Old Glory Boat Parade celebrates America’s 250th birthday to the delight of locals and visitors alike
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Hours before chaos erupted on land Saturday night in Newport Beach, leading to more than 400 arrests, Newport Harbor was brimming with patriotic spirit as the American Legion Yacht Club, Post 291 hosted its annual Fourth of July Old Glory Boat Parade, “Celebrating 250 Years Of Freedom.”
Boats began following the parade route at 1 p.m. in the main channel at the tip of Lido Island, then circling along the mainland, peninsula, jetty and around Balboa Island before returning to the main channel staging area at 3:30 p.m.
The route gave spectators numerous locations along the harbor to enjoy the assortment of decorated watercraft. The parade didn’t disappoint the crowd, as people lined the bay fronts, bridges and yacht clubs to wave and shoot photos of the 40-plus vessels.
The Skipper family had a ringside seat on the Balboa Island seawall on the corner of South Bayfront and East Bayfront, where they had a view of the parade as it approached from the jetty.
“We live right up the road and always go to the Christmas boat parade, but this is our first Old Glory Parade,” Abby Skipper said. “It’s so fun, I love how festive Balboa Island is with all the flags.”
Justin Skipper added, “Great time, good vibe and great way to celebrate 250 years.”
The American Legion honored military and veterans as the Grand Marshals this year as they rode on the lead boat.
The Old Glory Boat Parade has been a Newport Beach Independence Day tradition since the 1950s.
Participants in the parade are given numbers attached to their boats as they compete in categories such as Best Decorated, Finest Costumes, Most Creative and the Commodore’s Award. Winners will be announced at an awards banquet set for July 19.
Among the entries this year was the OASIS sailing club Catalina MKII sloop OASIS VI, a dinghy that was completely packed with women donned in bright gold sunflower headpieces, an electric boat and a power boat heavily decorated with inflatable patriotic figures.
The OASIS sailing club, has been a constant presence in the Old Glory parade for over a dozen years and winning trophies in the last four years for best decorations.
“We were all dressed in themed period pieces, such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, an astronaut, and Statue of Liberty,” said Commodore Gerrit Legrand, who was one of 10 sailors aboard the OASIS VI during Saturday’s parade. “We received an amazing response from the public, all calling out to the historic characters that we represented.”
