Boat Floats

Dec. 8 : I went to the Marina del Rey Boat Parade. What a hoot! I'd never been to a "boat parade" so wasn't sure what to expect. But it is exactly what it sounds like. Spectators (like me) go to Chace Park at the edge of the marina and line up along the docks to get an unobstructed view of the water. After a brief fireworks display, boats circle the marina in a continuous loop while an emcee announces who owns each boat as it passes by. The boats are decorated with holiday lights, much like people decorate the front lawns of their houses, and some contain props such as giant Santas.

The boats ranged in size from tiny to large, and from barely decorated (just a few strings of lights) to incredibly elaborate displays. The most elaborate boats had animated light shows set to music, sometimes with singers and dancers on board. Some of my favorites were: a giant, animated nutcracker; animated seals that tossed gifts back and forth; and sailboats and "pirate" ships that had lights run along all their masts so that the entire boat was outlined. A couple of boats pulled tiny boats behind them with a plastic Santa at the helm.

My favorite boat had animated reindeer "running" on the left side of the boat, with an animated dolphin "porpoising" along the front of the boat. Way cool. Most of my pictures didn't come out (esp. of the fanciest boats) because it was dark and the boats were moving, but here's a blurry photo of a boat with a Christmas tree in lights.