Paraders Deck the Decks in Water Wonderlands

Santa will swap his sleigh for a boat next week. But don’t worry, it’s only temporary. It’s just that, otherwise he might miss out on Orange County’s Christmas boat parades.

Every December, the nighttime parades of elaborately decorated vessels draw hundreds of boaters--including Santa.

Orange County has three parades.

The first sets sail Dec. 11 and 12 in Dana Point, followed by Huntington Harbour’s annual procession on Dec. 12 and 13. Newport Beach will stage the county’s oldest and largest on-the-water parade from Dec. 17 through 23. In all there’ll be 11 nights of parading, plus eight nights of boat tours to view the lavishly decorated waterfront homes in Huntington Harbour.

About 60 boats will participate in Dana Point’s 18th annual parade on Dec. 11 and 12. Boats will make two laps through the harbor beginning at 7 p.m. in the east basin and continuing down the main channel to the west basin. “Our harbor is real small so we have to go around twice,” says Linda Cognito, parade chairman.

The parade lasts for about two hours and you can view it from any of the harbor’s waterfront restaurants or from the grassy areas near the sea wall. If you want to watch it as a participant, you can buy a ticket and take a ride on Dana Wharf Sportfishing’s 65-foot boat, Cognito says. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12. If you want to enter your own boat, you can call Cognito at (714) 496-5794. There is no entry fee.

About 50 boats are expected to participate in the 30th annual parade sponsored by the Huntington Harbour Philharmonic Committee on Dec. 12 and 13. Boats line up in the main channel at 4:30 p.m. and begin cruising the harbor at 5 p.m. Parade entries are still being accepted; boaters can call the philharmonic office at (714) 840-7542 to sign up.

Viewing the parade is not easy, because most of the parade route can be seen only from private homes. But Eva Kilgore, publicity chairman for the Huntington Harbour Philharmonic Committee, says you can see the parade from the Earl Percy Dock, a boat launching area near Warner Avenue. and Pacific Coast Highway.

Other viewing spots include Trinidad Park, 3601 Sagamore Lane; Prince View Point Park, 3302 Venture Drive, and Conrad Park, Aquarius Drive and Trinidad Lane.

“We don’t encourage a million people to come,” Kilgore says. “And if you’re going to watch the parade, you have to get there early. Traffic is terrible, and parking is at a definite minimum. Some people walk a half-mile to a mile” from where they park.

Kilgore says it isn’t the boat parade, but the Cruise of Lights that draws people to Huntington Harbour every Christmas. The parade merely launches the organizations’s eight-day boat tours, which bring about 30,000 paying passengers to the harbor to see the hundreds of decorated waterfront homes.

“It gets more elaborate every year,” Kilgore says. “People start decorating six months beforehand. One family totally puts a false facade on their house to make it look like Santa’s workshop. Another, who are into race horses, put animated horses in front of their house.”

This year the Cruise of Lights runs from Dec. 15 through 22 with boat tours departing nightly at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30. Tickets are $8.50 for adults and $5 for children on Monday through Thursday, and $9.50 for adults and $5 for children on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For reservations and information, call (714) 840-7542. Tours are already sold out on some nights.

In preparation for the thousands of visitors who will descend upon the area, the Philharmonic Committee is sponsoring its first harbor clean-up day on Saturday. The event is called “Company’s Coming,” and Philharmonic members will be handing out plastic trash bags to area residents and urging them to pick up floating debris. “We just wanted to make an effort this year to make the harbor clean and to get every resident involved,” Kilgore says.

While people flock to Huntington Harbour to see the decorated homes, they have been coming to Newport Beach for more than 80 years to see one of the country’s largest and oldest boat parades. About 200 vessels, ranging from outrigger canoes to 100-foot yachts, are expected to participate in the 84th annual parade, sponsored by the Newport Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce. The parade begins each evening at Collins Island at 6:30 and continues for about 2 1/2 hours.

One of the best viewing spots, according to parade chairman Rudy Baron, is Balboa Island. “I really think the island is the best place. (The parade) comes down the north bay front between 6:30 and 7 and then goes around the harbor and comes back up the east bay front and south bay front two hours later, so you get two chances to see it. In between you can walk around the island. There’s lots of neat restaurants so you can watch the parade and go Christmas shopping or to a restaurant, then go watch the parade again.”

If you plan to watch the parade from Balboa Island, Baron, who is a resident of the island, suggests that you arrive early--no later than 6 p.m.--so you can find a place to park.

Another good viewing spot, and one where you don’t have to worry about parking, is the grandstand seating area set up each year by the Newport Harbor Jaycees. Grandstands are at the Sea Scout Base, 1931 W. Pacific Coast Highway. The ticket price of $6 for adults and $4 for children includes parking and round-trip shuttle service from the parking area at the Newport Dunes. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster at (714) 740-2000 or by calling the Jaycees at (714) 721-0637.

You can also watch the parade from one of the city’s many waterfront restaurants, but Baron suggests you book early because reservations fill up fast.

If you prefer an outdoor picnic to a restaurant dinner, you can bundle up the kids and visit one of the city’s public beaches. “If you want to bring a blanket and a picnic and sit on the beach, the nicest bay beach is the 19th Street beach,” says Ralph Rodheim, a longtime area resident and former parade chairman. “It’s a huge area with good parking and a good place to see the boats.”

The beach is between 18th Street and 19th Street on the Balboa Peninsula. Other public viewing spots include the beach at 10th and Bay streets and the city docks at Washington, North Fernando, 19th and 15th streets on the peninsula.

For boaters, perhaps the best way to watch the parade is to cruise along with the fleet and join in on the fun, says Rodheim, who has participated in about 25 parades. “My most favorite thing to do is to decorate my boat the best I can and to be aboard and yell ‘Merry Christmas’ to everybody.”