o What: Christmas Ship Parade sets sail.
o When: Dec. 4 and Dec. 9-21. Depending on the date and route, nightly parades begin between 5 and 7 p.m.
o Where: On the Columbia and Willamette rivers.
o Cost: Free.
o Information: http://columbian.com/christmasships for route maps and information or http://christmasships.org. The Columbian will publish route maps inside the Life section each day the parade travels on the Columbia River.
Parks and restaurants with views
http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/dec/03/recommended-locations-to-view-the-christmas-ship-p/
For the first time in more than 20 years, Clark County residents won’t just get the first glimpse at the annual Christmas Ship Parade. They will get the final look at the ships, as well.
o What: Christmas Ship Parade sets sail.
o When: Dec. 4 and Dec. 9-21. Depending on the date and route, nightly parades begin between 5 and 7 p.m.
o Where: On the Columbia and Willamette rivers.
o Cost: Free.
o Information: http://columbian.com/christmasships for route maps and information or http://christmasships.org. The Columbian will publish route maps inside the Life section each day the parade travels on the Columbia River.
The annual attraction traditionally begins its run with a one-off parade of about 20 boats that departs from the Port of Camas-Washougal.
Community support has been key in keeping that tradition alive, said Jess Heitman, president of the Christmas Ship board of directors. “The residents have showed such strong support, so we can’t say no,” he said. “The support for the Christmas ships up there is just phenomenal.”
About 20 ships are expected to take part in the Camas parade on Saturday, Heitman said. The east Clark County debut provides a chance for captains to fine-tune their ships and gives fans a sneak peek at the lighted displays.
After opening day, two groups of ships go on nightly parades, lighting up both the Columbia and Willamette rivers.
In years past, the parade has ended about two weeks later with depleted fleets on both rivers.
About 20 to 30 ships set sail on the Columbia River each night, Heitman said. But that number would drop to 12-14 ships on the parade’s final evenings due to outside commitments and burnout. “When you run it 14 consecutive nights, people get tired,” Heitman said.
To combat the low participation and give fans an added treat, organizers opted to combine the ships that typically sail on the Willamette River with the Columbia River fleet Dec. 20-21.
Heitman expects about 20-35 ships to sail each night of the combined run. The combined fleets will also mean that fans in Clark County will likely see ships they’ve never seen before, he said. “It’s just kind of exciting,” he said. “We can have a reasonably good boat count for the last two nights.”
Routes can change
In between, Heitman expects about 55 ships to take part throughout the event. About 20-30 ships will parade along the Columbia River nightly. The exact numbers are tough to predict, since not every ship sails each night, Heitman said.
In addition, exact information on where the ships will be and at what time isn’t available. River debris, weather and rough water could cause cancellation or delays, and commercial traffic on the river can alter routes. Up-to-date information about each night’s parade will be posted on the Christmas Ship Parade website at http://christmasships.org. Route maps, as well as where to view the ships each night, will be posted on the Columbian’s Christmas Ship Parade website at http://columbian.com/christmasships.
