Holiday Boat Parade Winners Announced

Byline: Nu Yang

Boaters throughout Southern California participated in festive holiday boat parades during the month of December — and spectators who flocked to local harbors saw many impressively decorated vessels.

Some of these boats’ owners spent the entire year planning and preparing their boat parade entries, in order to win over the crowds of spectators and the parade judges were looking for creativity and originality. However, only a few were honored with top awards, in categories ranging from “Best Theme” and “Most Humorous” to “Best Overall” and “Best in Fleet.”

While some event honorees had not yet been named at press time, here are the boat parade winners announced so far:

ORANGE COUNTY
Dana Point Parade of Lights
Best Crew Under 30 Feet: Nauti Dogg
Best Crew Over 30 Feet: Nowhere Bar
Best Animation Under 30 Feet: Lady Lisa
Best Animation Over 30 Feet: Mare Azul
Best Use of Color Under 30 Feet: Mer Sea
Best Use of Color Over 30 Feet: JTM
Best Use of Lights Under 30 Feet: Doheny Doll
Best Use of Lights Over 30 Feet: Bella Rose
Most Original Under 30 Feet: Half Full and Dana West Yacht Club Juniors
Most Original Over 30 Feet: Fintastic
Best Theme Under 30 Feet: Doheny Doll
Best Theme Over 30 Feet: Wind Dancer
Best Sailboat Under 30 Feet: Mer Sea
Best Sailboat Over 30 Feet: Wind Dancer
Best Powerboat Under 30 Feet: Doheny Doll
Best Powerboat Over 30 Feet: Fintastic
Yacht Club with the Most Entries: Dana West Yacht Club
Judges Choice Under 30 Feet: Lady Lisa
Judges Choice Over 30 Feet: Fins
Sponsor Award Winners
While Pelican Cup/Best New Entry Under 30 Feet: Whole Life
Dream Catcher Yachts Cup/Best New Entry Over 30 Feet: Roxie
The Woody Hut Cup/Making the Most of What You Got: Dynamite
Carlos Mexican Restaurant/Best Use of Santa: Whoo Hoo
Chick’s Plumbing Flush Cup: Nowhere Bar
Dana Point Boater’s Association/Most Spirit Cup: Wind Dancer
Dana Point Chamber/Best Crew Cup: Living Life
Proud Mary’s Best Music Cup: Bella Rose
Vintage Marina Partners Best Music Cup: (runner up) Jenny II
Coffee Importers Latte Lights Cup: Mare Azul
Dana Wharf Kid’s Cup: Furlough Daze
Harbor Grill Dinghy Award: 1st: Beach Time; 2nd: DWYC Juniors; 3rd: Jenny II
Hennessy’s Best Powerboat Award: Fins
The Fish Bucket/Best Sailboat Award: Mer Sea
Wind and Sea/Best in Parade Award: Doheny Doll
Hennessy’s Mayor’s Cup: Doheny Doll

103rd annual Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade Winners
Sweepstakes: The Last Hurrah
Best Powerboat: El Navegante
Best Sailboat: The Hippocampus
Best Lights: 1st: Cherokee Rose; 2nd: Aye Object; 3rd Quitena
Humor/Originality: 1st: D25; 2nd: Sea-Note; 3rd: Paddy John
Animation/Special Effects: 1st: The Rose Maria; 2nd: Amazing Grace; 3rd: Naiad
Best Music: Tally HO
Best Boat Under 30 Feet: Polly Mer
Best First-Time Entry: Cherokee Rose
Best Yacht Club Entry: The Hippocampus

LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Marina del Rey Holiday Boat Parade
Best Overall: Coco Puff, Women’s Sailing Association
Best Sail: Cloe Rose, Pacific Mariners Yacht Club
Best Power: Abacus, Marina del Rey Hospital
Best Yacht Club: Kallista, Marina Venice Yacht Club
Best Organization: Insolent Minx, Richard Maire and the Scouts
Best Individual: Sea Moan, Karl Dahlin
Best Charter: Cloud Nine, Marina del Rey Parasailing
Best Theme: 1st: Owen Churchill, California Yacht Club; 2nd: Paradise Now, Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club
Best Music: 1st: Splender II, Christopher McDougall; 2nd: Poppy, Darren Newberry
Best Band: Silver Eagle, Paradise Bound Charters
Best Animation: 1st: Moondoggie, Rob Jarmon; 2nd: Teaser, South Bay Yacht Racing Club
Best Spirit: 1st: Heinrich Keifer; 2nd: Whiplash, Joseph Broyles
Best Lights: 1st: Valhalla, Greg and Laverne Potter; 2nd: Weekend Hooker, Bruce Taguchi
King Harbor Christmas Boat Parade
Execution of Theme: Duet, Baldeep Sadhal
Best Costumes: Mottley Crew, Jack Mott
Best Animation: Das Schiff, Sea Scouts Ship 618
Best Lighting: Pascal’s Wager, Lee and Lorraine Coller
Best Sailboat: Pier Pressure, Bruce Neighbors
Best Powerboat: Distraction, Jeff Wolfe
Sweepstakes Winner: Hydrotherapy, Bruce Honer
Best in Fleet-Cove Fleet: Racer Chaser, Bob Travis
VENTURA COUNTY
Channel Islands Harbor Parade of Lights Winners
Most Humorous Display: Bother Me Tomorrow, Timothy A. Smith, Channel Islands Yacht Club
Best Dressed Crew: Pelagic Pelican, David Daggett, Spanish Hills Country Club.
Nonprofit/Government: Oxnard Police Department, Boy Scout Troop 231/Oxnard Police Department
Commercial 30 Feet and Under: Current Toy, Frank Laza, Central Coast Electric Boat Co.
Commercial 30 Feet and Over: Pelagic Pelican, David Daggett, Spanish Hills Country Club
Electric Boat: Volts Wagon, Janet Flickinger.
Individual 30 Feet and Under: 1st: Kier Shapiro; 2nd: Over the Rocks, Richard Black; 3rd: Don’t Panic, John P. Fischer
Individual 30 Feet and Over: 1st: Grander, Greg Bohnet; 2nd: Double Barrel, The Browning Family; 3rd: Southern Exposure, Randy Rehder
Yacht Club 30 Feet and Under: Out Patient, Randy Alcorn, Anacapa Yacht Club
Yacht Club 30 Feet and Over: 1st: Jr. Executive, Don Yokaitis, Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club; 2nd: Bother Me Tomorrow, Timothy A. Smith, Channel Islands Yacht Club
Sweepstakes Winner: Jr. Executive, Don Yokaitis, Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club
Ventura Harbor Parade of Lights
Grand Prize: Kiss, Jan and Debbie Lawson
People’s Choice: Reel Obsession, Jeff Long
Non-Profit: 1st: Sea Ranger, National Park Service; 2nd: Valkyrie, Tom Peterson
Commercial: 1st: Pacific Eagle, Michael Mings; 2nd: Island Adventure, Mark Connally
Best Use of Animation: Aloha Ohana, Richard Knuppel
Best Use of Lights: Steller, Steve Linn
Human Powered: Hokuloa
Sailboat Under 30 Feet: No Regrets, Brian Stanton
Sailboat 30 Feet and Over: 1st: The Heavenly, Jay Shapiro; 2nd: Won’t Grow Up, Randy Richar
Powerboat Under 26 Feet: 1st: Solymar, Carlos Careaga; 2nd: Hav “N” Fun, John Flynn
Powerboat 26 Feet and Over: 1st: Four D’Familia, Doug Clevenger; 2nd: Reel Obsession, Jeff Long
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
Santa Barbara Parade of Lights
Grand Prize: Channel Cat, Rachel Williams
Commercial Fishing: 1st: Mercy 06068, James Escamilla; 2nd: True Grit, Chad McClintock; 3rd: Renegade, Chris Brown
Commercial Other: 1st: Scrub A Dub, Shaun Hughs; Ranger, Kevin Leitch
Powerboat: 1st: Sea Goer, Pete Seagoe; 2nd: Barbarian, Julia Leitch; 3rd: Polaris, Roger and Sara Chrisman
Sailboat: 1st: Okiva, Spencer MacRae; 2nd: Blue Moon, Joseph and Silvia Hahn; 3rd: Allegro non Troppo, Mary Lee Hopkins
Human Power: 1st: Yellow Kayak, Lisa Foote/Scott Engleman; 2nd: Carbonerro, Daniel McCarter; 3rd: Double Kayak, Tara Brown/Kathie McClue
Golden Bilge Pump Award for Last Place: Tantalus, Stephen Dunne