TowBoatU.S. Assists with Holiday Spirit
The 37th Annual Winterfest boat parade in Ft. Lauderdale on December 13th was a complete success. The elaborate decorations and lighting of the already stunning vessels made this a night to remember.
This year's parade marks the 2nd year in a row that it has started on the New River in Downtown Ft. Lauderdale and traveled east to the Intracoastal Waterway and north to Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach. Prior to 2007 the parade started at the SE 17th Street Causeway; in 2007 the route was altered to make the show accessible to more spectators. The staging and safety concerns with this new route were unfounded thanks to the foresight and planning of the Winterfest committee who worked tirelessly to insure that the event went off seamlessly. The committee's plan included having some of the larger vessels towed down the river for safety reasons and TowBoat U.S. New River was an integral part of this plan.
TowBoatU.S. New River's role was to assist the 111', 380 passenger luxury yacht Biscayne Lady and the 130', 140 passenger luxury yacht Venetian Lady down the New River through its tight turns and narrow bridges. When the vessels reached the mouth of the New River, they were set free to continue, under their own power, through the considerably less daunting portion of the parade. The TowBoatU.S. tugs then returned up river to tow the official Santa vessel; Lazzara's I-Cube, along the entire parade route which featured Santa Clause in an electric suit draped in more than 2,000 LED lights. You may remember the 40' x 90' glass and steel I-Cube which was featured in the November 2008 issue of the New River Navigator.
TowBoatU.S. New River provides experienced, professional yacht towing and docking assistance throughout South Florida. Feel free to contact them at 954-525-5577 to schedule a tow or learn more about all of the services they offer.
