![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/11-2-16a-021.jpg\")
As they hovered over the harbor, they kicked up massive amounts of spray which carried over the marina.\u00a0 ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/11-2-16a-034.jpg\")
They also brought in a great little Response Boat to be sure that nobody strayed into the “drop zone”.\u00a0 ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/11-2-16a-010.jpg\")
Perhaps my fascination with flying, and with helicopters in particular, was fueled by Dad’s love of airplanes and especially WWII aircraft.\u00a0 \u00a0Back in June of 2013, a few years before he passed, I happened upon some information about a super yacht owner who also owned a number of WWII aircraft and wrote a post about him, his yacht Marie and all those wonderful airplanes<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0In reality, it was a post for my Dad and to this day and nearly 1,000 posts, it’s still my favorite.\u00a0 If that hasn’t inspired you to click on that link, there are some awesome professional video clips of his planes putting on an airshow in St Barths a few years ago.<\/p>\nThat post led to Brenda and I being invited to visit Ed’s (the owner of those awesome planes) island in the Bahamas, twice, and sailing on his 200′ sailboat, Marie for three days.\u00a0 That proves, for sure, that you never know what life will lead to.<\/p>\n
Anyway, I digress…\u00a0 I mention all of this as three years ago I decided that I just had to try and arrange “my own” USCG “show” in Essex with one of their helicopters.\u00a0 I contacted the Coast Guard and asked about the process which turned out to be the same as if I was putting on a full scale airshow and wanted a military hardware to show up, which is to say complicated.<\/p>\n
I made calls, filled out the paperwork, wrote an essay about my planned Seven Seas Cruising Association SSCA Essex Summer Solstice Gam<\/a>, (say that three times fast) which I put on with a friend in Essex each June, and made my application.\u00a0 \u00a0It was rejected…<\/p>\n Undeterred, I applied again the following year and it was approved…and canceled.\u00a0 Sigh…\u00a0 Ok, one more try.\u00a0 So, last October I applied for a third time. and again… declined because of safety concerns in busy Essex Harbor.<\/p>\n However, as Brenda always says, “Bob and the dog, ever hopeful” and I appealed, sent a detailed annotated chart of harbor and drop area and submitted it yet a fourth time.\u00a0 \u00a0This is the chart I sent to the public affairs office showing the mooring field in brown and the “drop area” in orange.\u00a0 \u00a0 See, this can work.\u00a0 Right?\u00a0 Perfectly safe! I mention all of this because this means that if you join us at our SSCA meeting on June 22nd to 24th at the Essex Yacht Club in Essex CT you will have a front row seat at this wonderful event.\u00a0 I have even arranged to have the 45′ “cutter” and her crew at the club dock and expect that the crew will join us for lunch and talk about what they do every day to keep us safe on the water.<\/p>\n Here’s a photo of the boat that will be at the Essex Yacht Club dock for the event.\u00a0 And, this shot was taken at the mouth of the CT River.\u00a0 Perfect!\u00a0 I wonder if they will take me for a ride?\u00a0 Oh wait, I’ll be too busy.\u00a0 Perhaps a rain check.\u00a0 And, speaking of approvals, one of my USCG contacts told me that in his five years on the job, my event is the ONLY civilian SAR demo that he has seen approved.\u00a0 \u00a0All of them were a part of a big event like an airshow.\u00a0 Go me!\u00a0 No… go SSCA!<\/p>\n Well, the fact is that it’s all about my Dad who always told me “the worse that can happen is that they will say no”.\u00a0 \u00a0 Actually, sometimes just asking has gotten me into plenty of hot water but I won’t talk about that right now.<\/p>\n And besides, he loved anything that flies and so do I.<\/p>\n For sure, he would have been thrilled.\u00a0 \u00a0And me? I’m still the little boy who wants to go for a ride in a helicopter or at least see one…\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One more thing.\u00a0 Don’t forget to sign up.\u00a0 You’ll be glad you did.\u00a0 Besides, there’s much more fun to be had.\u00a0 Click here to see the full agenda<\/a>.\u00a0 You’ll be glad you did.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_0172-ESSEX-CT-annotated-b-1.png\")
I guess somebody with clout agreed and it seems that four times is the charm as yesterday I got word that the operation, chopper, 45′ Response Boat Medium, I prefer “cutter” and lots of Coasties, was approved for a Search and Rescue Demonstration.\u00a0 Yahoo!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/RBM-Lynde-Pt-2.png\")
Unfortunately, the club grounds aren’t big enough to land the chopper though so we won’t meet the crew of the chopper.\u00a0 Don’t believe that I didn’t try to get that approved.\u00a0 \u00a0You know me, ‘EVER HOPEFUL”.<\/span><\/p>\n