The Christmas Boat Parade lit up Hamilton Harbour once again this year with the flair that has made it a staple of the Bermuda holiday calendar.

And this time, thousands had to brave an unseasonable December chill.

Organiser Ian Coles said: "It only added to the atmosphere of the Christmas season."

Forty-two boats made the trip through the harbour, competing to be the star of the night.

Judges picked John Carr as the overall winner. He built his floating float on a barge and called it "Bermuda's Finest".

It's described as a display of a 20 foot policeman with several real motorbike cops.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Mr. Carr has taken home the top prize.

"Every year you go in and you think you're going to get knocked off," he said Sunday from his home. But the Carr creativity could not be matched.

His win this year is especially triumphant because his boat Nomad is in Florida.

In late November he scrambled to make the parade line-up. To do it, he borrowed a friend's barge 12 days ago and enlisted the help of about 12 friends.

Meantime, the People's Choice Award went to the lead boat which is a sail training vessel called Spirit of Bermuda.

The most original entry was the "Sea Serpentine", a depiction of the Loch Ness Monster. The cutest entry award went to the team from Capital G.

"Bravo Zulu" by Michael Gladwin took honours for best big boat.

Mr. Coles said the judges had a particularly difficult job this year because the calibre of entries kept improving.

"We must compliment all the boats on a great effort," he said.

"We've seen boat parades in Newport Beach on the West Coast of the US and looked at parades up and down the East Coast, and there's nothing to compare to the creativity, imagination and hard work that our Bermuda skippers put into their entries."

The night was capped off with fireworks, courtesy of XL Capital.

Next year for the Boat Parade's tenth anniversary, the organising committee is promising "an extra special event with several exciting surprises to mark the birthday of the event".

John Carr would be going for his sixth consecutive win.

When asked if he'll be there to compete for another title, he responded: "The jury's still out."