I have been a "Parrothead" for decades. I'd rent a bus and bring 36 of my close friends along to Buckeye Lake about 40 minutes outside of Columbus. We did the bus thing because the cops would literally hide in the trees and scope out the drivers to the concert. They had built a small "U-Turn type area where they would line cars up and hand out tickets like candy. The bus prevented all that. I think we did that for about 5 or 6 years in a row.
A few years after moving here, January '96 if I remember correctly, around noonish, a seaplane buzzed the Negril beach. And it was low. Way too low. Maybe 50 feet in the air, felt like you could touch it! After one pass which had the whole beach talking, here it came again, somehow feeling lower than the first time. What friggin' idiot would be doing such a stupid thing on a beach full of people?
The police were ready for a third pass but as the plane started in on its next "strafing" run, a few police guns pointed at it changed the pilot's and/or passengers minds.
The plane took off towards the West End and we thought not much more about it. Just another day on the Negril beach.
About an hour later, news started to trickle back that the seaplane "landed" in the waters near Ricks! The police were shooting at it as it taxied to The Caves and Chris Blackwell was noticed to be on board. The shooting ceased immediately. Apologies were spread all around. "Sorry about that beach thing" and "sorry about the live ammo" were exchanged more than once.
Funny how Jimmy (RIP) didn't put the beach strafing into his song. But as they say in Texas, never let the truth get in the way of good story!
It's 5 o'clock somewhere, Jimmy! Thanks for all the great times, man!
