Chuck And Sandy Costelow Head Tucson Flotilla

By Tom Nunes

Chuck Costelow loves boating on Arizona lakes with his wife Sandy. More often than not they can be found on a Coast Guard Auxiliary patrol aboard their Sea Ray 280 Sun Dancer on Roosevelt Lake , Canyon Lake , or Lake Pleasant .

A Winslow, Arizona , native, Chuck has lived in Tucson since 1966. After college, Chuck joined the Air Force, further honing his control systems troubleshooter skills proudly supporting U2 aircraft.

The Costelow family includes three children: a married son and his two children in Tucson , a married son in Tulsa , and a single daughter in Mountain View , Calif.

Chuck is the commander of the Auxiliary's Tucson flotilla, and Sandy is the vice commander. They became interested in the Auxiliary while taking a Coast Guard Auxiliary boating-safety class to take advantage of their insurance company's discount for people who have taken an Auxiliary class.

The functions of the Auxiliary appealed to Chuck and Sandy so they joined, concentrating on on-water operations.

Chuck has served as operations officer for the Arizona division as well as operations and materials officer and vice commander of the Tucson unit. Chuck and Sandy participate in a host of Arizona Auxiliary operations including safety patrols, operational exercises, and regatta patrols.

Immediately after 9/11 they were eager to augment active-duty Coast Guard forces patrolling San Diego Bay .

Chuck's message to Arizona 's boating community is that just like owning and driving a car, owning and operating a boat is a privilege that everyone should take seriously. Everyone should take a boating-safety class and be an educated and competent boater while having fun.