Boats will light up night
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
HAWAI'I KAI — Nearly 30 boats will parade through the Hawai'i Kai Marina this weekend in the annual Festival of Lights. The number is a welcome boost following dwindling participation, organizers say.
What: Festival of Lights When: 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Hawai'i Kai Marina Entries: Are still being accepted. Call Beverly Liddle, marina manager, at 396-2469.
Boats of all sizes and shapes — even an electric boat — will deck their decks, masts and flying bridges with lights and holiday ornaments in preparation for Saturday's festival.
At a glance
"Where else can you see a parade come to your home?" said Beverly Liddle, marina manager for the Hawai'i Kai Marina Association, the festival's host.
Last year the festival drew only 25 boats, she said. This year's parade will include boats from non-Hawai'i Kai Marina members, said Liddle. Entries are still being accepted, but outside boats must be sponsored by a member.
The festival has generated some imaginative displays in years past, Liddle said.
One year there was an erupting volcano on a boat, while another was decked out as an illuminated train. One boat owner transformed his boat into a winter wonderland and another had dancing deer, said Liddle.
The boat parade will start at the Hawai'i Kai Towne Center and circle the main marina area a couple of times before heading down to Mariner's Cove and back.
Boaters with the best decoration have a chance to win $1,000, Liddle said.
With new development in Hawai'i Kai, the membership of the association has swelled by more than 600 members to about 3,000, said Jaap Syderhoud, Marina Association president.
Few areas actually organize boat parades, Syderhoud said, though there are a couple of other annual events.
The Waikiki Yacht Club will hold its boat parade the same night, going from the Ala Moana basin to Honolulu Harbor.
Makani Kai Yacht Club's boat parade will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday in Kane'ohe Bay.
In Hawai'i Kai, Bob Raben plans to deck out his Duffy Electric Boat in grand style. It will cost him some battery hours to operate the lights, but that will be a small price to pay to show off his environmentally sound boat, he said.
There are four electric boats at the Hawai'i Kai Marina, said Raben. They run just like a golf cart for about 16 hours at a maximum of 6 knots, he said.
"My boat is quiet; there are no fumes and no exhaust," Raben said. "My boat is a social boat."
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.
