The Air and Sea Show and More
Jacksonville, Florida has long been a Navy town, and, because of that and the close proximity to the Atlantic, the Jacksonville Beaches are blessed every other year with an Air and Sea Show that would make anyone who has spent part of his life savings taking his kids to Disney World feel cheated.
The show is staged in Jacksonville Beach, the southern most of the three Jacksonville beaches. Just north of Jacksonville Beach is Neptune Beach, and north of Neptune is Atlantic Beach, where I now sit.
The highlight of the show (for non-Marines) is the appearance of the U. S. Navy Blue Angels; the highlight for Marines is the simulated assault of the beaches by a combat landing force of Marines after being discharged from an amphibious assault ship and racing to the beach in Landing Craft Air Cushioned (LCAC) boats. The whole scene is a special memory maker – especially when viewed from a vantage point a couple miles out in the ocean.
Back in the summer of 2005, our grandson, Brian (age 14 at the time), was visiting us from Virginia on the day of the show. Brian and I launched our kayaks from Atlantic Beach and paddled east into the ocean, then turned south toward Jacksonville Beach and found a good vantage point east of the long line of power boats that had lined up to watch the day's events. It was a day neither Brian nor I will forget. The show starts with an almost hour long parade of stunt planes that perform all kinds of death defying aerial acrobatics - everything but a wing walker (which would seem much too tame for this show). Then comes the world famous U. S. Navy Blue Angels, followed by the simulated beach assault by the Marines. The whole thing is a spectacle when one is watching from the beach, but even more spectacular when watched from a floating kayak at sea sitting next to a kayak carrying one’s grandson. It was a memorable experience for both of us.
The day after the show we had yet another (less memorable) experience while paddling a few miles off the beach.
I have always preferred traveling light, and have to admit that a life vest wasn’t considered (by me) necessary equipment when kayaking in the ocean. First of all, the kayak is probably one of the best flotation devices there is, and second: I guess there is no good second. Anyway, the day after the Air and Sea Show, Brian and I paddled out just for a little exercise and, when we were about three miles off the beach, a Florida Marine Patrol boat came speeding up to us and one of the officers asked me if I had a life vest aboard (Brian was wearing one, as I always insisted that anybody who took out one of my other boats take a life vest). That rendezvous with the Marine Patrol turned out to be a learning experience for me (who knew that in addition to a life vest a whistle was also required equipment when kayaking in the ocean?).
Fortunately, the officer wrote the citation as a warning, so it didn’t cost me anything. The following day my main kayak was equipped with both a brand new life preserver (which has since been kept fastened atop the aft hatch cover) and a whistle (which is kept in the mesh zippered pocket on the back of my seat).
Brian, now a 19 year old U. S. Navy sailor, definitely enjoyed and remembers the Air and Sea show, and probably also remembers his first traffic stop at sea.
(Click to enlarge)
