Boat Parade Information

Overview

Each boat links to an interactive volunteer coupon to livestream and interact with viewers and compete against other boats. Spectators can search for and choose any boat during the parade and anytime after parade day. This lets boaters have fun and fund raise in the months after the parade anytime they are on their boat. For the parade, boats are organized into groups and proceed together at a parade speed of about 3 mph. This boat parade is a true parade that frequently stops and starts all together and is not a poker run by individual boats!

You can get in line to be a guest, crew, captain or play interactive live streamed games with any boat. The limited spaces are based on first come or in Pirate style by bribing the Bootymaster of any boat. If you are a spectator your place in line is similar to lining up for a ride or game at a fair. On Saturday May 18, you will have to check in one more time to confirm your place in line and you will be given your starting time and position.

The boat parade is free but to be part of our world record attempt, you must complete the free online parade training and safety requirements. Boats with rehearsed and livestreamed skits, games and decorations are given a priority over boats with no preparation or decoration. “First come” is the general rule for our limited spaces.

A group has 30 boats. We will have a maximum of 100 groups for the parade. Look at the top middle boat, it has a red “1” for group one.

The top 3 boats (10, 20 & 30) are squad leaders. There are 10 boats in each squad and 3 squads in a group.

May 19, 2024 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, approximately Mary Alice Park to the main channel

Basics

• Each boat keeps 20′ away from any other boat in all directions while traveling in the parade and has fenders out. All boats must have one captain and one crew member. The crewmember is the lookout and handles communication by cellphone, visual and sound signals
• The 3 squad leaders in each group stop or start their squad when the squad ahead stops or starts.
• Group Leader boats must have 3 people, Captain, lookout and communications
• The parade starts by crossing a line between BR7 and BR6 and heading east to towards the main channel
• The parade ends by crossing a line between BR1 & BR2
• Boats continue at parade speed and direction until they cross a line between 3 & 4, then travel any north or easterly direction for 30 more minutes at parade speed. This is necessary to clear the parade exit and to minimize wake for the rest of the parade.
• If each row takes up 200′ of space and travels at 3 mph, 80 rows or 240 boats are possible each hour. This may range from 100 to 400 boats per hour depending on the size of boats and number of parade stops and starts.
• The parade length is almost 2 miles. It will take boats approximately 30 minutes staging, 30 minutes in the queue, 45 minutes to travel the route, another 30 minutes to clear the area. (2 hours 15 minutes plus travel time to staging)

Staging

• Group leaders for each group of 30 boats are given a staging number and approximate time to stage. This allows for no-shows and last minute entrants and groups to cross the starting line when they are fully formed with 30 boats and are ready.
• The group leaders staging number changes to a parade number once they cross the starting line. All boats update their position number based on the Group leaders parade number.
• The group leader determines where to form up in the staging area and communicates to the squad leaders
• The squad leaders communicate to the 9 boats in their squad
• The group remains in the staging area until they have 30 boats in their group
• The group can make last minute substitutions in the staging area for boats not showing up or having problems
• The group leader decides when his group is ready to enter the queue
• The group leader signals Parade Command they are ready to enter the queue
• Parade Command signals when to enter the parade queue
• Groups in the queue advance “next in line”
• When the group crosses the starting line, they are given their sequential group number

Traffic Flow

• The staging area is anything west of a line drawn from 8BR to 7BR
• The queue area is south of line from 5LI to 1LI
• All group leaders refer to an updated staging schedule

The Guinness Book of world records still lists 1,180 boats, Sep 13, 2014 as the largest boat parade. Guinness claims that other parades could not be verified for several reasons. Each boat must be registered in the parade, display a unique parade flag and each boat must be verified for starting, traveling and completing the parade. Our unique parade identity are the words “First Responders week boat parade, May 19, 2024” posted anywhere plainly visible on the boat. You can print this on a sheet and laminate it, print it on a T-Shirt, make your own flag or whatever as long as it is visible. Each boat takes a picture of them crossing the start and finish line. Livestreaming catches all the boats staying in formation throughout the parade. This completes the major requirements.

The lookout of each boat will take a picture of their boat in the vicinity of crossing the starting line with maker BR6 visible along with our identity. The lookout will also post a picture of their boat and their identity flag in the vicinity of crossing BR 2. A designated person may also take pictures of other boats crossing if some boats are unable to do this.

The Atlanta Volunteers offers this absolutely verifiable solution for a boat parade to celebrate First Responders on May 19, 2024. It should take us 4 to 5 hours to tie the record and we have 12 hours to beat it.

This is a very slow casual parade of about walking speed (3-4mph) and not a poker run! We will have contests, decorations, games and interactive livestreaming from the boats and a slow parade speed is needed.

Equipment Requirements

Each lead boat must have 2 air horns, a lead boat flag, an identity flag and a way to display final group numbers on a piece of paper or poster board to show if needed. The lead boat flag is any flag on a staff that the lookout can wave as a signal to the 9 boats following them. Lead boat flags can be personalized to represent their group. All boats must be able to pass a USCG safety inspection and fly the official parade flag or have it worn as a T-shirt.

Queue and position

You are given a staging time, but watch for updates on the day of the parade. Once you leave the staging area and enter the queue your staging number doesn’t matter. You go “next in line” in the queue. Your final group number is one greater than the boat ahead of you, and given to you as you cross the starting line.

Two Signals

Although one single short blast means “I intend to pass you on the port side” during a boat parades we are going to use a short blast for attention. We will use 7 or more short blasts followed by one long blast for any true emergency. (different than the 5 short blasts for “danger/doubt” in navigation)

When a lookout hears any sound signal, they repeat that sound signal once so it is passed down the length of the parade. An example of using a single blast would be to stop the parade to let boats in and out of coves. Boats start moving again when the group ahead starts moving. Each captain makes a decision to wait or leave the parade when they hear an emergency signal as emergency signals can be given for weather or other types of emergencies. The lookout should use whatever means they have to determine the nature of the emergency and then inform everyone else they can. If possible pass that information to the group ahead and the group behind and definitely post it on the parade chat room.

Parade Contests A Cheerleader, a Gamer and a Bootymaster

Besides the captain and lookout, the lead boat may also have a Cheerleader, Gamer, Mermaid and Bootymaster to encourage donations to any nonprofit from interactive livestreaming. This allows people to watch at home or interactive livestreamed parties at sports bars. Any boat or person can have interactive livestreaming to raise donations for their favorite nonprofit. The Bootymaster must have a “Volunteer Coupon” where their 30 boat group can be bribed or catfished by people watching online. You can rotate the Bootymaster position to any boat so everyone can take a turns or just have one Bootymaster. The Cheerleader organizes cheers, games, songs, dances and challenges for their boat, their 10 boat float, their 30 boat group or for all the boats in the parade. A “Gamer” uses their phone to livestream the Cheerleader and Bootymaster and to communicate with the other boats. The Mermaid lures sailors to their doom with their siren song. Synchronized cheers, songs, dances and other activities can be easily synchronized owith all the boats. This can include rotational Karaoke switched on the fly from boat to boat or even between people watching at sports bars and home. The Gamers also create interaction, contests, bets and votes with people online watching the boat parade. This lets people online join in the fun and use (our game points) “loonies” to vote for or challenge the boats and floats.

Each group has a Master Bootymaster. They are the judge of booty contests and bribes, commander of who sings or dances, executioner of unfair punishment to the innocent and a banker with no ability to count except bribes that are too low. The Master Bootymaster is used for fund raising activities for any nonprofit where loonies are exchanged for prizes that you or others create for the cause you want to fund, such as buying mermaid food to feed the mermaids at the petting zoo. “Save the Mermaids” is a very popular cause, but “Shave the Mermaids” is considered urgent!