Photo: Getty Images
It was the 35th Annual Blessing of the Fleet & Seafood Festival in 2022 at Mount Pleasant Memorial waterfront park on Sunday.
For the first time in my now 13 yrs. of broadcasting the live 'blessing' I was finally able to do so onboard an actual shrimp boat as it was being blessed #BucketList #ThankYou #Blessed #PlayboyShrimpBoat featured in #OuterBanks #NetflixSeries
Special thanks to listener Billy, Cpt. Tommy Edwards + Grace of the 'Playboy' for having me onboard. I found out Cpt. Tommy's dubbed Shem Creek's 'Shrimp Pimp' and that the 'Playboy' was originally Cpt. Andrew Magwood's boat. Andrew is, I'm told, Rocky Magwood's great uncle who lives on Sullivan's Island now.
Members of the Magwood family started this festival decades ago and remain woven into the fabric of this annual event, marked forever in history in the Library of CONGRESS (take a look!)
One of the late great Cpt. Wayne Magwood's daughter's, Tressy, makes announcements from the stage, at the Pier's end, while 'Momma' Ann Magwood, and other Magwood daughter's and their extended family, lead a procession from the park to the pier, with a fireman's band and bagpiper.
This year, Captain Wayne's nephew Rocky Magood unveiled his new boat name: Magwood's Pride ! Also, very touching this year was the 'Winds of Fortune' return from NC to honor Cpt. Magwood's memory. Wayne passed in a tragic accident crossing Coleman Blvd. near Shem Creek in 2020.
“Tressy Mellichamp you did an amazing announcement today at the Blessing of the Fleet & Seafood Festival. You brought a few tears to my eyes as you so passionately announced every boat! You Make the fleet proud girl. Much ❤️" - #ShrimpDude Glenn McElhenney