Welcome aboard!
One of our greatest joys is to share both our wonderful vessels and our passion for the intricate waterways of the Pacific Northwest and the wonders of the Sea of Cortez and Baja.
We hope that you will take the time to wander through our website and become our shipmates in a water-borne adventure.
Our warm interiors, with decades-old varnished wood paneling, heavy beamed ceilings, and glowing mahogany trim and furniture, take us back to a time when craftsmanship was the rule rather than the exception. The slow pulse of our original 1932 Washington Diesel engine, the only one like it in the world, makes Catalyst a living creature with a strong iron heart. The older 1924 Atlas, the oldest running one in the world outside of the Smithsonian, graces the Westward with the same life beat. We use large battery banks that allow us to go for 12 hours without starting an engine to disrupt the quiet solitude that is at the core of a Pacific Catalyst trip. Why invest in a trip that feeds only a few of your senses?
There is not a day when underway that we are not moved to tears by the breathtaking beauty of our cruising grounds. Our quiet vessels, which so ably invoke an earlier time, drift among icebergs and through narrow fjords that are fresh from the glaciers’ gouge. We cruise beside forests of impossible greens, all the while exploring deep, clear-jade waters that teem with life. There is always something to hold our senses captive! The colors are unbelievable, the sounds rich and varied, and the smell of air freshly distilled from sea and forest is unforgettable.
Why not spend what may be your one trip to Alaska being able to fully embrace not just the sights that every guest on every big cruise ship sees, but also the cliff-rimmed coves, the stunningly silent and calm anchorages where the only sounds are nesting guillemots, or the explosive breaths of passing humpback whales? Why not travel on a vessel that stops for hours, engines off, drifting with an inquisitive humpback who is intent on making eye contact with us? Instead of going off your diet for your vacation, why not find out how amazingly delicious healthy gourmet food, cooked fresh from locally sourced ingredients, can be?
In the Sea of Cortez, we have watched an adobe-red moon rise out of the valley between two cactus-fringed hills, listened to the sounds of ridley sea turtles as they swam around the boat in the dark, and experienced a pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins as they gathered on the bow to celebrate our passing by, leaping 3 feet out of the water. We have looked across turquoise water that almost audibly invites us in for a swim. We’ve seen majestic frigate birds gat her to rise on thermal winds and then dive into the sea like spears as they seek their dinner from the teeming school of fish below. Our ears have perked under a star-lit night as hundreds of mobula rays slapped the water, making it sound like someone nearby was making a gigantic batch of Jiffy Pop. We will never forget that we have watched beautiful sunrises and sunsets, each one unique and all worth pausing whatever work was being done, just to give them our full focus.
Our quest, both in Baja and Alaska, is to provide an opportunity for you to have an experience that continues to resonate in you throughout your life.
We would love to meet you, hear your stories, and share ours. Our lives are about sharing with you both the Pacific Northwest waters that we love so much and the turquoise waters of the Sea of Cortez. We are one of the very few boats operating in the PNW and Baja that are true family operations. We are totally and completely committed to making your vacation the best experience it can be.
This is the place where “once in a lifetime” happens.
Please consider joining us the winter in Baja California or the summer in Southeast Alaska or the Pacific Northwest. As always, we look forward to having you aboard.
Your wooden time machines,
MV Catalyst and MV Westward
All photos on this site are credited to crew and guests aboard the MV Catalyst and MV Westward, Carlos Cajón Bermúdez, Caroline Olson and Wendy Shattil & Bob Rozinski; Dancing Pelican/Shattil/Rozinski Photography, with all rights reserved. Cannot be used or replicated without permission of photographer and/or Pacific Catalyst.
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Our crew comes from rich and various life experiences, and most of them are word-of-mouth referrals. They are passionate about their specialty, subscribe to our philosophy and are willing to go the extra mile. All crew have to be willing to wear many hats and do whatever is necessary to keep operations smooth. With small crews, this flexibility is a must. So don’t be surprised if the captain serves meals or the naturalist takes on deck-hand duties!
*2024 update. Captain Bill Bailey and Executive Chef Tracie Triolo retired in the summer of 2024. This page will be updated to showcase our amazing Captains, Chefs, Guides, and Engineers. For now, please read this release for more info.
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M/V Catalyst
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- Length Overall: 74’7″ Beam: 18’4″ Draft: 9’4″ Displacement: 110 tons
- Cruising Speed: 8 knots
- Main Engine: 6 cylinder 8×10 Washington Estep diesel, 120 h.p. at 450 r.p.m. (This is the original engine rebuilt and maintained)
- Fuel: 2,200 gallons Fresh Water: 800 gallons with R.O. water maker
- Range: 4,000 nautical miles
- Accommodations: for up to 12 passengers and 4 to 5 crew
- Construction: Oak frames, Alaska yellow cedar planked. Douglas fir keel with a 2-inch heel of Australian ironbark
- Built by: Lake Union Dry Docks, Seattle, Washington, 1932
- Designed by: Roland & Strickland
- Navigation:2x Radar, G.P.S. and depth finders Communications: VHF, satellite and cellular telephones
- Specialty Equipment: Underwater hydrophone, viewing aquarium, microscope, presentation projector, whiteboard, two laptop computers, one for navigation, one for digital pictures, boat camera, stereo CD/iPod player, twelve pairs of binoculars for guests.
- Auxiliary Power: 12 kW generator and batteries Ships Power: 110 volts AC and 12/24 volts DC
- Auxiliary Watercraft: 12-foot aluminum and 17.5 -foot inflatable utility boats, 6 double sea kayaks, and 3 single sea kayaks.
- Chest freezer and refrigerator on front deck. Refrigerator in the galley.
- Marine Sanitation System upgrade in 2009.
- Six guest cabins. Cabins 1, 2, 3 and 6 each feature private heads, sinks and showers. Cabins 4 and 5 share a large toilet space with a cedar lined shower, head and sink. There is a separate head with sink on the main deck level. The crew has their own head and shower in the focsle.
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MV Westward
Built 1924 in Vashon Island, WA
Length 86’ Beam 18.5’ Draft 9’
Powered by original Atlas Imperial Diesel EngineM/V Westward was designed by the renowned Northwest naval architect L.E. “Ted” Geary and built at the J.A. Martinolich Shipyard in Dockton, Washington. The Westward was modeled after a salmon cannery tender and constructed around a 1923 Atlas engine. She was launched in 1924 as the flagship of the Alaska Coast Hunting and Cruising Co. and pioneered hunting, fishing, and adventure travel in the remote regions of Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska.
Westward and Alaska Coast served a noteworthy clientele of hunters and fishermen for nearly twenty years. Distinguished guests included Bing Crosby, Walt Disney, George Eastman, A.C. Gilbert, E.F. Hutton, Marjorie Merriweather Post, Paul Mellon, Richard K. Mellon, Hal Roach, Rudolph Schilling, John Wayne, Dean Witter, and numerous other VIPs of the era.
During WWII, Westward served as a patrol boat off the California coast before returning to the Pacific Northwest, where she operated another 20 years, as both private yacht and charter vessel, for two different owners.
In 1967, Westward was purchased by a California couple, Donald G. and Anna Louise Gumpertz, and moved to Los Angeles. From this new homeport, Westward cruised the world extensively, including a 47,000-mile circumnavigation of the globe from 1970 to 1976.
Westward was purchased by Hugh Reilly and returned to the Pacific Northwest in 1993 to resume her career as a charter and expedition vessel operating in southeast Alaska. The charter business was sold to Bill Bailey, along with the other expedition vessel, M/V Catalyst. Hugh Reilly retained ownership of the Westward.
Hugh Reilly had Westward’s hull extensively rebuilt in 2005 – 2006 to mitigate the impact of more than 80 years’ operation and to ensure her vitality for a second century. Then he and his wife, Teresa, circumnavigated the Pacific Ocean from 2007 to 2008. Westward continued to be used as a personal yacht for his family until December 2012.
In December 2012, Bill Bailey, of Pacific Catalyst II, purchased her for use in their adventure travel business. She is now ported in Friday Harbor, WA, alongside the M/V Catalyst once again.
Westward remains dependably powered by her original Atlas Imperial diesel engine and has benefitted from continuous upgrades to her engine, systems, structure, and accommodations. She is listed with the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, her life having been well documented through the efforts of Hugh Reilly and John Sabella, particularly her contribution to maritime history in the Pacific Northwest and the United States of America.
Short clip about the Westward and her history and her association with the Catalyst
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZVGjZ4jYl4 -
- Length Overall: 86′ Beam: 18’8″ Draft: 9’5″ Displacement: 137.5 tons
- Cruising Speed: 8 knots
- Main Engine: 4 cylinder Atlas 9×12 diesel, 110 h.p. at 300 r.p.m.
- Fuel: 3,000 gallons Fresh Water: 1000 gallons with R.O. water maker
- Range: 4,000 nautical miles Accommodations: up to 11 passengers
- Built by: Martinolich Shipyard, Vashon Island, Washington, for Alaska Hunting & Fishing Company, 1924
- Designed by: Ted Geary
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Pacific Catalyst II, Inc. is an equal opportunity provider and employer. We proudly operate with permits and permissions from the following agencies:
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Alaska Travel Industry Association
The ATIA will be the leading industry organization promoting Alaska as a top visitor destination, communicating and promoting the Alaskan tourism industry as one of the state’s major economic forces, and will be the respected voice of the industry for the growth of the industry, while remaining attentive to care for the environment, recognition of cultures and Alaska’s unique quality of life.Alaska Air
The nation’s ninth-largest carrier and its sister carrier, Horizon Air, together serve 80 cities in Alaska, the Lower 48, Canada and Mexico. Visit the website for reservations, news, aircraft information, and history of Alaska Airlines.Traveling in Alaska
Is like traveling no other place on earth. There are 586,000 square miles here, and almost that many possibilities. This is the place to begin your travel planning.Juneau
Is Alaska’s capital and the third largest city in the state. Like Alaska, Juneau is full of contrasts, a sophisticated cosmopolitan city in the heart of the Tongass National Forest. Nestled at the base of towering mountains overlooking the Gastineau Channel, the community’s rich culture and history is displayed throughout the town and in several local museums.Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC)
A coalition of eighteen member groups in fourteen communities, stretching along the coast of Southeast Alaska whos goal is to safeguard the integrity of Southeast Alaska’s unsurpassed natural environment, while providing for the sustainable use of the region’s natural resources.Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Our mission of is to protect, maintain, and improve the fish, game, and aquatic plant resources of the state, and manage their use and development for the maximum benefit of the people of the state, consistent with the sustained yield principle.Alaska Climate and Research Center
Provides meteorology and climatology information on Alaska from public, private, and government agencies, and from researchers around the world.Alaska Whale Foundation
A nonprofit organization committed to research, conservation, and public education about marine mammals in Southeast Alaska.More Links We Like
