OCCOQUAN RIVER MARITIME ASSOCIATION Supporting Organizations: Occoquan Yacht Club, Fairfax Yacht Club, Prince William Yacht Club, Hoffmasters Marina, Chesapeake Bay Yacht Clubs Association, Potomac River Yacht Clubs Association, Salisbury Towing, Town of Occoquan, Virginia Concrete, Maryland Rock Industries, Belmont Town Associates, Vulcan Materials Co., Potomac Marine, Inc., West Marine-Woodbridge, Prince William Marine Sales, Inc. OCCOQUAN RIVER MARITIME ASSOCIATION                               P.O. Box 469, Occoquan, VA 22125 www.ormaweb.org April 23, 2001 Media contact: Tom Coldwell 703.323.1675                                              tcoldwell@cox.rr.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Occoquan Blessing of the Fleet set for Sunday, May 6 Occoquan, Va.—More than a hundred recreational boats are expected to cruise into Occoquan Bay, 25 miles south of Washington, DC, to take part in the area’s third annual Blessing of the Fleet, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Sunday, May 6. The Occoquan River Maritime Association (ORMA) is sponsoring the event, coordinating the efforts of the Prince William, Fairfax and Occoquan Yacht Clubs, with support from the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Potomac Marine- TowBOAT/U.S., and Fairfax and Prince William County public safety agencies. The blessing is open to all boats in the area, drawing from a fleet of some 1,500 boats on the Occoquan River and hundreds more in the neighboring Neabsco, Dogue and Mattawoman creeks. A procession of 114 boats participated in last year’s event. U.S. Navy chaplains will participate in the event, invoking a blessing on each boat as it passes near the chaplains’ flagship vessel, this year provided by Fairfax Yacht Club. In the event of inclement weather, the event will be canceled. ORMA was established in 1999 to coordinate activities of businesses and boaters relating to navigation, commercial and recreational use of the river, environmental preservation, safety and education. In addition to coordinating the annual Blessing of the Fleet, ORMA has played a leadership role in securing $1-million in federal funding for dredging of hazardous portions of the Occoquan channel and in the Town of Occoquan’s successful bid to obtain a $100-thousand grant for construction of transient docking for recreational boating.