Joy to the Lake : Unicorn, Pot of Gold, Rainbow and Ribbons Festoon Boat Parade

They worked for hours, even days, to assemble the grandest and most colorful floats on Westlake Lake.

Sixteen entrants in the Parade of Lights spent most of Sunday dressing up their sailboats and bay cruisers with Santas, Christmas lights, streamers and other decorations for the flotilla sponsored by the Westlake Yacht Club.

“It’s mostly to have a great time and get the community involved in our lake,� said Lloyd Carter, a retired business manager for a communications company who served as rear commodore for the event.

“We can put on as great a show as any harbor on the coast,� he said.

Minutes after sunset Sunday, 15 boats lined up behind Carter’s flagship and the floating parade began. Contestants vying for top prizes in four categories followed Carter twice around Westlake Island before steering the boats back to the main harbor.

Outside the clubhouse earlier Sunday, among the hundreds of slips lining the shore of the private lake, crew members spruced up their vessels for the parade.

Aboard the Whiplash, Larry Warner installed a six-foot rabbit, decked out in a snow blanket and red ribbons, atop his 16-foot Electra Craft. Holding a silver-sequined wand, the bunny bent back and forth, as the slender staff touched the brim of a hat hiding a small Santa.

“The theme’s ‘Holiday Magic,’ so I thought we needed something coming out of a hat,� said Phyllis Warner, Larry’s wife. “I think we should win for creativity.�

Larry Warner, an insurance company manager who lives in Westlake Village, said he spent two days designing and crafting the bobbing rabbit.

“I did a prototype about six inches tall to make sure it works,� he said, hoisting the rabbit atop his vessel. “It has the potential to win first place, but we’ve got some stiff competition. So I’m not making any predictions.�

About 40 feet across the marina, three families were working together to assemble their decorations: a rainbow sweeping from stern to bow leading to a pot of gold.

Dozens of brightly wrapped presents peeked over the edge of the makeshift pot, although Cindy Chigaridas conceded that the boxes were empty.

“The real ones we already gave to Toys for Tots,� she said, supervising the installation of the 12-foot rainbow on the Kirsten Lee, a 16-foot platform boat named for the street she lives on. Chigaridas and her husband, Chris, own the boat with their neighbors, the Schneiders and Artofs.

Geri Schneider said she didn’t feel guilty for spending days preparing the Kirsten Lee for the contest, even though most of the other entrants had only hours to ready their floats.

“We hope we are the winners,� she said. “We have a wonderful and cohesive group, and we work well together.�

By contrast, Lyle Schlyer and his family had only a couple of hours to piece together the decorations for his 14-foot Capri sailboat, Wishing Upon a Star.

Nonetheless, his two children, Lacey, 14, and Chris, 10, did an admirable job. They propped a wooden unicorn dressed in lights atop the craft and added some extras.

“There’s a shooting star over its head and on top of the party boat, we have a tree made of lights,� said Lacey, who felt confident that the children could take one of the top prizes.

Unlike most of the entrants, the sailboat was towed through the floating parade by a platform boat because no gas-powered craft are allowed on the lake. The other vessels are battery operated.

At the end of the day, the Warners and their bobbing bunny did win the award for best theme. Other winners included Jerry and Eileen Merritt for the most creative float, Jerry Adams for best overall and Bryce Adolph best entry by a non-member of the Westlake Yacht Club.