Bermuda has always had a wonderful relationship with the ocean. From our early settlement after a shipwreck, to our subsequent reliance on privateering and fishing to sustain our fledgling community, the mighty Atlantic has always had a hand in shaping our culture. It stands to reason, then, that our new traditions should incorporate the ocean as well.

This idea is an integral part of the exhilarating vision that is the Bermuda Christmas Boat Parade. Bermudians are, and always have been, a seafaring people, and our heritage is celebrated with considerable pomp and pageantry every December, as participants deck their — er - decks with original works of illuminated art and parade around the Capital’s Harbour to the absolute glee of thousands of onlookers.

Norma Thompson, the coordinator and matron of the spectacular Bermuda Christmas Boat Parade describes the experience of being involved in the steadily growing stream of meticulously decorated vessels as “magical”. Recently The Royal Gazette <$>spoke with Ms Thompson about the annual event which is set to celebrate its ninth anniversary. She described the popular event as “one of the biggest annual spectacles on offer in Bermuda” , a statement that can be proven accurate by a mere attempt to move an inch along the perimeter of Hamilton Harbour during the parade. The territory around the harbour is absolutely grid-locked every year!

People come from all corners of the Island to huddle together on the shores, hills, and rooftops of the City in an effort to catch even a fleeting glimpse of the luminescent crafts parading before them. Indeed, the Bermuda Christmas Boat Parade has become an annual treat for young and old alike, and with its popularity growing steadily every year, there is no reason to believe that this won’t become a timeless Bermuda tradition.

Ms Thompson already reckons that our local parade has become a staple in the pantheon of Bermudian experiences.

“The parade is just one of those things that you absolutely have to participate in at least once in your lifetime; whether it be as a skipper, or as a spectator, the parade must be experienced by every Bermudian at least once,” she declares effervescently.

This year’s parade promises to be a fabulous one, with skippers engineering breathtaking manifestations of light and steel. Well, the skippers that have enough Christmas spirit in them to make the effort that is. That is actually the only significant issue this wonderful event has ever really faced-getting a decent complement of vessels involved.

Ms Thompson estimates that there are 3,000 plus privately-owned boats in Bermuda, yet the parade is yet to be blessed with as many as 100 entries. In fact, the drive this year, and in the years to follow, will be to make this event a true community event by encouraging anyone who wants to join the parade to get out there and do it. The organising committee is quite pleased that the event is a critical and popular success (which is evidenced by the annual haul of some 20,000 spectators), but the actual spectacle could use some bulking up. Ms Thompson revealed her inspiration for the idea to start a local boat parade came from experiencing the magnificent Newport Christmas Boat Parade in Newport, Virginia, an event that literally took her breath away, and started her dreaming of a local equivalent. Well, we’re not quite equivalent yet, but she says that we’re certainly getting there, and with the support of major sponsors ACE, Bacardi, Cable & Wireless, and XL Capital, and the afore-mentioned popular appeal, the Bermuda Christmas Boat Parade is sure to become one of the world’s greatest Christmas spectacles in the not-too-distant future.