“Against the wind, but with the tide!”
The Holidays are upon us in South Florida and just in time for the 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Holiday Boat Parade.
This is THE boat parade to see and it’s always a real special treat to be a part of it!
Once again, local paddlers “Kayak Ted” and “Kayak Whitney” of the South Florida Kayaking meetup group organized a paddle of the parade that has become a year-end highlight and an annual South Florida kayaking tradition!
This year however, the forecast was cloudy and wet, with ENE 20 – 25 knot winds to contend with. Fortunately, at least the tide situation was favorable. The strong gusty winds would have played havoc with my Alien and Santa Sombrero theme as of late, so I had to scale back this year. I decided to focus more on just paddling and went with a “Christmas Joker” theme complemented by a new set of bright green LED light strips. I also went with “Red Rum”, my old Nigel Foster Silhouette and a matching Greenland stick! 🙂
In light of the conditions, it’s no surprise then that only four paddlers represented this year! Starting just after sunset ahead of the main parade as always, we forged ahead into the strong gusts and cheered thousands along Ft Lauderdale’s waterfront!
.
On account of the strong and gusty northeasterly winds, I am the “Christmas Joker” this year!
.
Kayak Ted ready for the 2016 Winterfest Boat Parade!
.
Happy Holidays!
.
Kayak Ted under Rudolph control – let the nose lead the way!
Happy Holidays from the South Florida Kayaking Meetup crew and Kayakfari.com !
.
Winterfest Boat Parade first timer Darwin sure got a good workout and did great!
.
Coast Guard crowding in Kayak Whitney at Cooley’s Landing in downtown Ft Lauderdale.
.
Ho Ho Ho .. Rudolph may not be so innocent after all!
.
Hmm .. a picture worth more than words could say~
.
This is not your average Rudolph!
.
Kayak Ted’s fancy Rudolph stays lit ahead of the Grinch!
.
You know it’s gonna be rough when even the pavement is moving! 😉
Kayak Ted’s color-changing LED lights!
.
This year’s Winterfest theme was “Comics and Cartoons“.
The green color cast is the glow from my 300 LED light strips!
.
ROCK ON, South Florida!
.
The Christmas Jokah! 🙂
.
Never mind, nothing to see here, move along .. lol
Not even marine whistles could interrupt this conversation!
.
Zap! Wham! Pow!
.
Season’s Greetings from the 2016 Winterfest Boat Parade.
.
Yes, it’s the Beatles at the Winterfest Boat Parade through Ft Lauderdale!
.
Spiderman is in there somewhere in this colorful scene.
.
Kayak Ted and Rudolph paddle past a kayak surfin’ Santa on the big screen!!
.
Kayaking the 2016 Ft Lauderdale Winterfest Boat Parade.
.
Kayak Ted has a new setup with color-changing LED strips and a brightly-lit Rudolph for 2016!
.
“If your tour lasts for more than 3 hours, consult your Captain”.
Well Gilligan was nowhere to be found, but the Skipper was last seen having a drink! 😉
.
Kayak Whitney paddling the 2016 Winterfest Parade of Lights!
.
All hands on deck cheering us on at the 2016 Winterfest Parade! 🙂
.
My bright green LED strips really light up in front of the historic Stranahan House / Museum!
.
Pinky to the Brain? Insane in the membrane!
“What do you wanna do tonite? The same thing we do every nite – Try to take over the World!”
.
“Safe” Rudolph watching the Winterfest parade procession.
.
Rudolph eavesdropping on an Elf conference under a mega-yacht!
.
I’m all about the GREEN! 🙂
.
I and I the Christmas Jokah and the green!
.
After more than 4 hours, my green LED light strips were at about half intensity, but still plenty bright.
This year I was fully rechargeable and ran the lights off two 12V packs of AA batteries!
.
A BIG thanks to Kayak Whitney, Kayak Ted, Winterfest and all of Ft Lauderdale for a fun and enjoyable evening out on the water.
See you all next year! 🙂
.
Partial map of the Winterfest Boat Parade route on the New River in Ft Lauderdale starting at Cooley’s Landing.
We actually paddled about a 15 mile loop from our launch location to downtown and out up past Oakland Pk Blvd .. and then all the way back!
.
.
.
Click below for more from past Winterfest Boat Parades:
Kayaking a Parade of Lights!
.
.
Happy Holidays! Feliz Navidad!
Veselé Vánoce!
.
BLESS!
.
.
.
© 2016 Flex Maslan / kayakfari.com / awakenthegrass.com. All original photographs, artworks and music in this portfolio are copyrighted and owned by the artist, Flex Maslan, unless otherwise noted. Any reproduction, modification, publication, transmission, transfer, or exploitation of any of the content, for personal or commercial use, whether in whole or in part, without written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.
All rights reserved!
…
DISCLAIMER:: The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
With that said.. Blessings friends!
kayakfari ( kayak .. far .. i ) 