A fleeting memory
Honoring sacrifice at Depoe Bay’s Fleet of Flowers
Of the many festivities and commemorations on the Central Oregon Coast this Memorial Day weekend, few are as visually stunning as Depoe Bay’s annual Fleet of Flowers, taking place by land and by sea on Monday, May 27.
The program begins on land at 11 am with a ceremony that lasts roughly 45 minutes before people head to the flower-festooned boats and make their through the harbor and out to sea.
“The ceremony has changed over the years,” said Kathy Wyatt, who co-organizes the event with Clary Grant, owner of the Sea Hag in Depoe Bay. “There will be speakers and blessings, but we will also have music by Johnny Wheels and his group and the Girls Scouts will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Once the program is over, if you’re not aboard one of the boats, the best place to watch the event will be from the Depoe Bay Bridge and the area next to the Whale Watching Center. From there, you’ll be able to see the boats leaving the harbor and forming a circle offshore.”
A Coast Guard helicopter will arrive and drop the first wreath into the ocean. Then, everybody aboard the boats will throw their wreaths into the water.
For the organizers and volunteers, preparation begins well before the big event.
“Early in the week, we start trimming the cedar to make the wreath bases,” Wyatt said. “Then we have the flowers delivered and we make about 3,000 wreaths. By Sunday we should be ready to take them to the docks where the boat captains will decorate their boats with them. It's an incredible sight to see.”
The event has its origins in 1936, when Roy Bower and Jack Chambers headed out in their 30-foot trawler Cara Lou in a dense fog to see if they could find the Norwester, a missing boat with three aboard. After locating the Norwester, Bower and Chambers began escorting her to shore. But the hazardous conditions proved too much for the Cara Lou, which was wrecked by a heavy sea as she passed the north reef. The crew of the Norwester survived after spending the stormy night tied to a buoy. The lifeless bodies of Bower and Chambers were found the next morning.
Their courage and sacrifice became the stuff of local legend, and a decade later, after the close of World War II, the Fleet of Flowers event was born. Over time, the event was broadened to include remembrance of all seafarers — fishermen, navy, coast guardsmen — who have lost their lives at sea. It has grown to become a signature event for the city of Depoe Bay.
The event, now in its 79th year, was in danger of going extinct at one point.
“When Clary and I took over there was one dollar in the account,” Wyatt said. “We looked back over some photos and figured it out and it's improved every year since. The US Coast Guard is always a huge help and we have more volunteers this year than we ever have which has been incredibly helpful and makes us feel very grateful.”
The annual event also has swag: sweatshirts, hats and more that will be available at Dockside Charters and a few other locations. This year's graphic is flowers in the shape of an anchor.
“It's a lot of work in one week but it’s worth it,” Wyatt said. “Every year since the pandemic, when we just had a few small events, it has been growing. This year I think is going to be the best so far.”
The Fleet of Flowers events will begin at 11 am at the docks in Depoe Bay Harbor. The boats, visible from the seawall, the Depoe Bay Bridge or the Whale Watching Center, will begin heading out at roughly 11:45 am. For more information, go to the Fleet of Flowers page on Facebook.