A life-long lover of the ocean puts an epic journey in a custom sailboat to print.

Sally-Christine Rodgers is a water baby sine qua non. The daughter of a merchant marine who traveled the South Pacific in the 1930s, Rodgers grew up listening to his tales of adventure, and decided to have a few of her own. She launched her career selling commercial fishing gear in Oregon and Alaska – the first woman-owned commercial gear company in either of those states, she says – then went on to run the wholesale division at West Marine, the Watsonville-based chain of boating and fishing supply stores. There, she also started West Marine’s grants-making division, which invests in a “blue” future and encourages boaters to take care of the water.

Ocean conservation and education are her real passions. That’s why in 2004, Rodgers and her husband, West Marine founder Randy Repass, set out on a true voyage of self-discovery in their 65-foot custom sailboat Convergence. The boat provides a living laboratory; for Repass, it was a way to test equipment and systems in the field, and for their son, Kent-Harris (hyphenated first names run in the family), it was a way to experience the world from a perspective few get to see.

Rodgers chronicled the family’s adventure from California to French Polynesia in the book Convergence, a unique amalgam of travel writing and photography, and reviews of what gear worked and what they would change. She spoke to the Weekly in advance of her book signing event at Old Capitol Books in Monterey.

All of the proceeds from sales of Convergence will be donated to marine conservation.

Weekly: Your son was nine when you embarked on the journey. What prompted you?

Rodgers: It was a trip I dreamed about my whole life. Our son is severely dyslexic and I knew he would never read about the world, but we wanted him to experience it through different thoughts and cultures. We wanted to immerse him in what’s out there. He learned so much. We tend to hear our own voices too much.

How did you crew the boat on such a long trip?

We went with another couple, Jim Foley, an industrial engineer who innovated the short (surf) board and Linda Moore, who has a Ph.D. from Brown in the study of kelp. They came from the sailing world. They had twins and didn’t think they’d be sailing again, so it was us, them, our son and their four-year-old twins. We were the crew.

It’s a fast boat and there was a lot of wind, so we went 3,000 nautical miles in 15 days.

What did you learn about the oceans on that trip?

We saw a lot of devastation. We have to step up to manage carbon and eat sustainable seafood. We saw many coral reefs, which are responsible for ocean life and are critical habitat, that had been destroyed. Throughout the narrative there’s a thread of how the oceans are so powerful, but it’s clear we’re beyond the tipping point. We need to be mindful, because a billion people rely on the oceans for their food source.

What’s the worst experience you’ve had out on the water?

We were in the Marquesas, in Anaho Bay, and we had a magical day, swimming and diving and playing on this beautiful beach. We were in our dinghy heading back to our boat, our son was sitting on the bow and my husband and I turned around to look at the most amazing sunset. We were taken up with the romance of that moment and when we turned back around, our son was gone. He slipped off and he was gone. It seemed like forever and then he popped up.

It was the most terrifying moment, that nanosecond when everything was beautiful and it all changed. It altered the way we were doing things as a result.

Not everyone can take a trip of this magnitude. What message does this book contain for people who fit into that group?

Everyone has a journey within them they need to take, and this was mine. I hope it inspires others to find their journey. I encourage everyone to go walk on the beach with the ones they love and just be close to the water.

SALLY-CHRISTINE RODGERS will sign copies of Convergence 3pm-4pm, May 2 at Old Capitol Books, 599 Tyler St., Monterey. The book is also available at www.westmarine.com