In 2003 I sold my Newport 30 and purchased a Catalina 36 sailboat.

I did not change the name except for the elimination of the II after Tourmaline.  It was through fellow Catalina 36 owners in TYC, Sid and Joan Hayes, that we were invited to join CATSS.  This organization is exclusively Catalina sailors.  That was their intent.  However, they are such a friendly bunch that as members have acquired boats of different types, they have asked to remain members of CATSS, which has monthly dinner meetings and monthly cruises.  Our group includes an Islander 30, a Pacific Seacraft (Dana 24), a Hunter 42, and a Passport 45, as well as a powerboat or two that just like to associate with CATSS because they are such nice people.

I attend CATSS functions regularly and soon found myself the Commodore in 2006. That was the year that we entered the TYC daffodil boat parade as a flag ship, with Sid Hayes volunteering his Catalina 36 to be the decorated entry. Following my year as Commodore I served for three years as newsletter editor of the monthly CATSS newsletter. I had great fun as editor of the CATSS Ayes newsletter, then served as Commodore again in 2011. We had our last rendezvous in spring of 2013, but the group has ceased its active functioning. Interested Catalina owners might contact the capsfleet1.com website to affiliate with the active group of Catalina owners in north Puget Sound.

I enjoy taking photographs for the newsletter and therefore attend most of the cruises. I have hosted the annual CATSS/ CAPS joint rendezvous in Bremerton or Port Orchard five times since joining. This has been one of our best attended cruises with both clubs participating. CAPS  is our sister Catalina club serving north Puget Sound.  We have several joint memberships between these groups and welcome each other to any of our own club events.

Tourmaline entered the 2010 Daffodil Parade. We won a third place trophy out of seven boats entered in the “theme float” category. The theme was Carousels in Springtime. Lowell was skipper and Commodore Jim Lee stood on the bow as King Neptune. DeVere Lindh headed the design/ engineering of the display and the entire club supported the decorating effort. add Again in 2011 we entered the TYC daffodil parade as a theme float, but did not place in the competition. The theme was "Around the World in 80 Days" and again DeVere Lindh designed the float and I skippered Tourmaline through the parade route along the Tacoma waterfront. We had a man looking through his telescope in the basket of a two dimensional hot air balloon that was suspended from the top of the mast, but it ripped just before the parade. It was made of plastic table cloth material and the breeze was too overwhelming for it. The balloon was circling a four foot replica of the earth suspended from the fore stay. We enjoyed the participation anyway! A photo of this entry is in the TYC section of this website.

Don Adamson and Lowell entertain at New Years party 2007

CATSS entry in the TYC Daffodil Boat Parade – April 2006
Sid Hayes, skipper on Vision.  Officers on deck:  Lowell Anderson, Commodore; Neena Stoner, Vice Commodore;
and Joan Hayes, Secretary / Treasurer.

 CATSS fleet rafted in Oro Bay (Anderson Island)  2006