Flying colors

Deepa Bharath

It’s all about red, white and blue for Paul Gerst.

He’s celebrating the spirit of America this year at the 94th

annual Christmas Boat Parade. His boat, named Elation, describes its

owner’s state of mind when he sees the 36-foot sailboat lighted up in

patriotic colors, complete with Frosty the Snowman sporting an Uncle

Sam hat and perched on a large golden gift box.

This is Gerst’s fifth year in the parade, and he enjoys it every

year with his wife and son. The boat, Gerst said, is decorated

entirely by sons Paul Jr. and John Gerst and their longtime buddies,

Paul Lindley and Rich Russell. All attended Corona del Mar High

School.

“When you’re on a boat that looks great, everybody claps and

cheers for you,” Russell said. “And that’s just such a good feeling.”

But when you make an appearance in a not-so-good-looking boat, you

get pelted with vegetables and fruits.

“When people throw vegetables here, it’s not like ordinary

vegetables, like a tomato,” Gerst said. “It’s something exotic. One

year, I saw kumquats, I swear. It’s Newport Beach, after all.”

Elation has never been one of the boats to get hit. The Gersts

have so far won Best Yacht Club Entry and Best Sailboat. Last year,

they walked away with Best Music for playing punchy, patriotic tunes.

This year, the Gersts went all out with hundreds of red, white and

blue lights strung from the mast to form a tall triangle.

“We also added the reindeer this year and the red, white and blue

bunting,” Paul Gerst Jr. said. Some of the lights fell after the big

storm earlier this week, he said, but they were strung right back on.

As the family was preparing for the parade on opening night

Wednesday, Paul Sr. walked in with a bottle with Korean letters on

it.

“Here’s our lucky bottle,” he said, waving the empty, brown bottle

in the air. “We can’t leave without our lucky bottle.”

The credit for the boat and the decorations goes entirely to his

son Paul and his friends, Gerst said.

“We never have the work done by any professionals,” he said. “It’s

all done by these guys right here.”