Port, Yacht Club light up waterfront

Published 5:35 pm Tuesday, December 16, 2008

This year, as in several seasons past, there is one part of our marina that is literally awash in color.

Boats of all kinds are decked out with brightly colored lights, often rising to the top of tall masts or tracing the outlines of the vessel, with others featuring a variety of holiday themes.

Members of the Edmonds Yacht Club are sponsors of the annual display. Each year, a number of large yachts leave their regular moorage at the Port and move to the open mid-marina area. They raft together for the better part of a month and engage in a friendly rivalry to see who can create the most colorful display in their annual “Holiday On The Docks” event.

These mid-marina docks are at other times of the year largely used for guest moorage. Visitors are assigned dock space on a daily basis and often stay for a few days. During the month of December, when fewer families choose to cruise on Puget Sound, there is generally an abundance of space available for locally based boats, especially those whose owners want to become part of the Christmastime spectacle.

That doesn’t mean that the Port is not prepared to accommodate visiting boaters at this time. We are able to assign visiting boaters to seasonally vacant slips elsewhere in the marina. For those visitors wishing to add an Edmonds holiday shopping trip to their stay, we make our “Destination Port of Edmonds” courtesy van available to shuttle them to and from our colorful downtown shopping area.

For we who are fortunate enough to live here, the lighting display is once again a “must see” stop on a holiday tour of our community. The Port and the Yacht Club collaborate in this colorful event each year, and each year we see it grow lovelier and more interesting. Without a doubt, a visit to the Port to enjoy the “Holiday On The Docks” is something that everyone in the area should include in their December plans.

On behalf of the Edmonds Yacht Club, the Port Commission and our staff, I cordially invite you to come down. Bundle up in a warm coat, bring your camera and enjoy the colorful display put on by your friends and neighbors who comprise Edmonds’ active boating community.

You can see the lights from now through Jan. 3. This year in particular, when everyone in our nation is so aware of the need to watch expenses, it is nice to know there is something like this that is totally without cost. Come down and enjoy the lights and join us in wishing everyone well during this joyous — and colorful — holiday season.

Chris Keuss is the executive director of the Port of Edmonds.