Southeast : Tide Forces 2 Boat Parades Into Conflict

Distinctions between Long Beach’s two Christmas boat parades tend to be fairly broad: gondolas versus yachts, canals versus harbor, east versus west. Still, some boat owners try to take part in both.

This year, however, they will have to choose between the two, thanks to the timing of a low tide on Dec. 16.

The Naples Island parade--which navigates the community’s narrow canals--has no standing date from year to year. Its organizers must schedule the procession on a Saturday when the tide is out so the boats can clear low bridges along the route.

“Santa Claus dictates that it’s going be in December and Mother Nature dictates which Saturday it’s going to be,” said Naples parade official Michael O’Toole.

The scheduling conflict occurs every few years, discouraging some boaters who would like to take part in both the Naples parade and the Shoreline Christmas Boat Parade, which begins downtown on the same weekend each year and proceeds to the Outer Harbor on the city’s westside.