Homeland Security Lock Down

[Tinster]

My fishing buddy and I got to witness firsthand a
Homeland Security coordinated anti-terrorist lock
down this morning.

Mighty impressive, is an understatement.

San Juan has a brand new, world class, award winning
convention center. The U.S. National Guard is holding
it's annual convention here on the island. The new
convention center is situated about 1/2 of a mile south
of the San Juan bay. A real easy line of sight for a sniper.

So we were are on the bay pre-dawn, as usual, getting ready
for some first light tarpon action in an estuary of the bay.
Out of the early morning mist two jet skis appear at full
throttle heading directly toward us. Now the jet ski crowd
is NOT an early morning crowd. So it was real odd to see
these two guys heading toward us.

Even stranger to see them up close and that they were well
armed. We figured DEA, cut the engine and put our hands in
the air in surrender. Turns out they were FURA.

Long story short, a bomb threat had been made against the
National Guard folks at the Convention center. Homeland
Security had a coordinated effort with the Coast Guard,
maritime police (FURA), the on-shore car cops and motorcycle
cops to block off off all roads around the bay and cut off
all entrance ramps to the entire San Juan bay.

We were ordered to immediately take our boat to it's storage
facility or head out to sea. We took the sea route for some
fishing.

Upon our return several hours later, we had a shadow escort
as we crossed the bay to take our boat out. We passed an
armed Coast Guard cutter blocking the entrance to San Juan
harbour. Every boat ramp now had cops and FURA stealth
gunboats. Every estuary was blocked by a stealth gunboat.
Those stealth gunboats are downright spooky.

Interesting day- even caught some tunas. My buddy Jose
(Tito) in the photo: Folks who call in bomb threats need
their butts whupped real good.

[/img]

 

[Steve]

Interesting. Get any shots of the gunboats? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

 

[Tinster]

Steve,

Probably not a REAL bright idea to start taking photos
of stealth gunboats while one is being "escorted" by
an armed FURA boat.

The stealth boats are the color of whispy grey smoke,
nothing chromed or shiny. Light does not reflect off
their windows. They do not use running light.They have
a very low, angled forward profile. Their twin engines
make no sound at all, until they are right beside you.
They have at least one mounted machine gun. They go
very fast and turn on a dime. They appear and disappear
suddenly. We never see crew on deck. They look mean.

We tend to stay away from them on rare times we can
see them.

tin

 

[Brooklands]

Dale,
Sounds scary, reassuring, and exciting all at once. It is smart not to take photos of these events. Glad you returned from the day none the worse for wear and still a free man.

 

[vping]

I'd have to agree on the photo's thing. I'd also not be thinking of that "Kodak moment" while guns were pointed at me. I think I'd be looking around for a clean pair of shorts.

 

[Steve]

I guess having been a lawman, I sometimes tend to view such things with professional interest, and fail to realise the awe in which such things are held by others. I understand why you didn't take any piccys, but it never hurts to ask /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

My bad. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

[anthony7777]

steve 9/12 hopped in my boat with a couple of budys shot down long island sound in a effort to go around to manhattan got within 2 miles of the throgsneck bridge and was descended upon by two coastguard boats and some kinda larger navy vessel and turned back didnt know we had that kind of equipment any place around here or that they could get it here that fast, and those kids in the boats with the automatic weapons looked so young i almost said gimmy those things before ya hurt some body, you could tell just by the way the held those things they were locked and loaded and had strict orders to protect the bridge and a nearby electrical power plant take no bull and use lethal force, god bless them.

 

[Steve]

Yes, it really is a tough job, and there is no shortage of people willing to do the Monday morning quarterback thing after the fact. When the adrenaline is flowing and you have to make a decision one way or the other, it's a killer. When the other guy isn't wearing a uniform, it can be hard to figure out who's side he's on.

 

[Tinster]

Yeah Steve,

Looking back on yesterday:

1. We were not aware of the bomb threat.
2. We entered the water at the far end of the San
Juan bay at pre-dawn.
3. My tarpon boat makes 50 KPH and we flew flat out.
4. Straight line track to our favorite estuary which
is also line of sight to the Convention center.

I can just imagine what the HS/Coast Guard guys thought
when they saw us flying fast and low profile on their
radar screens! No wonder we were intercepted.

Also looking back: We SAW the 2 jet skis as we were setting
trolling lines and looking aft. We never actually heard
their engines. That's kinda odd also. Quiet jet skis.

Good to know all that security is in position when we need
it. PS. The two men with guns were very professional and non-threatening to us.

An interesting day.

d

 

[anthony7777]

tinster, that day the speed of my boat was faster then others in the area so i most likely alerted them to a potential problem and yes these young men acted very professionally and courteous yet maintained a timber in their voices and posture that conveyed the seriousness of their mission.