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Here Come the Blue Angels

Right now, as you read this, you may be hearing the deafening roar of those jet engines overhead. If you hear them over to the south, look to the west, because by the time you hear them they’re already halfway across the sky. We’re speaking, of course, of the US Navy’s Blue Angels fighter jet squadron, which will be joined by a host of other air show demos and performers, including, for the first time ever, France’s Breitling Jet Team.

A slew of boats congregate on the west side of Alacatraz to watch the Blue Angels. Rather than anchoring, they mill about with their engines running, which chops up the water into something resembling a windy day in the Slot when a big ebb is running.

© Paige Brooks

If yours is among the hordes of boats that will be taking to the waters of San Francisco Bay this weekend, you need to know that the Coast Guard will be enforcing a restricted area on the Cityfront today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 11:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. The GPS coordinates of the ‘Safety Air Box’ will be:

37° 49.389’N x 122° 24.354’W
37° 48.888’N x 122° 24.272’W
37° 48.612’N x 122° 26.786’W
37° 49.113’N x 122° 26.868’W

The orange box indicates the no-go zone for the next three afternoons.

© US Coast Guard

If you were planning to watch from land, be advised that the Treasure Island Development Authority strongly discourages the general public from visiting Treasure Island during Fleet Week due to the construction going on there. Roadways into parking areas will be inaccessible.

The air shows begin at noon today through Sunday, with the Blue Angels performing their maneuvers from 3 to 4 p.m. For more details, see www.fleetweeksf.org, and also check out Monday’s preview on ‘Lectronic Latitude.

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