By DON CRINKLAW | Forum Publishing Group

December 11, 2008

Winterfest Boat Parade gets under way this Saturday, many in the crowd of spectators will be eyeing the glowing, decorated boats going by, waiting for one of the parade's favorites. In fact, this favorite has been in every parade for more than 30 years.

It's a 34-foot single-mast Columbia sailboat with a cannon mounted on the bow, emitting mighty roars and great gouts of flame. Behind the cannon, nine men stand in a row dressed like soldiers in "The Nutcracker" ballet — white pants, red tunics, gray busbies. Whenever the cannon fires its blanks, the soldiers fall over then struggle to their feet just in time for the next blast.

"Falling down isn't hard; getting back up is," said Jack Holland, who owns the boat and fires the cannon. He and his wife, Sharon, designed and fabricated the look of their special boat.

For part of the year, the boat, named Mooncusser, sits becalmed behind their house on Marlin Canal in Pompano Beach. About two weeks before the parade, the couple begins preparations: cleaning, fueling, getting the deck generator running, and of course, mounting the cannon and other decorations.

The Hollands came here from Boston in 1978 and joined the Winterfest Parade practically that same year. Originally, the Mooncusser had a Christmas tree and Santa on a platform pulling presents out of a bag. Then someone suggested soldiers.

"We went to the Salvation Army and bought any red tops they had, and all their white pants," Holland said. The couple made hat from poster board and recruited friends from sailing clubs to play the soldiers.

Holland came to understand, he said, that as they glided over the dark water, the boat became a moving stage with a new audience every minute. So he figured he had to keep firing that cannon and falling down, which his soldiers do about 250 times during the parade.

"Over the years, we've had 320 people appear as soldiers," Holland said. The group is costumed now from a closet full of specially made red tops and white pants. Even the busbies are gray now, which is meant to catch the light better.

"I'm creative," he said. "As long as I'm here, I'll keep doing this."

Winterfest's grand finale is traditionally the Santa Boat, and this year the old gentleman is getting an extra special production. Chris Tompkins, director of sales and marketing for the W Fort Lauderdale Hotel & Residences, said that the hotel's design team will be decorating the finale boat.

Santa will be on the balcony of a 30-foot house built just for him on a monster boat measuring 90 feet long and 45 feet wide. The whole production will be lit by 2,000 LEDs.

The outside of the house will be decorated in a holiday motif, Tompkins said, and the inside is a living room design. All of it will be visible because of its glass design, which is a first.

"We've changed the look of the finale boat," he said