Here's a small collection of photos from last weekend's Coast Guard festival in Grand Haven, MI.
The mighty USCGC MACKINAW in all her splendor. She looked especially nice this year since this would be her last visit to Grand Haven. They had a "farewell ceremony" on Sunday and there wasn't a dry eye in the crowd. I think this will be a common scene this year as the beloved MAC makes her final summer tour before being retired next year.
The picture speaks for itself!
The Coast Guard sure had their hands full this day. It was non-stop action as the well-intoxicated boaters tried to out-smart the Coasties. Here, they are trying to locate the owners of a boat that had been left unattended while the operators went for a quick beer. Hope it was a good cold one because when they returned, their boat was gone. Check out all the boats in the background. It was estimated that there were over 1,500 boats present for the fireworks.
The fireworks were great as usual except for the nice fire that was starting to rage in the surrounding trees.
Talk about an ending!! Fire was everywhere. The grass was blazing, giant trees were exploding into flames with most fires out of reach of the fire trucks and fire boats. This raged on for over an hour until an army of trucks and fireman finally got it under control and let it burn out. The pictures just don't do it justice. It was pretty intense and scary as mothers grabbed their children to flee the area and all those boats had to scramble to get out of possible harms way. I don't think we were in any real danger but it sure made you wonder! Grand Haven sure finds ways to make each year's festival exciting, can't wait to see what they do next year!
