Halloween candies are still being eaten, but it’s less than a month until the annual flotilla of Santa ships sets sail from Port Moody’s Reed Point Marina.
The brightly-lit boats weigh anchor beginning Saturday, Nov. 30, at 5 p.m., for a sail to Rocky Point Park for the city’s Holiday Cheer at the Pier events.
Subsequent cruises will take place on Friday and Saturday evenings of the following weekends, from 7 to 9 p.m., with a bonfire and live band onshore for the sail to Deep Cove on Dec. 6.
The annual cruises of between 10 and 15 pleasure craft decorated with twinkle lights and playing Christmas carols has been a Burrard Inlet tradition for more than two decades.
The boats gather at Reed Point Marina then embark on a seasonal sail, hugging the Inlet’s south and north shores, up to Belcarra and across to North Vancouver.
Veteran skipper Mike Girard said the event is like a floating Christmas party that can be shared with people on shore, as many of the boaters invite guests aboard their craft to share in the festive spirit.
He said even landlubbers participate by scheduling their own holiday parties to coincide with the sail pasts and blinking their house lights to draw the boats closer to shore.
Planning for the cruises begins in November, with sailors prepping and decorating their boats as well as reviewing safety procedures and lighting protocols to ensure they can navigate the dark waters.
Here’s the tentative schedule of when and where you can see this year’s Santa ships cruise by. All sailings and destinations are weather-dependent:
- Nov. 30, 5 to 7 p.m. Rocky Point Park
- Dec. 6, 7 to 9 p.m. Deep Cove shore party, Woodlands to Brighton Beach
- Dec. 7, 7 to 9 p.m. Skippers’ choice
- Dec. 13, 7 to 9 p.m. Farrington Cove, Bedwell Bay
- Dec. 14, 7 to 9 p.m. Belcarra, Dollarton
- Dec. 20, 7 to 9 p.m. Belcarra, Ravenwoods, Deep Cove, Dollarton, Cates Park
- Dec. 21, 7 to 9 p.m. Skipppers’ choice
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