About Kat

(Thank you, Mike and the Mechanics, for this song that I dedicated to my father)

My late mother, being of Dutch birth, called me "Katrinka" as a nickname -- a derivative of "Katrina". From that name, "Trinkit" emerged. She came from a long line of artists and she, herself, was an interior decorator. I swear she had the ability to put a pile of chit on top of a table and you would be convinced that it belonged there. She made the draperies for some of the famous mansions in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and some churchs. A vegetarian, and being thoroughly committed to seeing that her children -- my brother and myself -- were not, she could cook the greatest steak in the neighborhood. And crepes were out of this world.

My late father's pet name for me was "Miss Priss". He was my mentor and my best friend. I miss his guidance and friendship to this day. It is from him that I fell in love with sailing, learned to work on a car ("no daughter of mine is going to be stranded without knowing what to do when her car breaks down"), became an engineer, and developed the infamous Type-A personality that I have. He taught me perserverance, work ethic and manners. He had a standard of behavior that was expected of me and not to be questioned. Even now, almost 20 years later, when faced with a difficult decision, I ask myself "what would Dad expect me to do?"

This site is dedicated to the memory of my father.

"Miss Priss, straighten your back, use that Yankee brain you were born with and do what you need to do!" Ernie Johnson, 1965

I love my Rott's. Rottweilers have such a bad reputation, but this one gives "bad" Rotts a bad name. Rahjah will play soccer with you. Don't have a flashlight around her, because she will chase the light until the cows come home. There are no bad dogs. Only bad owners. Do you know of any other Rott that will push a play lawnmower around the yard? Yeah, I don't either.

Before the Rott came the Himmy - and Yensid knew that the house was maintained for HIS comfort and all guests (human or animal) had to be approved by him. He acted like the Champion that he was. All my cats were named after Disney characters: Yensid (the Sorcerer in the "Sorcerer's Apprentice", Roger (from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"), Thumper (from "Bambi"), Anastasia (from "Cinderella"), etc.

You may think that the boat was named after the Disney character, but it was actually named after my Champion cat, Yensid.

During the breakup of my 13-year marriage, my #1 priority was to "save the boat" -- reason being that I could live on the boat, but I couldn't sail the house (friends at work -- the one's who crewed with me when I raced -- said I had my priorities in the right order!). I have been found to be at the boat at midnight in January just because I needed to "think."

When the lake levels in the Great Lakes dropped dramatically 3 years ago, I had to sell her, because there were few places that could accommodate her 6'-6" draft. When the length of one's keel exceeds the depth of the water, one is most assuredly AGROUND -- not a good position to be in with a sailboat. Try the impossible task of trying to explain to a true blue biker why you NEED a boat!

I would be honored if you would email me with comments about my website. I have fun building it and am continually revising and improving it. I hope you will enjoy your visit and come back soon.

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