During our tour at Hurlburt Field we had the pleasure of using the USAF marina to rent a power boat and water skiing equipment. Hence Peter Koeslag, Norm Weston and myself decided to take advantage of this "once in a lifetime" opportunity and learn to water ski in our off duty hours. One of our USAF friends gave us an introduction and demonstration on how to do it and it wasn't long before we were on the slalom ski and jumping the boat's wake. One fine day I was on the rope enjoying a slalom run down the waterway between Santa Rosa Island and the mainland when to my surprise, I was surrounded by dorsal fins plunging in and out of the water. They were all around me, and this "stubble jumper" thought for sure he was going to be supper for a bunch of sharks. Shaky kneed, I told myself "don't fall whatever you do". Then I remembered on our way to Korea in 1950, how the porpoise would come almost daily and surround our ship for a curious look at who and what we were, then mysteriously disappear back into the deep. A second look at the gathering around my ski, and much to my relief, identified them as porpoise and not sharks. Then they too disappeared as fast as they had appeared.
On returning to La Macaza, many of us continued to water ski each summer on Lac Chaud which was adjacent to the base. Cpl Peter Koeslag built his own boat, and one of our Ops officers, F/L "Merv" Eagleson had a commercial craft with a 40 hp engine, and they were always willing to take us "boatless" skiers for a run down the lake. Our wives and children enjoying the RCAF beach area while their husband's and father's enjoyed the thrill of water skiing.
Updated: February 24, 2005