dock-side ceremony

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This article was published 14/03/2016 (3850 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TOFINO, B.C. – A reverend relayed prayers over a radio transmission and a choir sang hymns from the dock in the pelting rain as crews and vessels waited to be blessed in a West Coast ceremony of hope, safety, survival and renewal.

The annual blessing of the boats ceremony in Tofino, British Columbia, was conducted Monday as the tourism-dependent community struggles to recover from the deaths of six people when a whale-watching vessel sank last October.

An investigation is still underway to determine why the Leviathan II went down near Tofino with more than two dozen people on board, but those at the ceremony were ready to move ahead after a winter of deep reflection.

“It’s been a tough winter knowing what happened with the Leviathan,” said Rev. Will Ferrey after presiding over the blessing ceremony. “It was good to have some time as a community to stop and reflect and think about what happened and the very real dangers of what happened here. I think we are ready to move on and see what the next season brings.”

Ferrey stood at the dock’s edge and delivered a series of prayers dedicated to those who live, serve and thrive on the sea. Lined up in the harbour were whale watching and fishing boats, water taxis, kayaks and coast guard and Department of Fisheries and Oceans vessels.

“Today, we gather to bless these ships and these boats and those who work on them to protect our country, to protect our citizens, to provide food from these waters and those who use these waters for recreation, sightseeing, transport and family outings,” Ferrey said.

“Bless these boats, their equipment, and all who will use it,” he prayed. “Protect them from the dangers of wind and rain and all the perils of the deep.”

The boat blessing ceremony included several lighthearted moments, especially when the boats passed by the dock to be “blessed” with water sprayed from a ceremonial squirt gun. The ceremony is part of the Tofino area’s 30th annual Pacific Rim Whale Festival marking the yearly return of up to 20,000 migrating grey whales.

Mayor Josie Osborne said heavy hearts remain in the community because of the Leviathan sinking, but the coming of spring and the arrival of the whale festival signals a new start for the area.

“We all took some time this winter when it was less busy to reflect and think about what took place,” she said. “At the blessing of the boats, I think we’ll all be spending some time thinking about what took place last October.”

The Leviathan II sank at Plover Reefs, an area just west of Tofino known for abundant sea life but churning waters and nasty currents.

It’s a 20-metre converted, two-deck forest industry vessel operated by local whale watching company Jamie’s Whaling Station.

Five Britons died in the sinking: David Thomas, 50, and his 18 year-old son Stephen; Jack Slater, 76, a British national living in Toronto; Katie Taylor, a 29-year-old Briton living in Whistler, B.C., and 63-year-old Nigel Hooker of Southampton, England.

Surfers discovered the body of Australian tourist Raveshan Morgan Pillay, 27, on Vargas Island near Tofino weeks after the boat capsized.

Transportation safety board investigators have said passengers were standing on one side of the top deck when a wave hit the opposite side of the vessel.

Tofino resident Sophie L’homme, who was on the dock to conduct the Tofino Choir for Grown-Ups, said the blessing ceremony marks a turning point for Tofino.

“We’re all so happy the whales are back and we’re going to get out there and show our beauty to the tourists,” said L’Homme, who works as a water taxi operator. “The ocean is our town. We have to go on.”