Christmas brings sailing spirit

MIKE WHITEHEAD

Ahoy,

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and while you read my

column, I am off again on another high sea adventure aboard a new

yacht, and today, we are cruising down the coast to Ensenada, Mexico.

Last week I mentioned that I was delivering a yacht from Ensenada to

the United States, and that this time of year the weather is highly

unpredictable for boating.

Well, we were caught in the unpredicted storm system that moved

through the area last weekend. When we were south of the Coronado

Islands, the winds were recorded at 50 knots by the captain in a

nearby mega-yacht paralleling us on the voyage north to U.S. Customs.

Later that day, the United States Coast Guard was announcing warnings

over the marine radio for boaters to watch out for waterspouts.

For your weather lesson of the day, waterspouts are like tornadoes

over water. Waterspouts are fast-rotating air columns that form

during unstable conditions such as when cold fronts move though the

area. A waterspout can be dangerous to boats and piers -- and then to

mobile home parks when a waterspout moves onto land to become a

tornado.

On another note, the day after Thanksgiving signals the time to

start decorating your boat for the Holiday boat parades. All of our

Southern California harbors host a holiday boat parade next month,

and the waterways will be lined with spectators. However, many of you

travel during December, so let’s have some fun and look at other boat

parades around the nation

Those who are traveling up to the Delta area have a plethora of

boat parades to watch on Dec. 4, starting with the Delta Reflections

Lighted Boat Christmas Parade from Windmill Cove to downtown Stockton

then turning around at McLeod Lake. You can also see the Rio Vista

Lighted Boat Christmas Parade that runs up the river to the Rio Vista

Bridge and back. Or check out Christmas In Old Town at Suisun City

Marina, which includes caroling, carriage rides, a festive bonfire,

pictures with Santa and the lighted boat Parade. And then there’s the

Antioch Delta Delites Lighted Boat Christmas Parade, cruising from

the Antioch Bridge downstream to the city waterfront.

The Delta festivities continue on Dec. 11 with the Discovery Bay

Lighted Boat Christmas Parade; the Ox Bow Lighted Boat Christmas

Parade in the Georgiana Slough and the Mokelumne River; and finally

the Bethel Island Parade of Lights, which travels clockwise around

the island.

On Dec. 18, there’s the Delta Loop Lighted Boat Christmas Parade,

which starts at Korth’s Pirates Lair Marina on Andrus Island’s Delta

Loop and runs to the Highway 12 bridge and back. It’s open to all

boaters.

Further up the coast, you can enjoy the Christmas Ship Parade on

the Columbia and Willamette Rivers in Portland. The parade is nightly

for two weeks, from Dec. 9 to 21.

Continuing north, there’s the Bellingham Lighted Boat Parade on

Dec. 6 at the Fairhaven Alaska Ferry Terminal, and on Dec. 13, see

Harbour Lights at Victoria, British Columbia.

Las Vegas also has its boat parade on Lake Sahara on Dec. 6, and

this is the only holiday boat parade in Las Vegas. The arid regions

continue the parades with the Lake Havasu Christmas Boat Parade Of

Lights on Dec. 3 and 4 and Tempe’s Holiday Boat Parade on Tempe Town

Lake on Dec. 11.

In Texas, the 20th Annual Illuminated Boat Parade in Corpus

Christi is Dec. 6, and Houston’s Christmas Boat Parade will be Dec.

11 on Clear Lake. Then, it’s onward to Virginia, starting with the

Yorktown Lighted Boat Parade on Dec. 3 and the Smith Mountain Lake

Parade on Dec. 11.

Tune in to the No. 1 boating talk radio show in the nation, “Capt.

Mike Whitehead’s Boathouse Radio Show.” It airs every Saturday from

noon to 1 p.m. on KCBQ-AM (1170). You can join me, Chandler Bell and

Eric Hovland by calling the listener line at (888) 344-1170.

Safe voyages.

* MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating and harbor columnist. Send

him your harbor and marine-related thoughts and story suggestions by

e-mail to mike@boathousetv.com or visit https://www.boathousetv.com.