Shipping in Time for Christmas

Pasadena can have its Rose Parade. Local ports of call have holiday processions with a twist: They float. Boat parades are a Southern California tradition, where you might see Santa’s sleigh being pulled by dolphins and other whimsical sights. From land or sea, lavish or free, don’t miss this seasonal boat.

Newport Harbor

The Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade, the granddaddy of ‘em all, is in its 91st year.

It’s as spectacular as the Rose Parade, says 30-year Newport Harbor resident Link Mathewson. “I don’t think there’s another parade like this in the country.”

Because of Newport’s sheltered harbor with a 14-mile waterway--there are dozens of viewing locations, including the Fun Zone on Balboa Island or anywhere at Lido Marina Village.

For many who live along the waterway, the parade is a great excuse to decorate to the hilt and throw a lavish, catered party. You can’t beat the view.

Claudia Mirkin has her Harbor Island home decked out with red poinsettias and red, green and white lights to get 65 of her closest Los Angeles and Orange County friends in the spirit for Christmas. She lives in Beverly Hills; Newport is her second home. So far, RSVPs from both counties have all been positive.

“I was very surprised that everyone’s coming,” Mirkin said. “It’s quite a trek [from Los Angeles]. but Los Angeles folk thought it was a good idea. It’s really a gorgeous event.”

Guests will enjoy champagne and appetizers while the parade floats by and then dine on a catered buffet of seafood, beef stroganoff and mixed steamed vegetables.

More than 150 boats--ranging from million-dollar yachts to kayaks and canoes--will pass Mirkin’s home.

It should be quite a show. In years past, boat owners have spent as much as $50,000 dressing up their sails with--well, you name it.

Boats have been decked out with Nativity scenes, electrically operated Santas climbing up and down chimneys--even a Hawaiian-themed boat with an erupting volcano.

“It all equals anything that Disney’s done with its Electrical Light Parade, believe me,” said Richard Luehrs, president of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Boat owner Jerry Van Vliet likes to go with less flash and more humor.

Over the last 10 years, he’s decorated his 50-foot Santa Barbara Sports Fisher with lost Santas looking at a map and with reindeer bearing signs that read: “Will work for Doe.”

“My stuff has a little bit of a smile to it,” he said.

Sometimes he has guests--usually women--dress in Santa costumes for deck dancing. (The guys, he said, usually just enjoy a brandy and a good cigar.)

Everyone--friends, family and clients from Van Vliet’s commercial painting business--get to know one another at a pre-parade party at his slip.

“People will say, ‘I’ve lived here all this time and I’ve never done this before. It’s great.’ ”

So you don’t own a boat and your invitation to Van Vliet’s fest seems to be lost in the mail? Don’t worry. Hornblower Cruises and Events can be your ticket into the parade with its charter or public dining cruises.

Charters--for from 20 to 500 guests--start at $65 per person and can can be as pricey as you want, depending on the trimmings. Boats are decorated with garland, gold swags and a large Christmas tree. Limited space available.

Three-and-a-half-hour public dining cruises are $89 per person, including a three-course meal of filet mignon and fish, a bon voyage champagne toast and dancing.

“Everyone just kicks up their heels,” said Hornblower promotions manager Kevin Lorton. Space is limited.

But if you really want to celebrate in style, do it the way the late John Wayne did on his 1942 wooden boat Wild Goose. It’s been part of Hornblower’s fleet since 1993.

The 136-foot vessel was used as a naval minesweeper during World War II off the Alaskan coast. Eventually the boat was converted into a private yacht and purchased by the Duke in 1962.

If you want to book it, you’ll have to wait till 2000, Lorton said. It’s booked solid this year.

Inside the beautifully restored boat--with its rich woodwork-- guests can move from one deck to another grazing on appetizers before a formal dinner. Some have hired a John Wayne look-alike for fun.

“It can be a real progressive party,” Lorton said. “Your event can really be in motion.”

For reservations, call Hornblower Cruises and Events at (800) 668-4322.

Organizers estimate that 1 million people will see the boat parade this year during its seven-day run, Dec. 17-23. The two-hour parade pushes off Collins Island at 6:30 nightly.

Restaurants With Views: There are many, including Aysia 101, 2901 W. Coast Highway, (949) 722-4128; Rusty Pelican, 2735 W. Coast Highway, (949) 642-3431; Tale of the Whale Restaurant, 400 Main St., Balboa Island, (949) 673-4633. Other top viewing spots include the Fun Zone on Balboa Island and Lido Marina Village.

Parking: Come early. Take Newport Boulevard, make a left on Balboa Boulevard and go right on Palm Street. Follow Palm until you see a parking lot. Walk on Main Street to the harbor for best viewing.

Huntington Harbour

Cruise of Lights

“Millennium Melodies” will be the theme of the 37th annual Cruise of Lights sponsored by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County. Glimpse waterfront homes decorated in the spirit of the season on 45-minute guided tours.

Mike Bastion has been working on decorations for his 4,000-square-foot home since September: 12,000 purple lights for the roof and more, including a technically savvy 8-foot-tall “2000” sign with dropping ball, a la times square. The ball will drop every 45 seconds or so, thanks to an ingenious hookup to Bastion’s garage door opener. An electrician helped him with the logistics.

“It’s kind of a privilege to decorate your home for people that just come down to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah.’ . . . It’s nice to give people a treat,” he says.

More than $2 million has been raised in the event’s 37-year history for free music programs for 275,000 children attending Orange County public and private schools.

For the Cruise of Lights, park at the Huntington Harbour Mall, 16897 Algonquin St. Take a shuttle bus to the dock. Tuesday through Dec. 22; every hour between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. adults: $9 Monday-Thursday; $10 Friday-Sunday. Children ages 2 to 12, $6. Family night (Tuesday, Dec. 14): adults $8, children $5. A two-hour holiday buffet aboard an 80-foot yacht, 5 to 7 p.m. and 8 to 10 p.m., $48 per person. Reservations are required for the Cruise of Lights: (714) 840-7542.

Dana Point Harbor ‘Silver Bells’

Holiday boat parades generally take on new themes each year. That’s part of the fun, but it has put Pat and Rich Haley of Laguna Hills into a tizzy.

Last heard, they were still trying to figure out the best way to convert their existing Christmas stars to this year’s silver anniversary theme of “Silver Bells,” honoring the 25th anniversary of Dana Point’s holiday boat parade.

The couple have been decorating their 36-foot Crisscraft since the early ‘80s, when they starting docking at Dana Point Harbor. And since then, they’ve collected plenty of boat parade stories with their two now-grown sons.

But their favorite was when a stranger and her grandson accidentally boarded Top Gun, thinking it a public charter.

“We just invited too many people that year,” Pat said, laughing. “They rode with us the whole parade. We didn’t even know who they were.”

Instead of hitching a ride with some unknown, consider instead tagging along with Dana Wharf Sportfishing for a lap around the harbor.

“We take people out to view the boat parade so that those who don’t own a boat . . . can come out and share the experience,” said manager Donna Kalez, “and they don’t have to deal with a boat at all!”

The Dana Point Harbor Boat Parade, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and Dec. 17-18. One-and-a-half-hour cruises with Dana Wharf Sportfishing ($15 adults; $10 children). Holiday caroling on board. Grilled burgers, chips and candy, hot chocolate, coffee, beer and soft drinks. Call (949) 496-5794.

See Sights at Sea: Good viewing from the greenbelt alongside Dana Point Harbor Drive, from the Ken Sampson overlook (where Street of the Blue Lantern dead-ends), from the Lantern Bay Park (near the Marriott on Street of the Park Lantern, just south of Pacific Coast Highway off Dana Point Harbor Drive), the Wind and Sea Restaurant, 34699 Golden Lantern, (949) 496-6500; the Jolly Roger Restaurant, 34661 Golden Lantern, (949) 496-0855; or the Beach House Restaurant, 25001 Dana Drive (reservations required for the dining room), (949) 496-7310 or first-come, first-served on the outdoor breakwater grill with a complete oyster bar.

Parking: Leave early. Park in lots on the left where Street of the Golden Lantern dead-ends or it’s a half-mile walk from the Marine Institute (where Dana Point Harbor Drive dead-ends) or from lots adjacent to Doheny State Beach.

Getting There: Exit southbound Interstate 5 at Pacific Coast Highway or northbound Interstate 5 at the Beach Cities exit. Turn left on Dana Point Harbor Drive.

Naples

This close-knit community immediately north of Seal Beach celebrates one night during the season with a parade for larger boats and an increasingly popular version for smaller vessels that putter through the area’s tiny canals ahead of the larger crafts. This year’s event starts at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Most everyone prefers the smaller-vessel parade--about two hours in length--for its intimacy.

“You’re 4 feet away from thousand and thousands of people,” kind of like Mardi Gras, said Leone Torromeo. Even revelers from the waterfront throw candy at the boats.

“Our [parade] is the best,” said Torromeo, a Naples resident for five years since moving from Lakewood.

In that span, she and husband, Mark--a lighting director for NBC’s soap operas--have won numerous awards for decorating their 1956 wooden 18-footer Daytime Drama.

The Torromeos usually spend about 15 hours decorating. In years past, they’ve had neon dolphins “jumping” into blue fabric.

“The other [boat parades] are bigger,” Leone said. “But ours just has that great small-town feel. You get so close [to the crowd] you can see the little kids’ faces as you pass. And afterward, your whole face hurts because you’ve smiled so much. . . . You feel good for days.”

For those going out for the parade, dress is California casual meets Christmas couture. For Torromeo, that means shorts and a Santa cap (she claims the houses in the canal block the wind). But for those with thinner skin, you might bring a jacket or a wrap for those post-parade parties in the slips.

One rule: Don’t dress as Santa. That honor is left for the last boat so everyone knows when the parade is over.

Where to View: Anywhere along the canal waterway or at Mother’s Beach. Head south on Pacific Coast Highway, make a right on 2nd Street, go right on the Appian Way exit, then left on Appian Way (public parking on right).

Getting There: From the 405 south: get off on the 7th Street exit and immediately get in the right lane to take the Studebaker Road offramp. Go left on Studebaker Road and continue until Westminster Avenue turns into 2nd Street. Make a right, and Naples is about a mile past Pacific Coast Highway.

Parking: Anywhere you can find a spot. Try Mother’s Beach (see above for directions) or Bay Shore Avenue and Ocean Boulevard or Bay Shore Avenue at 2nd Street.

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Christmas in the Harbors

a DANA POINT HARBOR BOAT PARADE

Date: Dec. 10-11 and Dec. 17-18.

Time: 7:30 p.m. Parking: Leave early. Park in the left lots where Street of the Golden Lantern dead-ends. If parking at Marine Institute or Doheny State Beach, expect a 1/2 mile walk.

Good viewing: Greenway alongside Dana Point Harbor Drive, from the Ken Sampson Overlook (where Street of the Blue Lantern dead ends), from the Lantern Bay Park (near the Marriott on St. of thePark Lantern just south of PCH off Dana Point Harbor Drive.Good restaurant viewing: Wind and Sea Restaurant, Jolly Roger

restaurant, The Beach House Restaurant (reservations required for dining room)

Cruise: Catch a ride with Dana Wharf Sportfishing for a 1 1/2-hour lap around the harbor ($15 adults; $10 children). Holiday caroling on board. Grilled burgers, chips and candy, hot chocolate, coffee, beer and soft drinks available. Call (949) 496-5794 for information.

NEWPORT HARBOR CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE

Date: Dec. 17-23

Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m. nightlyWhere: Newport Harbor

Parking: From Newport Blvd. Left on Balboa Blvd, right on Palm St. Follow Palm St. until parking lot. Then make short walk to Main St. to the Harbor.

Good viewing: Balboa Island Fun Zone, Lido Marina Village, Balboa Island, 15th and 9th Street beachesGood restaurant viewing:Aysia, Rusty Pelican and Tale of the Whale Restaurant

NAPLES BOAT PARADE

Date: December 11

Time: 6 p.m.

Where: Naples Island & Marine Stadium

Parking: Try Mother’s Beach (2nd St. then Appian Way Exit right, left on Appian Way, public parking on right) or Bay Shore Ave. and Ocean Blvd. or Bay Shore Ave. at 2nd St.

Good viewing: Anywhere along the canal waterway or at Mother’s Beach on Appian Way.

HUNTINGTON HARBOR CRUISE OF LIGHTS

Cruise Huntington Harbor on a45-minute tour to glimpse the beautifully decorated homes along the waterway.

Date: Dec. 14-22

Time: Every hour between 5:30 p.m.

and 8:30 p.m.

Parking: Shuttle bus at Huntington Harbor Mall

takes you to the dock

Price: Adults: $9 Monday-Thursday; $10 Friday - Sunday. Children ages two through 12, $6. Family night: Tuesday, Dec. 14 only: adults $8, children $5. A two-hour holiday buffet on board a 80-ft. yacht, 5 - 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., $48 per person. Purchase tickets in advance: 714-840-7542.

Reporting by ALLISON COHEN/Los Angeles Times