On The Treasure Coast, FL (December 3, 2006) - Thousands of people gathered Saturday evening for the 26 th Annual Martin County Christmas Boat Parade. Nineteen boats lit up the St. Lucie River and navigated a course led by patrol boat captain Don Smith from Chapman School of Seamanship.

"These folks go to so much effort", said George Field, president of the Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast, producer of the annual event. "All the boats look great". In the past, the parade has had as many as forty four boats. "We haven't seen those numbers since the 2004 hurricanes", says Field. "Several calls were received from past participants who apologized for not attending this year, because they had not yet replaced their boat". That didn't dampen spirits for the participants and viewers as thousands of people lined the shore and parade route. It was a perfect tropical night on the Saint Lucie River.

The participants were honored to have Martin County Commissioner Sarah Heard, Martin County Coastal Engineer Kathy Fitzpatrick and Marine Industries Association Treasurer Irene Olson as this year's judges. The 2006 winners are as follows:

Power Boats 35' and under: 1 st place, #3 Dancer; 2 nd place, #2 Old Hat. Power Boats over 35': 1 st place, #7 Simple Pleasures; 2 nd place (tie) #9 Coconut Express and #14 Ra-Ja. Sailboat under 35': 1 st place, #18 Corker. Best Commercial Entry: #12 Chap's Point of View entered by Chapman School of Seamanship. The People's Choice Award went to #4 Lady Chapman, and the award for the best Community Organization went to #5, Larsholm entered by the Maritime & Yachting Museum. Honorable Mentions go to Boat #13 - No Sail II; Boat #6 - Load Up; Boat #17 - Nauti-Boy; Boat #16 - Katie's Elder; and Boat #8 - Tracy Lyn's Toy.

Many of these boats will head north this weekend to compete for "The Best of the Treasure Coast" honors in Fort Pierce, FL. They are all eligible for the $1,000 cash award if they choose to compete.

For additional information, entry requirements and best viewing areas for the St. Lucie County event, call (772) 692-7599 or e-mail vlocke@miatc.com.

The Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast, Inc. (MIATC), a non-profit trade association that represents Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee Counties. MIATC is dedicated to the promotion of pleasure boating and its related industries. The association's annual economic impact in Florida --$18.4 billion annually- is more than citrus and the cruise ship industry combined. Its annual economic impact upon the Treasure Coast is $930 million annually and it provides approximately 7,600 jobs.

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