New London — It was like a stampede, but a little holier, and a lot louder.

More than 300 of the state’s motorcycle enthusiasts spent their Sunday afternoon at New London’s Ocean Beach Park, enjoying one another’s company and marking the unofficial start of the biker season.

Sunday’s annual gathering also had a religious purpose: each bike left the park with the blessing of a priest, ready to hit the road for the summer with a little extra protection from above.

Brandon Belair, of Uncasville, just bought a Harley-Davidson Switchback. He had attached bells to his bike to keep “road demons” away, but came to the park Sunday afternoon for an extra blessing.

Would it work?

“I hope,” he said. “That’s what I’m here for.”

Bikes and their owners flooded the Ocean Beach parking lot Sunday morning. At first, only a few engines could be heard over winds that were strong enough to lift a vendor’s tent completely off the ground.

But by the time the Rev. Canon Bob Miner,  the interim pastor at Saint James Episcopal Church, was ready with the holy water, the park was filled with the roar of more than 300 motorcycles.

Raymond Gray of Waterford sat astride his bright orange Harley-Davidson trike, waiting patiently for the signal to join the line toward Miner. Gray said he comes every year, but his wife just bought him the trike and he wanted to make sure it was ready for summer.

“I don’t go out on a bike that hasn’t been blessed,” he said.

Gray said he’s never been in a motorcycle crash.

“Rap on wood,” he said, tapping his knuckles on his helmet.

Across the parking lot Miner, was ready.

With a steady arm, he flung droplets of water at the bikers as they passed. Each rider had paid a $5 entry fee that the Motorcycle Club of New London would donate to the New London Covenant Shelter and the Waterford Country School.

“This is fun,” Miner said later. “It’s really exciting.”

Sunday’s chilly weather meant a lower attendance rate than in previous years, according to New London Motorcycle Club president Dana McFee.

But the event each year brings out the most dedicated bikers in the area, he said.

“We’ve done this in hurricanes,” he said.

Getting a blessing from a priest is serious business. Some bikers, McFee included, point to the ritual as the reason they’ve never crashed.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m going to keep getting blessed,” he said.

Others, like club vice president Dave Adams, said the blessing has played a part in keeping them unharmed when they have been involved in accidents.

Adams pointed to a pin on his leather vest of an upside-down deer, indicating he had survived a crash with an antlered pedestrian.

“We need all the help we can get,” he said.

m.shanahan@theday.com