Monday, September 26, 2011
Bonaire’s First Maritime Day a Resounding Success!
Young and old alike enjoyed the festivities as Bonaire celebrated its first Maritime Day yesterday. The day was filled with fantastic displays on land, in the air, and on the seas, as our Dutch Marines, Coast Guard, Marine Park, Customs, Police, and Rescue crews strutted their stuff on the oceanfront promenade of Kralendijk. View images of the day’s events on the Bonaire Insider Photo Gallery by clicking here.
The events started right on time at 10:00 AM as the Coast Guard plane did a fly-by, complete with a wing wiggle to salute the crowd. Next the daredevil chopper pilot of the Coast Guard’s Lynx helicopter showed off his piloting skills with gut-wrenching maneuvers, including full loops and pendulum swings, and low over-the-water fly-bys.
Then it was time for the fleet of boats on hand to give demonstrations as the vessels of the Coast Guard (inflatables and Boston Whalers), Customs, Police, Marine Park, and Rescue Crew thrilled the crowd with speedy turns and twists, showing the maneuverability of the boats, a man-overboard rescue, and contraband retrieval. All vessels then took groups of eager kids (both young and not-so-young “kids"), including Bonaire’s First Family, Lt. Governor Glenn Thode, his wife, and daughters, on rides around Kralendijk Bay. As the boats sped by, one could see the smiles of enjoyment on all the faces of the riders!
But this was not all. Along the entire oceanfront promenade, there was display after display where one could shoot an M-16, go through a tent with night vision goggles, compete for the best time hanging onto a rope, get outfitted with complete military apparel, including camouflage face paint, chin microphone, and helmet, or practice using a spotting scope. And then....three truck loads of armored personnel arrived to quell a (simulated) mob uprising. Don’t get in the way of these guys!
And then.....just to top things off, and I haven’t quite figured out how the Coast Guard managed to coordinate this with Mother Nature, but just as one of the final displays of the Boston Whalers began, the winds shifted and a sudden squall moved in with gusty southerly winds, causing an onshore rush of waves. As onlookers ran for cover from the wind and rain that was threatening, the men of steel out in the Boston Whalers completed their maneuvers as if the seas were benign and calm. It’s easy to see why these life-savers have to operate in any type of weather; when someone’s life is on the line, they can’t elect not to go because it’s stormy!
Everyone enjoyed the day immensely, and thanks go to all the organizers and participants who worked so diligently to host a fabulous event! (Source: Bonaire Insider Reporter)
