BAR HARBOR – “The water is beautiful,” the Rev. Jonathan Appleyard said Sunday at the town’s dock overlooking Frenchman Bay.

“But it’s dangerous, too,” he added solemnly.

For many along Maine’s coast, from fishermen and women to sailing enthusiasts, the sea is their livelihood.

Sometimes though, the violent water does not send all of its seafarers back safely. In that spirit, the second Sunday of every June has become Seafarer’s Memorial Day, a day to remember lives lost at sea.

“It’s as simple as going out to eat and not realizing where that fish you’re eating came from; that people sometimes risk their lives to get it,” said Janet Spinelli, who was visiting Bar Harbor from Manchester, N.H., on Sunday and made her way down to the pier.

For several years, the Maine Sea Coast Mission in Bar Harbor has joined town Harbor Master Charlie Phippen in a small memorial ceremony followed by the town’s annual Blessing of the Fleet.

“It’s nice that we remember those first who lose their lives and then ask for blessing for ships that are on the water now,” the Rev. Sandra Reed of the Bar Harbor Congregational Church said.

Spinelli was one of many who stood at the water’s edge while Appleyard read a short list of names of Mainers who have lost their lives in recent years. The list included the three-man crew of the Little Raspy of Jonesport, a mussel fishing boat that sank off the Maine coast in 2000.

While none of the visitors Sunday had a direct connection to a loved one lost at sea, Appleyard observed a moment of silence after reading a proclamation from the governor that declared the Seafarer’s Memorial Day.

The solemn occasion then turned into a site of nautical pleasures as many stayed to watch the line of 19 boats that passed by the dock to be blessed.

“I’m here to see any, to see them all,” said Mona Leighton, who was in town from New Jersey visiting her sister for the week. “I’ve never been to anything like this.”

The boats ranged from small fishing vessels to large sight-seeing floaters. The majestic, four-masted Margaret Todd of Cherryfield drew the most “ohhs” and “ahhs” as it passed by the dock.

“What a beautiful boat,” Leighton said.

The Blessing of the Fleet was arranged by Phippen, who has spent the last seven years as harbor master. Before that, he was in the U.S. Coast Guard for 20 years.

“I’ve seen a lot of the seas; it can certainly be dangerous and unpredictable,” Phippen said.

Appleyard, rector at St. Savior’s Episcopal Church in Bar Harbor, has been at the annual blessing for the last four years.

“We have a number of parishioners who fish for a living,” he said. “So it’s a privilege for me to bless their boats because we know them.”