It was another nice day for the LAFFS gang at the VA Lake. Steve & Tom flew their Tidewater seaplanes and Don flew his Apprentice seaplane. It was perfect—calm winds and glassy water. Landings were all perfection, just sliding on to the surface. There were a bunch of active duty military guys and several resident vets out today who watched us for a while. There were also boats there as usual. Ray sailed his new sailboat, along with Steve’s Surmount, Clem’s Nirvana and Paul’s Surmount sailboats. The wind was lighter than we would have liked, but as I’ve said before, sailing is an aerodynamic experience and light winds teach you how to get the most from a sailboat’s airfoil. Larry ran his Rescue/Fire boat and squirted water at us all with the water cannon. He really likes doing that! He also blasted around with a little Rio, a really fast small boat. Clem ran his ski boat around and got so interested in watching the sailboats, he forgot about his boat until he heard yelling from the shoreline. The ski boat had crashed into the reeds near the dock. More entertainment for the spectators. Steve even drove his recovery boat around the lake for a while to demonstrate its capability.

Ron and Gene were there also for moral support and just to join in the fellowship. We were there until about noon enjoying the peacefulness of the lake and sailboats and the comfort of the shaded pier. We reminded ourselves what a good deal we have there-indeed.

We’re all looking forward to the good wind forecast for the next few days and the chance to get some flying done at Elkins Field, too.

— Clem