Watching yachts decorated with sparkling holiday lights as they sail up and down the estuary is an annual delight for Alamedans and Oaklanders alike, but the goodness doesn’t end there. Through community help and support, the 49th Annual Lighted Yacht Parade on Saturday, December 6, raised an estimated $8,000 for Alameda and Oakland charities.
The annual parade, a collaboration between the Encinal Yacht Club and Oakland Yacht Club, is fun for both spectators, who watch for free from the waterfront, and for those aboard the yachts, as they wave to each other and applaud. It’s also a perfect opportunity to aid the Oakland Firefighters Random Acts, the Alameda County Fire Department Toys Program, and the Alameda County Community Food Bank. The yacht clubs generate donations of food, unwrapped toys, or money at designated drop sites. In 2024, the clubs were able to raise thousands of dollars in cash, toy, and food donations.
“My favorite part is just watching everybody come together,” said Thoraya Halhoul, Chair of the Lighted Yacht Parade. Halhoul cited all the support and work of the fire departments along with the food bank and toy programs. She noted that she was particularly grateful to local businesses who helped sponsor the event through donations of goods, services, and support in publicizing the parade.
“It’s really, really lovely and it makes all of the time that it takes to put this together really worthwhile,” Halhoul added.
This year, more than 30 boats adorned with thousands of colorful lights floated through the estuary soon after the sunset to celebrate the start of the Christmas season. The boats were judged on their creativity, decorations, costumes, music, and how well they represented the theme.
“This year’s theme was ‘Peace on Earth,’ which we picked on purpose, given everything that’s going on in the world,” Halhoul said.
Prizes were awarded to the best decorated boats in three different categories—power boats, sail boats, and “other vessels,” such as canoes or kayaks.
There’s also a “Best Overall Decorated Boat” grand prize, snagged by Encinal Yacht Club’s Junior Sailing this year with their entry, “Flower Power Groovy Kind of Love,” was inspired by the Beatles. It consisted of five flying junior (FJ) boats, towed by a coach boat to the sound of the Beatles’ famous 1965 song, “Yellow Submarine.”
Janelle Sheets, a volunteer parent who helped with the design and creation of Encinal Yacht Club’s Junior Sailing’s entry, explained that they decorated the FJs with lit up lexan plastic cut into various shapes, such as music notes, flowers, mushrooms, and a big peace sign.
“We were thinking flower power, kind of that ‘groovy kind of love’ feeling,” Sheets said. The decorations were “all great shapes that look great and are fun and vibrant,” she noted. “We settled on ‘Yellow Submarine’ because we figured that’s the quintessential peace on earth vibe.”
The parade is a great opportunity for Alameda families to enjoy the surroundings of the city and support the community.
“We usually try to eat dinner along the water and then support the local businesses here,” Alameda resident Tiffany Lim said. Lim has brought her family, which includes her 3- and 6-year-old, to the yacht parade for the last five years.
Lim added that although there are many family-friendly holiday events in Alameda, the yacht parade was her children’s favorite event to attend. “It’s just fun to see all the boats in motion and lit up.”
Sheets shared that enthusiasm. “It’s free and it really just kind of makes you feel like the holiday season is upon us, and it’s just a wonderful experience,” she said. “I hope to participate in it for years to come, because it’s such a wonderful thing for families to be able to watch and do. There aren’t very many things we can do that are free these days.”
The Encinal Yacht Club is the third oldest yacht club on the San Francisco Bay, located on the Alameda side of the Oakland Estuary. The Oakland Yacht Club was the ninth yacht club to be formed in the Bay Area and is located on the Estuary on the east side of Alameda island.
Vicky Nguyen is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Vicky-Nguyen.
