Charter Members of the Newport Harbor Parade : Many enthusiasts will go the water route and rent a vessel for the event. Dana Point and Huntington Harbour also are preparing for popular annual holiday celebrations.

Just as holiday shoppers take to the malls, holiday boaters take to the water every December in Newport Harbor.

And as the boats line up for seven nights of neon-bright parade, dockside spectators line up to watch. If you feel like a castaway stuck on land while the parade passes you by, fret no more. You don’t have to own a boat to be in the parade--or to follow along behind it. For as little as $15 or as much as $6,000, you can hop aboard a charter boat and join in the fun.

“I would advise anybody to get out on the water,” says Jim Dale, chairman of Newport Harbor’s 85th Christmas parade, which will be Dec. 17 through 23 and will feature more than 100 decorated boats ranging from canoes to 100-foot yachts. “It’s really exciting,” says Dale. “I think it is the best way to do it.”

If you decide to take part in this year’s parade, you won’t be alone. Charter operators say can rent you anything from small open bay boats to mid-size cruisers and giant luxury vessels such as John Wayne’s former yacht, the Wild Goose.

“It’s our busiest time of the year,” says Elisa Mohr, vice president of Adventures at Sea. “Even busier than June weddings.”

The company’s largest yacht, the 86-foot Dream Maker, which rents for $5,000 per night, was booked for this year’s parade a full year in advance, Mohr says. For information about charters available through Adventures at Sea, call (714) 650-2412.

Smaller boats, which hold about 10 to 15 people, rent for $750. And yachts about half the size of the Dream Maker cost about $2,600.

“Most of the big boats are rented by corporations,” Mohr says. “Pretty much everyone has a Christmas party, and being on the water is a great way to do it. It’s very different from having a party in a home or in a banquet hall.”

Nancy Irvine of Irvine Coast Charters says she has about a dozen boats, ranging from a small, eight-person electric bay boat to a 125-foot yacht, that are reserved for the boat parade. Prices range from $300 to $6,000. Call (714) 675-4704.

Irvine, who has been in the yacht charter business for 12 years, supervises each boat’s preparation and departure. “And I’m out there every night on one vessel or another in the parade,” she says. She figures she’s seen every parade for the past dozen years and adds, “It still doesn’t get boring.”

For the budget-minded, the Electric Boat Co. and Balboa Boat Rentals offer small motorboats for six passengers for $100 and 20-foot bay boats that seat 12 for $200. “A lot of these boats are already reserved for the parade,” says Jack Hochadel, a partner in the company that runs both rental businesses. “So, call early; don’t wait until the last minute.” To reserve a boat with the Electric Boat Co. or Balboa Boat Rentals call (714) 673-7200.

If you don’t want to rent an entire boat, you can buy a ticket for a parade tour from Catalina Passenger Service or Newport Landing. Catalina Passenger Service will send out tour boats every night of the parade. The 65-foot Pavilion Queen runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and carries 100 passengers. The smaller Pavilion Paddy, which holds 50 people, will run from 6 p.m. to 7:30. Tickets, which must be bought in advance, are $15.

In addition, the huge Catalina Flyer, which normally ferries about 600 passengers between Newport Beach and Catalina Island, will take 400 enthusiasts out on Dec. 21, 22 and 23 to watch the parade and to sip champagne. Tickets are $22.50. “A few nights are already sold out,” says Betsy Sturgeon, spokesperson for Catalina Passenger Service. Call (714) 673-5245.

Newport Landing will send five boats out during all seven parade nights. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. To accommodate passengers’ schedules, the company will offer two different departure times. Boats will leave the dock at 6 and 8 p.m. For information call (714) 675- 0550.

For those who want to combine parade watching with dinner, Hornblower Dining Yachts will offer dinner cruises aboard six different yachts from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Cost is $65 per person. For reservations call (714) 631-2469.

If you want to eat first and cruise later, the Cannery restaurant offers a parade-watching package that includes dinner at the restaurant, followed by a cruise aboard one of three yachts reserved for the occasion. “We’ve been doing this for years,” says Kathey Zschernig, Cannery sales manager. “It is extremely popular. We do two sittings a night.” The first sitting is at 4:30 p.m. with the boat departing at 6 p.m. The second sitting is at 6:30 p.m. with the boat leaving at 8 p.m. Cost is $59.50 per person. For information, call (714) 675-5777. Some cruises are already sold out.

The Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade is sponsored by the Commodores’ Division of the Newport Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce, which estimates that about a million people see the parade each year. Boats will line up each evening at 6:30 at Collins Island and continue to parade through the harbor for about 2 1/2 hours. For viewing information, call the Chamber of Commerce at (714) 729-4400.

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Dana Point. Newport Beach isn’t the only place with action on the water this December. Approximately 70 boats will participate in Dana Point’s 19th annual boat parade Dec. 10 and 11. The parade will start at 7:30 both evenings, beginning in the east basin.

Theme for this year’s parade is “A Dickens of a Christmas.” If you want to watch the parade as a participant, Dana Wharf Sportfishing will offer tours for $15 for adults and $10 for children. For information call (714) 496-5794.

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Huntington Harbour. More than 25,000 people are expected to tour the waterways of Huntington Harbour this year during the 31st annual Cruise of Lights. The event will run from Dec. 14 to 22 and is sponsored by the Huntington Harbour Philharmonic Committee.

During the Cruise of Lights, visitors pay for narrated boat rides to view waterfront homes decorated for the holiday season. Tickets for cruises Monday through Thursday are $8.50. Friday, Saturday and Sunday night tickets cost $9.50. Children’s ticket prices are $5. Tours are held each evening at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.

The Huntington Harbour Philharmonic will also sponsor a boat parade on Dec. 11 and 12 as a kickoff to the Cruise of Lights. About 60 decorated boats are expected to participate in the event, according to Burton Willis, grand marshal. The parade will begin at 5:15 both evenings in the main channel. For information about both events call (714) 840-7542.