This will be our 4th year attending the Gig Harbor lighted boat parade. Perhaps because this crazy covid year has kept folks in lockdown, there were more lighted boats and parade watchers than in any of the previous years. We heard one estimate was that there were at least 50-parade boats in attendance! Folks really went all out and even those that were not in the actual parade seemed to go the extra mile with decorations, lights and festive holiday music.

Admittedly we even added a few more light strings to R Lil’ Ship, a 4 ft. Christmas tree and a wreath above the anchor. It definitely created that little bit of extra cheer. Our good friends who we often boat with, really outdid themselves and if your a minion fan, an 8-foot Dave was a sight to behold! We had a really good time and the weather which was forecasted for 90% rain all weekend was actually beautiful. Crisp, cold and perfect for a boat parade. In past years we experienced heavy fog and heavy rains, making the parade a bit tough to see, but not this weekend, Mother Nature was on our side.

The Gig Harbor waterfront was bustling as well. In a year where we are all supposed to be in lockdown, there were more cars, traffic and people than we have ever seen for this event. Of course most folks were wearing their masks and shops still maintained all the social distance protocols but people were definitely out and about. Many of the local business have converted their outdoor spaces for dining/drinks and I truly hope they get through these tough times. We ordered take-out dinner at the El Pueblito Mexican restaurant on Friday evening and the staff emphatically thanked us over and over for our business, it was very humbling.

We took the fur-babies for a long walks throughout the harbor, so that when we anchored out for the parade, they would be good and tired. We found a new walking loop which might sound boring but when you visit the same local places, discovering a new path is a big deal especially when you have three dogs to walk. We checked out the local spice store, whiskey distillery and of course the marine store where we found a new ornament for our new little Christmas tree and the Captain found a new 2000 lumen work light! The phrase blinded by the light is a real thing with this work light! We walked by a pop-up tent event for veterans where local artist were selling candle, baked goods and various crafts. Santa was even present and the girls were treated with doggie biscuits. As we continued our exploration of downtown Gig Harbor we noticed that Santa really gets around as we saw him paddle boarding alongside his faithful elves around the harbor!

After a really fun weekend of exploring it is now time to prep R Lil’ Ship for a haul out. We are having the head hoses changed out, gel coat repairs (yes as 1st mate in training, I may have come in a little hot when practicing my docking) the hydrualic steering serviced along with a few other items. It should take just a couple weeks, but for those of you in boating, you know it will likely be more like 4-weeks! In the meantime we will be counting the days until we are back on the water…