07/02/2025
recently posted this pic of him with "Southern Seas", Walt and Nancy Katin's motoryacht in the background. Here's my comment on his post:
"Southern Seas" — I spent a lot of time on that boat when I worked for Walt and Nancy during the summer of '66. I was 15 years old and started out working for Austin-Baird Surfboards that shared the same building and when Walt learned I knew how to sail he took me under his wing and had me help measure boats for kanvas covers which they were still doing a limited number of at the time. I also helped Walter with a lot of maintenance jobs on Southern Seas before Catalina trips we'd take. Joe Bauguess, who I'd become friends with when we were in a play, Auntie Mame, together the year before, let me know about the job opening and I jumped at the opportunity.
I got to meet the likes of you, Corky, and Mike Doyle, Pete Topoleski, Hobie Alter, Rich Chew, Mark Martinson, Robert August, Joe Bauguess, Jim Waide, Mike Purpus, Herbie Fletcher, Phil Edwards, Dewey Weber—you guys were like heroes to me.
Walt and Nancy Katin and Southern Seas are featured in my second book of the Crossing Borders series which will be published in a few weeks. I don't have a picture of Southern Seas in my archives and would love to have permission to use this one in the book. I'll reach out on Messenger for that.
I did reach out to him and he wasn't sure who took the picture. If anyone out there might know I would love to get permission to include it in my Book Two which covers the same time period as when I was involved with them and their boat.
j~
