'Godspeed', a prayer for sailing ships
ANNAPOLIS - The Rev. Mamie A. Williams blessed a fleet of seven sailing vessels as they left the Annapolis City Dock May 7, on Leg 7 of the 30,000 mile Volvo Ocean Race. 'O great God, Jehovah, mightily bless each vessel with your great veil of protection,' she prayed. She then went to each boat and prayed a blessing for it and its skipper and crew by name.
The race, formerly Whitbread, came into Baltimore from Rio de Janeiro for a two-week layover for repairs and recuperation before sailing on. The boats in the highly competitive race are 'sleek, narrow razors designed to slice through the water, powered by high-tech sails on towering masts,' said the Washington Post.
The sailors left from Annapolis on a 3,270 nautical miles trip to cross the Atlantic Ocean, stopping first in New York. They began docking in Portsmouth, England, in late May.
The blessing of the boats 'was one of the most exciting things that I have done in a long while,' Williams said.
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