By John Cruickshank
CHURCH congregations across Stonehaven will mark Sea Sunday on July 13 and enjoy a video raising highlighting our local seafarers.
Sea Sunday is a special time set aside in the church calendar for congregations to pray for our crew men and women. Led by the Mission to Seafarers, this is a global initiative honouring all those who work at sea enabling our international trade.
For this year’s event, Ros Grace Marshall of Carronside Church and Anne O’ Gorman of St James’ Church collaborated to promote a film reflecting upon the maritime life of Stonehaven and raising awareness of those taking to the seas.
Ian Wood from the Mearns Camera Club acted as film crew, using the lifeboat shed as a setting to interview a representative of the Fisherman’s Mission, RNLI and local sea cadets.
Morning blessing before Sea Sunday services in church
Early on Sunday morning at 8am, at the 3 Knots, there will be a short service for the Blessing of the Fleet to which all are warmly welcome.
Meanwhile, the very essence of the seafarer is captured by John Masefield in his poem ‘Sea Fever’ (1902):
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.
I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.