Fort Lauderdale’s Winterfest, sponsored by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. This year Rapper Flo Rida, from Carroll City, will act as grand marshal, riding in the lead boat during the  Saturday, Dec.13 event.

Boat parade entries require hours of work, loads of lights

Boat parade entries parody TV shows to island themes

As you watch the upcoming boat parades, sipping a hot chocolate or something stronger, consider the effort that goes into making those passing boats stand out against a South Florida sky.

Bruno Berti’s 17-foot Boston Whaler, for example, sports a dolphin that he constructed himself from pipe and brass. The boat is aptly named Dorado, Spanish for dolphin or mahi-mahi. Berti uses a generator to power the design, also winding colorful holiday lights around the console, bow and end rail.

“Basically all the way around,” says Berti, 61, a 20-plus year Pompano Beach resident whose craft will travel from Lake Santa Barbara to the Hillsboro Inlet bridge in Pompano’s Holiday Boat Parade on Sunday, Dec. 14.

Since he uses the boat most weekends, the decorations will only appear on the night of the Pompano parade, and for another parade on land where he trailers the boat.

Pompano’s event is made up mostly of small, private craft with a few corporate-sponsored entries. Winterfest, its larger, somewhat glitzier cousin to the south, also boasts many yachts sponsored by corporations, all professionally decked out and often manned by employees and families enjoying holiday parties.

Pompano’s entries party too, though it’s a bit scaled back. John Greene and family pack a cooler full of subsand sodas aboard their 25-foot Sportcraft open fish. He, wife Angela and daughter, Jordan, enjoy Jimmy Buffet music that celebrates their boat’s island theme with a pre fab palm tree and too many lights to count.

The family got involved in the event at the request of Jordan, whose Dec. 4 birthday is usually right around parade time. They use their P.A. system to broadcast chants of “Merry Christmas,” which prompts waves and greetings in exchange.

“The whole atmosphere of going up and down the Intracoastal is very Christmassy,” said John Greene, 56. “It sets up our holiday season getting ready for Christmas day.”

Brian Rask’s family will emulate “Charlie Brown” Peanuts characters by donning clothes, costumes and an inflatable Snoopy house, along with Rask’s son who was Snoopy for Halloween. About 1,500 lights will illuminate the scene taking place on the family’s 23-foot Robalo center console. He’ll begin setting it all up the Sunday morning of the parade.

“It usually takes three or four hours,” said Rask, 37, who also serves on the parade committee. “There’s some people who have spent weeks working on things. We’re finding the types of clothes the characters wore and just kind of putting it together.”

Unlike Winterfest, which is celebrating “TV’s Greatest Hits,” Pompano’s parade eschews annual decorating themes. The reason is because many Winterfest entries reappear in the Pompano event typically held the next night.

Last year 43 boats floated down the Intracoastal in Pompano.

“This year there seems to be a lot of new boaters,” said Lisa Sinelli, coordinator of the Pompano parade. “Don’t know where they’re coming from but it’s a good thing. It seems like we’re getting more sailboats.”
Among Pompano’s entries: Boston Whalers, Hatteras, Navy whaler boats and others.

Contrary to popular belief, 75 percent of Winterfest’s100 boats are private entries also hand decorated by owners. They range in size from 20 to 179 feet with most in the 40-to 60-foot range, according to Kathy Keleher, parade director. Many Winterfest entries also support charities with signs illuminating nonprofits such as the Broward County Humane Society.

Winterfest has a more upscale reputation than Pompano’s older version thanks to the massive yachts that dominate the parade lineup with a lit, larger than life presence.

“The illusion is when it comes to 175-foot [boat] that has a huge sign that says Absolute Vodka, you remember that,” Keleher said. “You don’t remember the little charming boats that dress up as ‘Gilligan’s inland.’ You’re getting a message you remember.”

Further, just three employees put on Winterfest with the help of roughly 300 volunteers.

In the past, Winterfest ran an instructive workshop a month before the parade to aid in holiday decorating, but it ran out of steam when only a few boaters would show up. Now it offers “stem to stern boat tips” on its website.

This year, Winterfest’s boats will emulate TV series including “Love Boat,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “Superman,” “Miami Vice” and a few boats celebrating “Gilligan’s Island.” The event takes place Saturday, Dec. 13, starting at 6 p.m. at the New River before heading up the Intracoastal toward Pompano Beach.

Rapper Flo Rida, from Carroll City, will be grand marshal, riding in the lead Marine Resin with Hardener $1899 a gallon boat. The native son has a reputation for helping local musicians and students.

“Sometimes it’s nice to have the local boys who have done good,” Keleher said.

Winterfest is looking for volunteer control boats of any size for the upcoming event to act as “eyes and ears,” alerting parade officials to any issues along the route. The deadline to volunteer is Wednesday, Dec. 10. Go to winterfestparade.com or call 954-767-0686. For more information on the Holiday Boat Parade in Pompano Beach call 954-941-2940 or visit www.pompanobeachchamber.com.