Today, the ships came in
Our second year for the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival. Last year, we arrived two and a half hours before the ships arrived, ensuring our front row seats. This morning, I was ready to go at 9:45am for the 1:00pm arrival. My wife presented the bad news… the ship parade was canceled due to high waves forecast. Not for the safety of the Coast Guard, but for the public. People here can be idiots when it comes to water safety. There would be boats out on the lake too small for conditions. Tourists on the piers endangering their lives. So canceling was appropriate.
“Good”, I secretly thought, “I can get some writing accomplished in this morning.”
Then as I was typing away, I looked up at my wife. She was disappointed. Claimed not to be of course, but we needed to get outside. Married this long, you just know. Off we went to the fisherman’s pier side of the Grand River. Maybe they are bringing the ships in early, quietly. Sure enough, we caught two coming thru the channel.
Worked out nicely. Still saw two ships, avoided the crowd, and it was pleasantly cool and breezy.
Dancing with waves
Sadly, witnessed people taking risks. They had shutdown the lighthouse pier. The southwest wind was pushing waves right over the top. If not for the closed gate, I am certain there would have been people venturing out on it, risking their lives. Risking rescuers lives. But on the fisherman’s pier, no gates exist. Partially sheltered from the southwest waves, maybe they considered themselves safe. But occasional waves were coming across. The concrete slick. It wouldn’t take much to sweep people off into the water. While we were watching the ships, dozens of people ventured out.
Then, a couple decided to take their young daughters all the way down the pier, and back.
Reminded me of the time we visited Chimney Rock in North Carolina. The site where they filmed much of “Last of the Mohicans.” Young family in tow, we were walking along a trail with a steep drop off. No fence, and an uneven slick muddy path. I turned us around. It was unsafe. Days later, we read in the newspaper… another family was not so fortunate.
Maybe today’s family thought it was completely safe. They probably didn’t understand how waves can pick up suddenly. I’m sure they never read the sign on the other side of the channel about people swept off to their deaths. Certainly they have no concept about rogue waves. Or meteotsunami waves, that can occur on the Great Lakes a hundred times a year. Maybe they never checked the weather, not seeing the storm on the southern part of the lake, that can send these rogue waves northward.
But walking your young kids out on a soaking wet pier, with water actively running across, is not being respectful of nature. It is being irresponsible with your family’s lives. Like letting them swim on red flag days. Tourists, keep your children safe.
A little respect
After the pier, we stopped by North Beach. We were warned at the entrance today was a red flag day. Beware of rip tides! And yet we Immediately viewed children playing in the waves. Parents well up away from the water. We snapped no pictures. Instead looked away, and enjoyed the empty beach closer to where we were sitting. Tourists, keep your children safe. Please. No one else will keep them safe. No police, no lifeguards are on the beach to save your family from you. The Coast Guard is here for a festival. Let’s not make them search and recover bodies this week.