The Harbor Column:

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I just threw away my bathroom scale after the daylong feast.

It reminds me of the long-distance yacht deliveries where I am known by my crew for stocking the vessel’s bridge with munchies to help us keep awake on watch.

I think that munchies are listed as Coast Guard-required equipment on my yacht deliveries.

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. However, many of you travel during December, so let’s have some fun and look at other boat parades from around the nation.

Those who are traveling up to the delta area have a plethora of boat parades to watch.

The Delta Reflections Lighted Boat Parade arrives in downtown Stockton at 6 p.m. Dec. 5.

You can also see the Rio Vista Lighted Boat Parade that runs up the river to the Rio Vista Bridge and back. On Dec. 19 is the Delta Loop Lighted Boat Parade.

Farther up the coast, you can enjoy the Christmas Ship Parade on the Columbia and Willamette rivers in Portland, Ore. The parade is nightly from Dec. 9 to 20, the most nights that I know of in the nation.

Continuing north to Washington, there’s the Bellingham Lighted Boat Parade on Dec. 4 and the boats will pass Boulevard Park, Bellingham Ferry Terminal, ending through the Eastern entrance of Squalicum Harbor.

Who says that you cannot see a boat parade in the desert as the Lakes will host the Electric Light Boat Parade in Las Vegas on Dec. 12. The arid regions continue the parades with Lake Havasu’s annual Boat Parade of Lights on Dec. 4 and 5, and there is the APS Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade at Tempe Town Lake in Arizona on Dec. 12.

Then, it’s onward to Virginia for both the Yorktown Lighted Boat Parade and the Smith Mountain Lake’s Virginia Dare Flotilla for Toys Christmas Boat Parade on Dec. 5. See you at one of the boat parades across the nation.

MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating columnist. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to mike@boathousetv.com or go to www.boathousetv.com .