Winners of the Captiva Holiday Village Boat Parade

Captiva Holiday Village Boat Parade

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Judging the Captiva Holiday Village Boat Parade last Saturday was an honor. Along with three other judges, I piled into Capt. John Jensen’s cushy, leather-seated pontoon boat (which I recommend you rent for sightseeing) and departed Jensen’s Marina for the Green Flash restaurant. From our prime seats, dockside, we scored 22 entries. Blazing Christmas lights — white, blue, red and green — wrapped rails and masts casting a spectrum of color on the inky waters and turning a pitch-black night into a sea of holiday wonders. But it was the snap, crackle, pop of fireworks that really caught my attention when the Best Boat Club’s entry, in the powerboats-under-35-feet category, glided past. The inflated Santa pulling a mini barge that sent firecrackers exploding as old St. Nick towed it through Pine Island Sound was quite original. Owner Jimi Batchelor later confessed how he actually jumped into the water to get the polytechnic display to work properly. Best Boat Club’s Chris Draa walked away with trophy No. 1.

Bigger and even more dramatic was Second Time Around. The crew mixed mermaids, flamingos and palm trees with the winning touch: jellyfish, cleverly made out of umbrellas and twirled by mates. That was the clincher, and Capt. Al Seiders took first place in the powerboats-36-feet-and-over category. However, there’s nothing like a tall ship — or should we say sailboat — to make a powerful entrance. A huge, very rotund Santa, designed so he appeared to be pulled by reindeer, gave the Captiva Yacht Club’s entry, Adventure, owned by Captiva Cruises, the edge and first place. It was a tough call, as all the boat captains and their mates did an impressive job of bringing the holidays to Captiva. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next year!