In rough seas, more than 25 boats, big and small participated in the burial at sea of longtime Destin Fishing Rodeo Weighmaster Bruce Cheves on May 30 in Destin.
The procession of boats out of the harbor started promptly at 6 p.m. with Capt. Jim Green of the New Florida Girl’s American Spirit leading the way.
The boats paraded out as far as the Pass. Father Mike Hesse read a few scriptures and prayed with the family and friends, before Helen Donaldson tossed the ashes of Cheves off the American Spirit.
Boat horns sounded, and flowers were tossed overboard in remembrance of Cheves. Jayne Redmond tossed over an old clock, where she had written “time is” on the clock.
Cheves called “time is” on thousands of fish in his 41 years as weighmaster of the Rodeo.
“You know he was up there smiling down at all these charter boats trying to hold up on this outgoing tide. It was great,” Green said as his boat full of passengers headed back to the docks.
“When I backed out of the slip and saw all those boats going down the harbor … I thought this is a tribute. This is what Bruce meant to this fleet,” Green said.
“It looked like Blessing of the Fleet Day,” Hesse said of the line of boats. “He was a representative.”
Added Green: “He was an excellent ambassador for our Rodeo,” Green said.
Following the burial at sea, AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar hosted a barbecue with all the fixings for family and friends of Cheves to enjoy.
This article originally appeared on The Destin Log: Destin fishing fleet honors late rodeo weighmaster Bruce Cheves
Reporting by Tina Harbuck, The Destin Log / The Destin Log
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
