This classic episode of California’s Gold starts off with the roar of speedboats taking part in the annual Catalina Ski Race. When the show initially aired, the race had been going on for more than 40 years — but the 2018 edition will be its 70th year!

I was initially inspired to seek out this episode after learning for the first time about the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island. If you’ve ever read the book Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell, you may already know that the story was based on the life of a very real woman who spent 18 years living alone on this isolated island off the coast of Southern California. These days, it’s assigned reading for California fourth graders — but I’ve never read the book and knew nothing about its history.

Join Huell, sit tight and watch the electrifying Annual Catalina Ski Race, a competition that has been ongoing for over 40 years, where “hot doggers” race in excess of 60 mph from Long Beach to Catalina Island and back; coast along to the serene and little-known San Nicolas Island — one of the Channel Islands off the California coast, a haven for wildlife and a sight for sore eyes.

(Click on the linked image to see the video.)