Lysregattaen i Mariager

Arrangementet, ifølge min mormor, bestod af sang og musik, flot udsmykkede både og små boder rundt omkring, man kunne købe noget ved. Min mormor var kommet forbi fredag, og havde foreslået lysregattaen for min søster og jeg, og som den eneste havde jeg sagt ja. Det skulle foregå lørdag aften, så min mormor tilbød aftensmad inden. Vi kørte til Mariager ved 19 tiden, og gik resten af vejen til havnen, hvor festlighederne skulle foregå.

Ved havnen var der et publikum, der mest bestod af ældre individer, nogle få børnefamilier hvis undskyldning var, at gå med hunden og enkelte unge mennesker. Selve arrangementet startede, da den berømte fjordsejler, Svanen, kom ind i havnen. Alle de sejlskibe, der skulle deltage i optoget, fik travlt med at komme ud af deres pitstop, og efter Svanen, der sejlede i ring, og tilkalde dens ”svællinger”.

Hver sejlbåd var udsmykket med lys, i selvvalgte farver og størrelser, og da alle 13 både var kommet ind på rækken efter Svanen, sejlede de alle ud på fjorden. Imens dette stod på opstod der musik eller rettere sagt baggrundsstøj. Den såkaldte sanger lød mere som en lille knægt, der stillede op i børneprogrammet SKRÅL, med Mabels sang ”Boom Boom”, som han aldrig havde hørt før. Alt gik nedenom og hjem da han begav sig ud i ”Jutlandia”, som selv jeg kunne synge og huske bedre end han kunne. Jeg havde en mistanke om, at dem der sad og klappede, hvilket sikkert bestod af hans familiemedlemmer, og dem der nikkede lidt med på ’beatet’ var godt påvirket af øl og diverse andre alkoholiserede drikkevarer der var rundt omkring.

Boderne var små områder med en grill, hvor der var mulighed for at blive lokket til at købe en pølse af nogle ret så ivrige indfødte, der tog fat i dig og trak dig hen til deres grill som fyldte ens lunger med pølsearoma. Efter en stor aftensmad hos mormor, var det ikke ligefrem sagen.

Alt i alt en aften der bød på et billigt grin, fine både og et mareridt efter entusiastsangeren var begyndt på ”Walkin’ in Memphis”. 

*The event, according to my grandmother, consisted of music , ornate boats and small stalls around the harbor, where you could purchase something. My grandmother had passed by Friday, and had proposed lysregattaen for my sister and I , and as the only one I said yes . It was to take place Saturday evening , so my grandmother offered dinner before that. We drove to Mariager by 7PM, and we walked the last bit to the harbor, where the festivities would take place .

At the harbor there were an audience that consisted mostly of older individuals , a few families whose excuse was walking the dog and a few young people. The event started when the famous fjordboat, the Swan, came into the harbor. All the sailing vessels that were to participate in the parade, got in a hurry to get out of their pitstop , and after the Swan, which sailed around in a cirkel , and call its "cygnets” .

Each boat were decorated with lights in custom colors and sizes , and when all the 13 boats had entered the ranks after the Swan they all sailed out on the fjord . While this was going on there were music playing or rather noise. The so-called singer sounded more like a little kid who put up the children's program ”YELL” , with Mabel's song "Boom Boom" as he had never heard before. Everything went bust when he started singing "JUTLANDIA" which I could sing and remember better than he could. I had a suspicion that those people who sat and clapped , which probably consisted of his family members, and those who nodded slightly to the 'beat ' was well influenced by beer and various other alcoholic beverages that were around .

The stalls were more like small areas with a barbecue where there was the possibility of being tricked into buying a sausage of some pretty keen native who grabbed you but the shoulder and pulled you over to their grill that filled your lungs with sausage flavor. After a great dinner at Grandma's , it was not exactly the case.

All in all, an evening that featured a cheap laugh , fine boats and a nightmare by the enthusiast singer that had just begun singing " Walkin ' in Memphis" .