Summer Sailstice 2016 earns one eager sailor a book prize!

December 10, 2015 by Monica Grant

Summer Sailstice is a fun celebration which brings together sailors (and non-sailors) across the globe. Held on the northern hemisphere’s longest day of the year, it heralds the beginning of what sailors hope will be a long summer filled with sunny skies and fair winds. But what is there to do when summer is over and the boat is tucked away in its shed or under wrappings?

Gaylen Smith from Brewer, ME has the answer, he’ll be diving in to his copy of Convergence: A Voyage Through French Polynesia. Gaylen won the book in a recent Summer Sailstice Facebook competition in which sailors were asked to post a photo of the boat they plan to sail for Summer Sailstice 2016!

Gaylen’s winning photo is of his 1977, 22’ Catalina named ‘Vardo’. Gaylen said they usually enjoy coastal sailing during the first part of summer and then “throw it in Green Lake and enjoy it until it's too cold.”

Well the cold weather is certainly upon us, a situation which may cause severe cabin-fever in some sailors. So if that’s the case, maybe try what Gaylen is doing over the winter and read Sally-Christine Rodgers’ book, Convergence: A Voyage Through French Polynesia.

Convergence is the story of one woman’s adventures as she sails 3,000 nautical miles in 15 days aboard her Wylie 65 Cat Ketch named ‘Convergence’, with her husband and three children. Along the way Sally-Christine learned to face her fears and surrender to nature, realizing that a sailing passage is not just about getting from one place to another.

So what better way to pass the idle hours of a cold dark winter than to immerse yourself in a fantastic seafaring tale filled with adventure, romance, humor and terror?

If you’d like to join Gaylen and spend the cold winter dreaming of summer, get hold of a copy of Sally-Christine Rodgers' Convergence: A Voyage Through French Polynesia. While you're at it pick up a copy as a gift for a friend or family member. You’ll not only be helping yourself, you’ll also be contributing to marine conservation, as proceeds from the sale of the book go to the following organizations: Elkhorn Slough Foundation, Golden Gate Salmon Association, Northwest Maritime Center, Potomac Dolphin Project - Georgetown University, Save Our Shores, Tag a Giant - Stanford Hopkins Marine Lab, UCSC Long Marine Lab, Watsonville Wetlands Watch.

And when the winter is over and summer 2106 comes knocking at sailors’ doors, what will Gaylen be doing? Preparing for his Summer Sailstice celebrations aboard 'Vardo' of course!

“For Summer Sailstice next year I am going to put together a recording session, on the boat, with some of the many amazing musician/songwriters I know who sail. It should be a real blast! I'll let you know how that works out.”