Many customs are unique to maritime communities, although some are carried on in connection with major holidays. In several of Maine's coastal communities, lobster boat races, rowboat races, and the sale of seafood prepared in a traditional manner are key elements of annual Fourth of July celebrations. At Easter time in many coastal regions of the country, local clergymen bless boats and their crews as they pass by in a procession. Community-based seafood festivals also include many customs. In the town of Apalachicola, Florida, site of one of the nation's most productive oyster fisheries, an annual festival is held to celebrate local maritime heritage.
Customs related to death also have maritime correlatives.
They include memorial services held at sea for fishermen lost there, and tombstones that display engravings of boats, anchors, and other nautical objects. Finally, there are remedies for sickness, especially seasickness, and injury. For many commercial fishermen, wounds caused by sharp fish fins are a constant hazard. And whether it be a nail or a catfish puncture, . . . I've personally, a number of times, took the penny and a slice of bacon about this big and put the penny inside of it, and just fold it over, put it right to the puncture wound.