16th May . Another baking hot Sunday. A
lazy start going to the supermarket and getting in a few things for breakfast
and sitting on the patio eating. Lovely.

Decided to go exploring, so took the small roller
skate (Hyundi Prime) and off we went to an area called Mullet Bay where the
major hurricane some years ago thrashed and smashed its way through. The
devastation is still all around to be seen. Houses with no walls, most still
have no roofs and definitely no windows whatsoever. Anyway, all these ‘houses’
were once on the golf course and they must have been fantastic in their day.
Now, they are just abandoned shells of dwellings. The guy that built them got
the insurance money and decided not to rebuild anything.

Peering through some trees, noticed a couple of
beach umbrellas. So parked the car beneath a couple of coconut trees and walked
across the fairway to the beach. Only one word for it. Superb. So far, it’s
been the finest beach we’ve swum at . Clear crystal water; soft sand; no waves;
and to cap it all, Rosie’s bar and Louie’s grill right on the beach. The health
and Safety Taliban in England would have closed it down within a minute, no,
just three seconds, of seeing it for health reasons. Amazing though, everyone
was eating there and not one dead body in sight. It was excellent. I’m going
back to take a picture of it because it was so brilliant. Isn’t it always the
same. I promised myself always to take my camera; and yes, this time I forgot
it. The more I see of this island, the more I love it.

Now, let me set the scene. A gorgeous bay. 300
metres wide. Waves gently lapping. White sand. Get the picture so far? A beach
bar at both ends with people supping rum punches, Tequila sunrises, beers, and
patiently waiting.

Yes, it’s the bay at the end, or beginning of the
airport runway. In some sort of order looking from left to right firstly you
get the sea, the beach, a tiny road with beach sand all over it just wide enough for two cars, something just a
little better than a chicken wire fence and then immediately after it, the
runway. Tourists and plane spotters waiting dead centre on the beach to get
that special photo of an aircraft landing. Taking it from right below, or just
from the side. The height of the aircraft at that point is less than 40 feet
high, probably more like 30 as they just clear the chicken wire perimeter fence
which is about five feet high. No blast
deflectors or anything like that, just a sign to say that it is dangerous to
stand in the way of ‘jet blast. Well, tourist go ballistic at this event.
Standing on this beach and the actual noise is quite deafening as the planes apply
their airbrakes. Only a shortish runway you see!

When they take off it’s even better. We watched a
group of tourists, three men and four women make their way to a point dead
centre of the runway and wait for the next plane to take off. It didn’t take
long. Now I have to tell you there are planes, and then there are PLANES. You
get the small propeller ones that island hop. Then you get the bigger jets that
fly to Miami or a few other cities in the USA. Then at the top of the tree you
get the mighty 747’s;  the Jumbo’s. Well,
a fully laden Air France jumbo lumbered slowly away from the terminal and when
at the beginning of the runway (and only
about 50 metres from the perimeter fence where the excited tourists were
waiting) turned to face the direction of flight. The scene is now set........
the back of the Jumbo engines now facing the tourists.

What excitement from these tourists. Preparing
themselves is all I can say. And there we were, quietly sitting at the ‘sunset’
beach bar about 50 metres to one side, supping a beer and Dyana a rum punch, watching
this unfolding scene. The excited tourists started shouting to each other above
the noise of the four idling jet engines. Expectations really high.

The time had come. It doesn’t take long. Slowly at
first, then mustering all the power the four giant engines can give to a sound
that became louder and louder as the pilot went to full take off throttle with
all four engines literally screaming under full throttle; the giant plane
started its take off.

The excited tourists must have thought they were suddenly
transported into a parallel universe. Just the sheer volume of air being thrust
at them made them scream (not sure if it was delight, or just absolute terror) and
drop to the ground. All that is except one young woman. Dressed in a white short
sleeved blouse, three quarter length light
green pants and flip flops. What must she have been thinking!!! She tried
standing her ground (totally impossible) and quickly turned her back to the
slowly disappearing aircraft. (Another bad decision.) Just like in cartoons, we
watched as she was helplessly blasted towards the beach. First both flip flops
came off literally and flew towards the sea; and all she could do to keep her
balance was to involuntarily run away from the direction of the engine blast.
Anyway, somehow, (and I really don’t know how she was able to), she stayed on
her feet. Seemed like a miracle. Her legs going faster and faster till they
were just a running blur. It looked as if she was chasing her flying flip
flops. She was now being sand blasted as well on her run towards the ocean.

All I can say is mercifully it was short lived. Just
a few seconds. Diving into the sea. The reality is that she lost her balance as
her feet entered the water and she fell forwards. A saving grace, the jumbo was
half way down the runway by now and the thrust to where she had landed had vanished.
Slowly and dripping she emerged from the sea. A huge smile on her face. Not
sure if it was elation, or just the sheer terror of being blown into the sea
and surviving the ordeal. Anyhow, she came to the bar afterwards to a huge round
of applause from all the onlookers who bought her rounds of drinks. She needed
them!

Next time I’m going to take my camera to show you
exactly and how quickly and vividly it happens.