With Halloween and Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, I guess it's fair to say that the holiday season is upon us.
By Captain Ray
Published: December, 2016
With Halloween and Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, I guess it’s fair to say that the holiday season is upon us. We are now looking forward to the start of Hanukkah on 24DEC, Christmas on 25DEC and the first day of Kwanzaa on 26DEC.
For some these are religious observances, for a lot of us it is all about friends and family, and for many it is both. There are certainly plenty of ways to celebrate: family and office parties, decorating trees and homes, caroling, services at your place of worship, and the giving and receiving of gifts—not to mention family feasts!
The boating community has a unique and very colorful way of doing its part during this season of celebration. We adorn our boats with lights, decorations, costumed people and pets, and go on parade. I’d like to tell you about five lighted boat parades that are happening here on San Francisco Bay so that you can add one (or more) of them to your schedule of holiday celebrations.
On Saturday, December 3, the first of these parades, called the Oakland/Alameda Lighted Yacht Parade, will take place in the Oakland/Alameda Estuary. This will be the event’s 40th anniversary. The theme this year is “Deck the Hulls” and there are usually between 35 and 50 boats participating. It starts just after sunset, about 5:30 p.m., and Jack London Square and Wind River Park are excellent viewing sites. Another attractive alternative for viewing the parade is to reserve a window table at one of the estuary’s waterfront restaurants—dinner and a show without having to move!
On the following Saturday, December 10, Sausalito will be hosting its own lighted boat parade. This will be the 28th year for the Sausalito parade and you can expect to see about 40 decorated vessels. The parade will start at 6 p.m. just north of the Bay Model and proceed south to the boardwalk at Old Town. The best outdoor views are from the Bridgeway Promenade and the ferry pier in the downtown area. Several restaurants, including Spinnaker, Trident, Barrel House, and Scoma’s Sausalito, offer great indoor viewing. As an extra added attraction, this boat parade will also include a fireworks display at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, December 16 is your next opportunity, this time at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. This year marks the parade’s 20th anniversary. There will be about 60 boats this year from the Fisherman’s Wharf fishing fleet and the Sea Scouts as well as the St. Francis and Golden Gate Yacht Clubs. Again starting at 5:30 p.m., boats will parade from Pier 39 west to the St. Francis Yacht Club and back, ending about 8 p.m. Great viewing locations can be found at Pier 39, Aquatic Park, Fort Mason, the Marina Green and Crissy Field.
The very next day, Saturday, December 17, for those of you living farther north, the Petaluma River Turning Basin (in downtown Petaluma) will host the festivities. Boats will depart the Petaluma Marina about 6 p.m., travel up the river with the lighted and decorated fleet arriving in the Turning Basin about 6:30 p.m.
At almost exactly the same time another parade is happening on San Rafael Canal. This one starts at 5:30 p.m. on December 17 and is sponsored by the San Rafael, Loch Lomond and Marin Yacht Clubs and the Classic Yacht Association. Along with the support from local business partners, the group plans to give San Rafael residents one of the largest lighted boat parades ever witnessed in Northern California, with the tradition entering its 11th year. The number of lighted boats participating each year has grown from a few in the early years to approximately 90 lighted boats in recent years. The number of spectators viewing the parade has also grown—from a few hundred to several thousand.
Local residents living in the canal area even decorate their homes and host gatherings in celebration of the festive event. Montecito Plaza, the Beach Park at the end of Yacht Club Drive or Pickleweed Park at the mouth of the creek make great outdoor viewing areas.
So, pack a picnic or make dinner reservation and go enjoy a unique way to celebrate the season!
On a personal note, I’m going to take the next three months off for some R&R and travel. My column, “Sailing Adventures,” will be back in Bay Crossings in the April 2017 edition, just in time for Opening Day on the Bay.
Ray Wichmann is a US SAILING-certified Ocean Passagemaking Instructor, a US SAILING Master Instructor Trainer, and a member of US SAILING’s National Faculty. He holds a 100-Ton Master’s License, was a charter skipper in Hawai’i for 15 years, and has sailed on both coasts of the United States, in Mexico, the Caribbean and Greece. He is presently employed as the Master Instructor at OCSC Sailing in the Berkeley Marina.
