Sailing Book Recommended by Doris Colgate

Captivating Book Benefits Marine Conservation

Convergence: A Voyage through French Polynesia by Sally-Christine Rodgers is a
beautifully illustrated travel narrative about a family’s journey to and around the South Seas on their 65’ cat ketch. Doris Colgate, CEO and President of Offshore Sailing School, recommends this book for anyone who wants to learn more about ocean passages and truly “live” the experience..

In the Footsteps of Her Father

Sally-Christine Rodgers is the wife of West Marine founder, Randy Repass, and the
daughter of a passionate seaman who saw Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia in the 1930’s and ‘40’s as a purser for Matson Navigation Company. “The South Seas held him under a spell that stayed with him all of his life,” writes Rodgers in her prologue. “Weaned on his rich stories, I too began to dream of sailing to the South Pacific.” And so she did, with her husband and young son, retracing her father’s footsteps and seeing “through his eyes the raw splendor of thee special places.”

I absolutely could not put this inspiring book down,” says Colgate. “Convergence is full of poetic prose and vibrant photography that allowed me to truly ‘live’ each and every experience, encounter, and cultural surprise,” says Colgate.

Encouraging Women to Embark on New Adventures

During the mid-90’s, Rodgers was in charge of the West Marine Foundation and agreed to sponsor a popular program for women held at boat shows across the U.S. run by the National Women’s Sailing Association’s founder, Doris Colgate. “The Take the Helm: Women and Sailing series brought women together to learn about heading over the horizon with their family, spouse or friend to distant places, encouraged by women and men who ‘just did it’,” explains Colgate.

When asked, “Has it changed your relationship with your mate?” Rodgers writes “Absolutely! We are in love, and that makes everything easier, but sailing long distances has taught us things about ourselves and about each other that might never have been revealed on land.” And that, says Colgate, is one of the most important aspects of sailing and living together.

A Passion for Ocean Conservation

Sally-Christine Rodgers has lived near the water and worked in the marine industry all of her life. Her passion for the oceans and her desire to raise awareness of their plight, led Rodgers to support conservation efforts across the country and around the world. She and her husband have jointly endowed a Duke University professorship in conservation technology and a Platinum Leeds building dedicated to marine conservation education at the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, NC. When not on the water, Rodgers has her hands in the earth, tending vineyards, keeping bees and raising longhorns on the California coast.

Convergence: A Voyage through French Polynesia is published by Paradise Cay Publications and is available at West Marine for $24.95, with all proceeds going to marine conservation.