MoCo Youth Participate in East Coast's Largest Boat Parade

Members of Montgomery County’s Sea Scout Ship 125 participated in the 2017 Middle River Parade of Lights on Saturday, November 25th—the largest holiday boat parade on the East Coast, and one of the top 5 in the United States. This year’s parade drew a record 90+ boats—all decorated with a holiday theme… there were Christmas trees, Santa Clauses, lights, music, and even a festive octopus and an incredible biplane made of lights that definitely caught the Sea Scouts’ attention and mesmerized parade watchers, both ashore and on the other boats. The variety and creativity seemed endless!

After decorating their boat (the Sea Scouts’ theme was “Shooting for the Stars As We Sail by the Stars”—with a penguin aiming a star in his slingshot at the top of a Christmas tree, while Santa Claus stood watch on the bow in a Hawaiian shirt and sandals), the Sea Scouts motored to the parade’s starting line in Carson’s Creek, along the Middle River, in the upper Chesapeake Bay. There, they practiced helm and engine commands for holding steady and maintaining position, as the parade participants began gathering, the creek began to get increasingly crowded, and everyone was focused on staying safe while eagerly awaiting the flares and radio calls signaling the parade’s start.

Once the parade began, the emphasis on correctly executing helm and engine commands took on even greater importance, as the brightly lit vessels sometimes ebbed and sometimes flowed, as the boats meandered in and out of navigable creeks and coves along the parade route, to the cheers of onlookers upon the shores and the sounds and excitement of fireworks bursting overhead. Despite the large number of boats, the parade proceeded without a hitch—it was a safe and fun time for all.

A night sail can be a challenging experience, as the usual daytime landmarks and sights disappear into the darkness. Add to that a multitude of distractions from the lights and fireworks and heavy boating traffic, it could be a bit intimidating. But, when you’re playing follow-the-leader with a brightly lit parade float (boat) ahead and your fellow crewmembers by your side, it’s just an awful lot of fun! That it was so much warmer, less windy, and virtually no chop on the water—not to mention being in the company of fellow Sea Scouts and friends—made this year’s Middle River Parade of Lights the best time ever!

The Sea Scouts enjoyed the parade, then navigated their boat safely back to its berth where they tied her up after what was the last sail of the season—and the beginning of Ship 125’s winter sail training program. As they took down the decorations, suggestions for making it an even better event, with more fun and more awesome decorations next year, emerged. That’s right—We’ll Be Back Again!

Sea Scout Ship 125, a program of the Boy Scouts of America, is chartered by American Legion Post 295, and works with other community partners—including the Rockville Sail & Power Squadron (America’s Boating Club—Rockville) and the 21st Century US Light House Service—to provide an outstanding experience for young men and women, ages 13-20. Ship 125 meets throughout the year at the Greenfield Lighthouse in Germantown (near Montgomery College) to have fun and to become better sailors, leaders, and young people of character. They sail on local waters including the Potomac River and Lake Seneca in their trailerable sailboats and kayaks, and on the Chesapeake Bay aboard their sailing yachts (and they’ve even sailed and snorkeled in the Virgin Islands!) For more information about Sea Scouting, contact skipper@ship125.org or visit them on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SeaScoutShip125/