In a revival of a briefly lost, much-beloved island tradition, once again Santa Claus is coming to town by ship –– arriving at Ganges’ Breakwater Dock at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8.
Restarting the Santa Ship took a collaboration between Lions Clubs across the Gulf Islands, according to Salt Spring Lions Club president Don Cunningham –– and the availability of a 28-foot Nordic tug, set for “sleigh duty” thanks to Mayne Island club past-president Brian Dearden –– but the seafaring Santa is finally back for his pre-Christmas multi-island tour.
“We’ll have Santa Claus’ chair ready for him at Mouat’s Mall,” said Cunningham. “There will be hot cocoa and marshmallows in front of the Coast Guard office, then the kids can come down the walkway and go into Mouat’s on the Pegasus Gallery side, walk down the hall and meet Santa.”
The right jolly old elf will be bringing his sack of goodies, and handing out gifts and chocolate, Cunningham said, as well as candy canes and mandarin oranges. A large number of Lions volunteers will be on-hand to make the event as special as possible. Salt Spring Lions Club member James Sikora is helping Santa get ready, Cunningham said, but may be suspiciously missing whenever Santa is around.
A Christmas ship visit for Salt Spring has been absent for years, but it’s a tradition with a long history. More than 50 years ago, Cunningham said, Santa’s ship was an international project taken on at the time by the Bellingham Jaycees, with Santa and his helpers staying at the Harbour House Hotel when visiting here and delivering Santa to the school courtesy Salt Spring’s fire truck.
“That lasted about 20 years,” said Cunningham, “after which the Bellingham Lions Central, the Bellingham Evening Club and Bellingham Breakfast Club got together and said, ‘OK, we’ll take it on for a five-year stint if we have the support of the Canadian clubs.’ And we all said, ‘Sure!’”
That five years turned into decades, he said, and Santa toured the San Juan and Gulf islands from a home port in Bellingham regularly –– winter weather notwithstanding.
“It could get pretty rough coming out of Bellingham Bay sometimes,” chuckled Cunningham. “Some winters when the Santa Ship has come in, it’s been a blinding blizzard.”
As the event grew, Cunningham said, it adapted to changing times. Fireworks, for example, which had been part of the festivities for some years, weren’t allowed on U.S.-flagged vessels after Sept. 11, 2001. When U.S. Homeland Security changed its regulations, he added, Canadian Lions Club helpers had to begin and end their voyage from Bellingham –– often requiring several days of travel and hotel stays to participate.
But participate they did, right up to Christmas 2019 when Santa and his entourage stepped off the 96-foot Victoria Star II and greeted Salt Spring’s children –– and went on to visit those on Saturna, Pender, Mayne and Galiano islands. Then, in 2020, the Covid pandemic struck; and even after the border reopened, international standards for vessels sailing between the two countries changed beyond what clubs on either side could manage.
But with a local, more modest boat available this year –– and with the enthusiastic efforts of multiple Lions Clubs –– it’s time for the Santa Ship once again.
“It’s a great preview to Christmas,” said Cunningham, who said the club and community were delighted to help bring the event back to Salt Spring.
“If it clicks, hopefully it’ll be a forever kind of thing,” he said.