Christmas Parade -- With Boats!

Last night we went down to the Marina to watch the annual boat parade.  In previous years we have watched from various viewpoints along the shore because we wanted to avoid the crowds, but this year we were brave enough to get down to the docks... and that was fine, too.

This blown-up image shows how
some mariners decorate their sail boats.

The parade was supposed to start about 7:00 p.m., but since it gets dark at around 5:30 these days, the parade was OVER by 7:00!  I feel sorry for those families that came down to the docks at that late hour because they missed the whole thing.

This boat, with the live band, also had
a blown-up Santa bear in the front.

I used my iPhone as a camera, so some of the long-distance photos are not very clear.  I wish that Rick had brought along his "real" Nikon; we would have gotten much better pictures.  The weather was great (low 70's) with a clear sky, so watching the boats was a very comfortable experience.

A Florida Christmas tree on one boat was
made totally out of metal and lights.

Reindeer "antlers" adorn the top of this boat.

One of the boats had a live band on it.  We had met the captain earlier in the day.  He said that he has a live band each year, but this might be his last year participating in the parade.  He is 66, and he has been doing this for the past six years.  I imagine that hiring the band is not inexpensive!

Although hard to see behind other docked boats, this boat had
a huge fishing reel with a gift "caught" at the end.

Some boats just had lots of lights while others decked themselves out as sleighs, Christmas trees, or floating workshops.  My favorite this year was the outrigger that had a huge fishing line with a wrapped present dangling from the end.


We did not stay around for Santa to arrive by boat (yes, this IS Florida) or for the lighting of the town Christmas tree -- made of a metal structure, garland, and lights since the live trees dry out too quickly in Florida unless they are planted in the ground.  We were home by 7:45 p.m.

The evening was a fun escape for a while, yet with warm weather and the trees in full bloom, this just does not seem like four weeks from Christmas.