While a "blessing of the fleet" ceremony is scheduled for the morning of Saturday, June 9, at the Elmwood Township marina, two members of the organization sponsoring the gathering have already performed an angelic act.

Dave Wenzel and Bob Roxburgh, members of the United Boaters in Elmwood Township (UBET) organization, last week discovered that a boat tied to a slip in the Elmwood Marina was taking on water.

A check valve had given way, and the boat was in danger of quickly finding the bottom of West Grand Traverse Bay.

“Bob just happened to keep a big, auxiliary bilge pump on his boat for emergencies,” said Mike Morris, a member of the Elmwood Township Marina Committee. “The boat was on its way to the bottom.”

The pair had pumped enough water from the boat to avoid an emergency by the time a truck from the Elmwood Township Fire Department arrived. The boat owner was subsequently contacted, and took care of the problem from there.

The fleet blessing has become a regular part of the early boating season in Elmwood. Leading the ceremony will be Pastor Richard Skar of West Bay Covenant Church.

The blessing is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., on the south end of the marina near Brewery Creek. It will be followed by a potluck breakfast until 11 a.m., with all boaters and residents invited. Participants are asked to ring their own table setting.