Residents of the fabulous Southeast Asia yacht charter destination – Singapore and Tourists alike were treated to an amazing spectacle as a flotilla, made up of 21 vibrantly decorated yachts, cruised by the coasts of Sentosa and towards the Harbour Front Cruise Bay over two Saturdays, 6 and 13 December 2014, as part of the first ONE15 Christmas Boat Light Parade.
ONE15 Christmas Boat Light Parade
Held in other cities like San Diego, Newport Beach Fort Lauderdale, and Miami, USA, as well as Sydney, the ONE15 Christmas Boat Light Parade, a first of its kind in Singapore, was truly a sight to behold as power and sail boats of various lengths from 20 feet to 128 feet were adorned with festive lights and decorations to the theme of A Tropical Christmas on Water. “We’ve all seen military parades and holiday parades on land, but never on water in Singapore, which is why this event is so unique and special,” said Brian E. Werner, General Manager of ONE15 Marina Club, the organiser of the boat light parade.
Passing by locations within the Sentosa Harbourfront business precinct, such as Siloso Beach, Resorts World Sentosa, HarbourFront Centre and Vivo City, the participating boats gave a display at the Sentosa Boardwalk where they were assessed by a panel of judges, selected from the event’s sponsors, for cash prizes totalling overS$15,000. Boats were judged based on their creative use of lighting, music, crowd engagement, originality and depiction of the theme of A Tropical Christmas on Water. Open to both boaters (boat dealers, charter boat operators and boat private boat owners from all Singapore Boat Marinas and beyond) and non-boaters alike, various yachts, accommodating from 8 to 50 passengers were available for luxury yacht charter for those who do not own boats.
116ft charter yacht Hye Seas II during ONE15 Christmas Boat Light Parade
“It was very heartening to see all the creative use of lights and ornaments on the boats; especially when they were all cruising along the Sentosa Boardwalk, it was really inspiring. You can easily tell that the participants gave their all in this parade; some even performed a short musical number as they sailed by the judges’ boat,” commented Chris Milliken, one of the judges and CEO of PengWine®, a product sponsor for the parade. Other judges in the panel included Stephane Fabregoul, General Manager of W Singapore — Sentosa Cove, Sean Sprinkel, Project Administrator at SUTL Group, Keith Lin, a representative from Sony Singapore and Elisha Teo, a boat enthusiast.
The parade concluded back at ONE15 Marina Club for the Awards Ceremony and Closing Party where participants and guests indulged in a sumptuous spread of finger food, free flow of wine, beer, soft drinks and were entertained by live music.
Keeping up with the spirit of giving, guests of the Awards Ceremony and Closing Party did not leave empty-handed as the early birds toted back with them door gift vouchers sponsored byGogreen Segway® and a chance at the lucky draw prizes, such as the class-leading DSLR Camera, the Sony Alpha 77 Mark II, courtesy of Sony Singapore.
Luxury motor yacht Hye Seas II underway
Peter Mahony GM from Princess Yachts Southeast Asia, supporting sponsor of the ONE15 Christmas Boat Light Parade, asserted, “I think ONE15 has really outdone itself this time. From the impressive fanfare of lights on water to the festive ambience of the closing party, added to the Club’s own stunning view of the marina, it was a really lovely way to start the holiday season. It was fantastic to be able to support such a great event and we are definitely looking forward to next year!”
Other sponsors who were onboard with the event include key sponsor, DBS Insignia Visa Infinite Card, contributing sponsors W Singapore — Sentosa Cove and World Sport Group and supporting sponsor, Simpson Marine. Product Sponsors who supported the event in-kind include Nestle Singapore, PengWine®, Sony Singapore and Gogreen Segway®.
Crowned Best of Show and taking home the grand prize of S$3,000, Ms Tay Choon Yee yacht manager of Megaway 128 (128ft) was beaming in delight as she shared, “We never had such experiences before, so it was definitely a delightful surprise when we were named Best of Show. All our guests and crew had a wonderful time, be it decorating Megaway 128 or seeing the other participants with their equally majestic display. I am already looking forward to the next Christmas Boat Light Parade!”
Other winners from the different categories include powerboats charter yacht Hye Seas II (116ft) and Sea Monster (50ft) and sailboats Katrianne (45ft), Mikanna (47ft) and Sea Wind (46ft).
Added Werner, “We will continue grow this iconic event in Singapore each year, so that more may join us to enjoy the soirée of lights on water and revel in the spirit of Christmas. We have already receive additional sponsor and boat inquiries for next year’s Christmas Boat Light Parade and will be increasing the prize money and prize categories in 2015.”
