BILL BAILEY
CAPTAIN: 200 TON MASTERS, ENGINEER, CHIEF SANDER, PRESIDENT, WILDERNESS FIRST RESPONDER

Beginning in 1964, at the impressionable age of 12, Bill spent afternoons with a master craftsman who was in the midst of a 5-year boat building project. His time in that shop ruined him! He was infected with saw dust, turpentine and metal polish. The only relief he has ever found is to own and operate traditional wooden boats.

At 19 he bought a 32' engineless mahogany sloop and sailed her in the San Diego area for several years. He was in the process of re-building her into an off-shore voyager when love intervened and he married his first (and only!) wife, Shannon. The arrival of their first child 10 months later resulted in the conversion of the boat into a washing machine, a dryer, and a car with seat belts.

In the 1980's Bill and Shannon moved to the Northwest and began a fishing business. For 4-years Bill was on the water at least 200 days per year, fishing for crab, salmon and dog fish. Their boat was a 1936 Bristol Bay sailboat that had been (crudely) converted to power. 2 months after they committed everything they had to this new venture, the boat sank at the dock during a severe storm. Bill raised her himself, got her running, and within a week was back fishing. The next spring he hauled her home and completed a three-month re-build (much to the neighbors' consternation and amazement!).

Bill also worked as a deck hand in Alaska on different commercial fishing boats. He was struck with the wild beauty of Alaska and vowed to someday return with his family.

The Bailey family moved to San Juan Island in 1989, where Bill hoped to return to commercial fishing. Economics and judicial actions spelled the end of fishing as a way of life, and Bill turned to construction as a vocation. During this time the Bailey's owned two classic cruising boats, the first, a 1946, 33' Monk design. The second was a 1947, 42' Bill Garden designed commercial troller. These boats were used to take family and friends on many wonderful voyages.

15 years and 50 homes, barns and offices later it is time to return to the sea to make our living.

Finally.

CHRIS CHESLEY
CAPTAIN: UNLIMITED MASTER, ANY OCEAN, ANY TONNAGE, FIRST AID, CPR

With Danish heritage and Down East Maine traditions, Capt. Chris has a high salt content running in his veins. Growing up in small boats on the Maine coast whetted his appetite for more and lead to a career leading to Captain of oil tankers tramping the world's oceans and then to just doing the fun stuff of 'parking' them as a ship's pilot and a Lightering Master. A graduate of Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute with a degree in Marine Science and a Third Mate's license in 1977 was the beginning. Upon retirement in 2006, Capt. Chris and his wife, Meg, followed their dream of full time cruising aboard their own 41' sailing catamaran which they still cruise aboard each summer in Washington and British Columbia waters from their home base in Friday Harbor, Wa. Working as a volunteer in San Juan Island's fire department, Capt. Chris is in charge of the San Juan Island FD's 30' fireboat, "Confidence". As well as a passion for the sea and all things maritime, Capt. Chris is also a certified Life and Leadership Coach helping others find their passions and fulfill their dreams.

ERIC “NEWT” RASMUSSEN
ENGINEER, WINTER MAINTENANCE

Eric lives on a tugboat, the NEWT on Lake Union with his wife, daughter and son. He takes off from his "real job" working at a ship yard to vacation with us a few weeks on the CATALYST. He also works on her in the winter making sure all the pipes and wires look neat after a major job rebuilding and remodeling, and cleaning up the engine and brightening the brass, after the Washington diesel has an overhaul. He’s full of bright ideas and has the gift of implementing them as well.

RANDY GOOD
ENGINER, LAUNDERER, OVERHEAD CLEARANCE SPECIALIST

Randy was born in Washington D.C., and some of his best childhood memories are spending time with his dad on their boat on the Chesapeake Bay.  It has taken decades but, in 2007, the dream of owning his own boat finally came true.  He and his wife Carie  gleefully acquired the Ruby G., a classic wooden Grand Banks trawler, currently in the midst of deep restoration on Lake Champlain. Randy first began fiddling around with engines at the age of 8, redesigning a detailed model of an airplane engine.  He moved on to motorcycles, British sports car drive trains, and circuit racing engines before graduating to marine systems and diesels.  On the rare occasions when you cant find Randy shoveling snow at his home in Vermont, youll find him in his woodshop, designing and building custom furniture, working on cabinets for the galley or rebuilding one of his fleet of Harley Davidson motorcycles.  Celtic tunes, Blues or Mendelssohn on his iPod, of course.  The Catalysthas been on his personal radar for over ten years, and the opportunity to work aboard her amidst the wonders of S.E. Alaska and the Washington-Estep diesel is a dream come true.

ZACHARY (ZACH) PEDERSON
ENGINER, LAUNDERER, OVERHEAD CLEARANCE SPECIALIST

Zachary loves life! He loves to experience the world and to get to know the people that inhabit it. He would consider himself a world traveler; having traveled to such places as Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Fiji, Bahamas, and New Zealand. He plans on continuing traveling all his life and desires to see all the incredible places and things the world has to offer. He particularly loves spending time in the wilderness. He is currently studying at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN; majoring in Biblical and Theological Studies and minoring in Religious Studies. He has a life passion to serve people and looks forward to any opportunity to invest in individuals. He enjoys engaging in conversation and listening to others' life stories and beliefs. Zach's other passions include: playing rugby, at one point he went to nationals while playing on the U-21 team for WI; getting his hands dirty working on engines; learning in general; and soaking in nature through hiking, biking, kayaking, spelunking, and sky and skin diving.

ALEA PARKER
ENGINEER, DECKHAND, OFFICE ASSISTANT, COLLECTOR OF STRAY ANIMALS

After enjoying the adventures on the Catalyst two years ago, Alea decided she had to have a real career, and moved into the business world to wear high heels and clean clothes and sleep on a bed, instead of the engine room floor. But she missed us and is setting up her bed once again on the engine room floor wearing her oily perfume. Alea is from La Mesa, California. She grew up fishing and hunting with her family and learned about engines, electricity, plumbing and guns at her stepfather's side. She attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she majored in Animal Science and had planned on Veterinarian School. However with a strong interest in mechanics, math, science, music and art as well as her interest in animal husbandry, she decided on multiple careers instead; an engineer on the Catalyst being one of them. We welcome her back.

SHANNON BAILEY
ADMINISTRATOR/TRIP CO-ORDINATOR/VICE PRESIDENT / KAYAK GUIDE, NATURALIST, DECKHAND AND CHEF, WILDERNESS FIRST RESPONDER

Shannon tends the home fires and the office on San Juan Island, “decorates” the CATALYST,  and rejoices in taking trips aboard the CATALYST as kayak guide, naturalist, deckhand and/or chef through the spring, summer and fall... She is a certified Alaska Naturalist through the University of Alaska, SE and is a member of the Salish Sea Association of Marine Naturalists. She received her BA in Communication Studies and Political Science from UC Santa Barbara and delights in using all of this “knowledge” in creating community aboard the CATALYST. She listed her occupation as sheep farmer until she and Bill purchased the CATALYST, and she took on the marketing and administrative duties of the business. Eventually she added naturalist/kayak guide and chef to her repertoire. Shannon now pursues her studies in photography, natural history and science rather than delivering lambs. Her sister also claims her as the best cook, this after practicing on her family of six for thirty six years. And remember to smile when she’s aboard, because she’s often taking your picture!

SARAH DRUMMOND
NATURALIST, KAYAK GUIDE, DECKHAND, ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

Sarah Drummond's passion for the natural world began at an early age, and she has kept illustrated field journals since she was twelve. Sarah graduated from Maine's College of the Atlantic, where her studies emphasized general ecology, island ecosystems, and art. In 2005 Sarah was awarded a Thomas J. Watson Foundation Fellowship and completed a year of travel in Argentina, French Polynesia, New Zealand , Australia, and Greenland, focusing on the important role of artists on exploratory expeditions. Re-visiting many of the places described by these intrepid naturalist artists, she produced an extraordinary collection of watercolor paintings and field journals, recording her own "voyage of discovery" in a changing world. Sarah spent a summer season working as a guide and naturalist in Glacier Bay and part of last summer aboard the CATALYST in the same position. She is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Environmental Studies at Prescott College . We welcome her back for another stint aboard sharing her vast experience and joyous spirit.

TRACIE TRIOLO    
CHEF

Tracie grew up in Boulder Colorado where she developed a passion for food, music and the outdoors.  She began working at an early age in her family's restaurant and spent most of her spare time, playing music, skiing, backpacking, and refining her back country cooking skills.  Many summer vacations were in a remote cabin on a lake in northern Wisconsin, where swimming, canoeing, fishing and harvesting wild edibles consumed most of the long days.  She now lives in Mendocino County California during the school year and teaches woodwinds at the Ukiah School of Music. She plays piccolo and flute with local symphony orchestras and Baritone Saxophone in jazz bands.  Tracie uses cooking on charter boats as an excuse to return to southeast Alaska every summer and the money earned to support her decadent musician lifestyle the rest of the year.

ERICA FICKEISEN
CHEF

Erica is back.  She use to spend her southern hemisphere summers cooking in Antarctica and her northern hemisphere summers vacationing in Southeast Alaska cooking for CATALYST guests and crew. Then she met her one true love and married him in Antarctica and decided that home with him in Washington was best. After a brief stint in the world of haute couture pastry (using those skills from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris) Erica now spends her days baking all manner of treats for the students and staff at PLU in Tacoma. She and her husband are currently in the process of ripping their house apart and putting it back together again piece by piece. We promised her some quiet moments of knitting and reading before Dawes Glacier if she would spend some time with us this summer.

FORMER CREW UPDATES:

STEVE MORRELL CAPTAIN: 200 TON MASTERS, FIRST AID & CPR Steve has decided to spend more time with his wife and granddaughter and forgo time in Alaska this year.

OTHER CREW MEMBERS MAY BE SEEN AGAIN………