The Poulsbo Yacht Club Lighted Ships Parade, a 47-year-strong tradition, will be held Saturday, Dec. 17.

The Port Madison portion of the route has been cancelled this year, due to safety concerns caused by congestion, and the event has been restructured from a two-night tour into a single night.

The boats will leave the Poulsbo Yacht Club Marina at 5 p.m., proceeding directly to downtown Poulsbo. Next, they’ll head south, following the west side of Liberty Bay, arriving at Keyport around 6 p.m.

The merry fleet will then cross to Manzanita Bay, up the west side of Bainbridge Island through Agate Pass and to the Suquamish dock at 7:40 p.m. The vessels will head back, reaching Point Bolin, Lemolo and, finally, Liberty Bay Marina at approximately 9:15 p.m.

All times are approximate and may be affected by weather and tides. In the event of bad weather, the sailing may be cancelled. Event officials urge attendees to remind their children that Santa’s sleigh is “much more resilient to bad weather than his ships.”

A waterborne Santa will deliver personalized greetings. To sign up for yours, email Santa at lightedships@gmail.com with your address and desired message by Monday, Dec. 12.