The MV Coho is all dressed up for the holidays.
A huge Christmas star tops the mast of the car and passenger ferry that makes, during the winter, two round trips daily between Port Angeles and Victoria across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Inside, a brightly lit Christmas tree decorates the forward lounge, and candy cane wraps and wreaths are throughout the vessel.
New this year is a display on the main passenger deck, decorated with the words “Coho Ho Ho.”
“We enjoy doing it every year,” said Rian Anderson, Port Angeles manager.
“It makes the vehicle a little more festive. It’s fun for the crew to get out of the ordinary and dress it up.”
Santa on Christmas Eve
On Friday — Christmas Eve — Santa is expected to travel aboard the Coho to hand out candy canes and wish passengers safe journeys, said Sandra Hudson of Good Relations Inc., the Coho’s public relations firm.
It will be business as usual for the Coho and its crew on Christmas Day.
“We travel every day, with the exception of two weeks in dry dock” for annual maintenance, which is usually at the end of January or the first of February, Anderson said.
“All the holidays, we still run,” he added.
The Coho leaves daily from its terminal on Railroad Avenue in Port Angeles at 8:20 a.m. and 2 p.m., and departs Victoria at 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Here are the “Captain’s Top 4 Picks” of festive things to do in Victoria, according to Hudson.
• Lights at Butchart Gardens.
The 24th season of festive Christmas displays at Butchart Gardens features tens of thousands of colored lights. Visitors can take a spin on the outdoor skating rink, ride the Rose Carousel and hunt for the “Twelve Days of Christmas” displays.
• A Victorian Christmas at Craigdarroch Castle.
The 1890s mansion, built by coal baron Robert Dunsmuir, is decorated in Victorian fashion for the holiday season, complete with Victorian toys under the many Christmas trees.
Special events at the castle include a variety of seasonal musical performances, readings of traditional children’s stories and visits from Father Christmas.
• Christmas trees at the Fairmont Empress.
Seventy decorated trees will light up the public spaces of the Fairmont Empress at the 19th Annual Festival of Trees, benefiting BC Children’s Hospital until Jan. 4.
• Gingerbread houses at the Inn at Laurel Point.
The Inn at Laurel Point’s Great Gingerbread House Showcase will be on view until Jan. 3.
The display benefits Habitat for Humanity.
For more information, visit www.CohoFerry.com.
