Helpful Information

• The flotilla is open to all watercraft, not just sailboats. Powerboats, Head Boats, Sport fishers, Kayaks and Paddleboards are all welcome! Also you do not have to be a member of the RIYC.

• Holiday Lights are not required. Costumes and unlit decorations work too. 12v low voltage LEDs do work if you do not have a 120v inverter onboard.

• If you have to come from a distance there is a boat ramp and also free 24 hour slips at the Manteo Waterfront Marina. The free slips are on the bulkheads and also the dock leading to the lighthouse. Slips with power also available for a fee here. There are managed by the town and not RIYC.

• Email us at roanokeislandyachtclub@gmail.com if you have any questions or need some assistance.

Participant Rules & Waiver

General:  OPEN TO ALL BOATS! You do not have to be a member of the RIYC.

The Roanoke Island Holiday Flotilla is a one hour-long lighted boat parade along Manteo’s Waterfront that will take place on Saturday, December 13th from 6:00-7:00pm. Vessels must be pre-registered and carry a Flotilla Vessel ID number on the starboard side bow. All skippers must attend a mandatory skippers meeting in the barrel room of Outer Banks Distilling on Friday, December 12th at 6pm. 

Parade line up will begin at 6:00pm in Shallowbag Bay between channel markers R8-R10. All boats will monitor channel 68 for instructions and guidance and follow a counter clockwise loop between Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse and the Festival Park Bridge. The parade will continue until 7:00 pm unless notified otherwise on channel 68. Your boat will be judged from the starboard side only.  Judges will be located under the waterfront gazebo and prizes will be awarded here 15 minutes following the flotilla.

Rules 

Registered Boats- All boats and/or vessels participating in the Event, or otherwise used for the Flotilla shall be properly licensed and registered. All other mechanical and electrical components of all Participant Boats shall be in good condition and in complete working order. Each Participant Boat will have all required safety equipment and a working VHF radio.

Decorations- All decorations shall be made of fire-retardant materials and no fireworks of any kind are allowed. 

Boat Operators- Every operator of each Participant Boat shall minimize abrupt starts and stops during the Event. All Participant Boat operators shall maintain an adequate distance between other Participant Boats, and shall give special attention to maintaining a safe distance from all other structures and vessels. Boat operators & crew shall keep a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and to manage and mitigate collision and man-overboard risks. Participants are responsible for their own safety, boat’s safety, and their passengers’ safety, and agree to comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, and statutes applicable to the Event as well as operation of the boat.

Passengers- Children 13 years of age and under on a Participant Boat shall wear a PFD and be under constant adult supervision during the Event. Everyone on the foredeck of a Participant Boat will wear a PFD. Standing passengers on any Participant Boat shall have a device to hold, such as safety rails, barriers, or ropes, which are sufficient to prevent falling on or from the Participant Boat. No passenger shall cling to or ride on the outside of any Participant Boat at any time.

Safety- Each Participant Boat, including captain and crew, understand and hereby agree that they are jointly and exclusively responsible for the safety and compliance of every Participant Boat driven, used and/or included in the Event, including the need to perform safety checks of such Participant Boats prior to and throughout the Event. Every Participant will give a safety briefing to everyone aboard their boat before leaving the dock, consistent with that given at the Skipper’s Meeting and these Rules.

Collisions- All collisions, accidents, or similar interactions between any of the Participant Boats, or between any Participant Boat and any other vessel, boat, vehicle, or structure, shall be immediately reported on channel 68, regardless of whether or not any damages or injuries occurred.

Alcoholic Beverages and Substances- There shall be no consumption of alcohol, cannabis products, or unlawful substances by any operator of any Participant Boat. No person operating a Participant Boat or other motorized vehicle in the Event shall be under the influence of alcohol, cannabis products, or unlawful substances of any type.

The Skipper and all individuals wishing to participate with them in the Event, including but not limited to boat owners, operators, passengers, and parents of minor passengers (collectively, “Participants”), must agree to and comply with these Rules as a condition to participating in the Event. Participants agree to be solely responsible for their safety and the Boat’s safety. Participants will comply with these Rules, instructions at the Skipper’s Meeting, instructions before and during the Event, town and USCG directives, and all applicable laws, ordinances, and regulations applicable to the Flotilla and operation of their boat.