Newport Beach Parade of Lights from Jetsetters Magazine

For a few nights each year, Newport Beach, California gives Las Vegas some serious competition in the illumination department.

The annual "Parade of Lights" is a holiday celebration of brightly colored waterborne creativity in which boat owners glide up and down the harbor in a long line of participants, entertaining onlookers along the waterfront and on the other boats. (Opening photo: The "Unpretentious Too" won the award for "Humor and Originality" in a previous year's parade.)


	The "Grouper" won the "Best Power Boat" award in a previous year's parade.

Water adds an interesting dimension to the festivities: sound carries well on the water, and we could hear music and laughter all around us; also, the reflections of the boats' displays served to double the bright colors. If you want to participate in this event and you don't know any yacht owners, contact Adventures at Sea.

Adventures at Sea operates a fleet of beautiful yachts from the harbors at Newport Beach and Long Beach in sunny Southern California. Normally these craft are used only for private charters such as weddings, corporate events, fishing weekends, and special getaways, but every December and February you can buy a ticket to ride on one of their spacious yachts in the Parade of Lights, a five-night event, or a special Valentine's Day cruise for you and your spouse or special friend.



	Endless Dreams normally operates from Long Beach, California, but takes part in the Newport Beach Parade of Lights in December.

Endless Dreams, launched in 2002, is a serious party boat. She is one of the outfit's largest yachts, accommodating 468 revelers on its two interior decks and an upper observation area. Large windows afford superb views all around. Its huge galley can provide lavish buffet meals, and the Parade of Lights cruise includes dinner and complimentary champagne. Views of this and the other yachts are available at www.boatcharter.com. Most of the fleet is almost as new, but there is one exception. The Dream Maker was converted into an elegant yacht after serving the Coast Guard as a fast patrol craft in World War II. Her classic lines are beautiful and unmistakable.



		Dream Maker's classic hull lines reveal her past as a WWII fast patrol craft.

The Newport Beach Parade of Lights dates back to 1907 and is the oldest holiday boat parade in the country. As this year's event began, yachts large and small left their slips and lined up behind the harbormaster's "follow me" boat. For two hours, they idled slowly up to one end of the long harbor and back again, their generators humming and decorative lights glowing. Several had flying reindeer appearing to leap from their bows, and many had "icicle lights" hanging from the rails—as if it were cold enough for icicles.


	Adventures at Sea operates a fleet of charter yachts suitable for almost any occasion.

If this were Newport, Rhode Island, the "follow me" boat would probably have to be an icebreaker. Fortunately, it's never terribly chilly here in this Southern California harbor. Even so, Dream Maker's interior is heated, so you'll need your coat only for a trip up to the observation deck for the very best view. My favorite parade entry was a sailboat with strings of green lights angling down from its mast like a huge net and filled with lighted fish. A lot of work goes into the displays, and for these five nights the enthusiasm and creativity of the boaters is readily apparent.

If you can't make it to Newport Beach for the Christmas or Valentine's Day events with Adventures at Sea, you have another very nice option. Her sister company, Gondola Adventures, offers intimate harbor cruises aboard genuine Italian gondolas, including a gorgeous forty-footer featured in the recent movie The Italian Job. You can choose a dinner cruise or a romantic champagne-and-chocolates cruise, and the company has a few nice optional touches that can be added as well. Go to www.gondola.com for details. Gondola Adventures also has operations on the elegant Mandalay Canal in Irving, Texas, and at the new Lake Las Vegas resort.


	Adventures At Sea Yacht Charters 3101 West Coast Hwy. Ste. 209 Newport Beach CA 92663 (800) BAY-2412

Before and after your cruise, you can partake of the many shops, restaurants, and lounges in this upscale harbor. Newport Beach has long been a playground for the wealthy, filled with beautiful homes on its man-made barrier island and surrounding hills. It is home to the elegant Balboa Bay Club, and John Wayne's lovely old yacht can still be seen in the harbor. Just across the water is the Fashion Island Shopping Center, and of course there are California's famous beaches nearby.

The Holidays have a slightly different flavor wherever they are celebrated: the desert, the mountains, the plains, the coast. Here in Newport Beach, people can do it in style with a festive, colorful night on the water.

— By Robert LaGrone, Las Vegas Correspondent.