Ginny A. Sollars

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: UPDATED JUNE 2019

Ginny A. Sollars is a self-taught, first time author. Her book is not based on, not inspired by, but a 100% true story. Ginny (a neophyte sailor), her husband, Jim (who had previously completed a multi-year sailing journey), and their two young daughters relinquished their middle/upper class life to embark on a family voyage. On their two and a half year journey, living on a strict shoestring budget, they sailed throughout the South Pacific as far west as Australia and returned via the desolate and dangerous Southern Ocean. Jim worked along the way to add to their stash, while Ginny home-schooled the girls. No sponsors for support; no safety net to catch them if they failed. No funds to hire workmen for needed repairs or to fly in replacement parts. Their adventure was a do-or-die undertaking.

To put their story in perspective, their adventure began in 1984 and ended in 1987. Since that time, blue-water cruising technology has greatly advanced. The places they visited have changed. By today's standards, and even at that time, their 38 foot sloop would be considered spartan, i.e., their sole electronics consisted of a depth sounder, knot meter, VHF and HAM radio. Since GPS had not yet been invented, they navigated by sextant. They had no refrigeration, hot water or generator. They weren't total sailing purists, but their only alternative power was a two cylinder, 15 horsepower diesel Volvo engine. Their fuel tank capacity was a mere 20 gallons and they refueled only once between New Zealand and Hawaii. Their water capacity was 30 gallons, inadequate for long passages. For sufficient water, they relied on jerry jugs and rain-catching. Not the original sailing pioneers, the Sollars' adventure was nevertheless primitive compared to current sailing journeys.

Ginny wrote the book for a broad range of readers, including sailors, adventure enthusiasts and armchair adventurers. "Windswept A South Pacific Sailing Adventure" is available in E-book and paperback. E-book is 544 pages long and contains 100+ color photos. The paperback book of 477 pages is a hefty 6" X 9" and is a little more than an inch thick with an easy to read print. Paperback photos are in black and white. Photos are placed appropriately at the end of each chapter. NOTE: Matchbook Promotion running: E-book ($7.49) now reduced to $2.99 when purchased with paperback. Check out ratings, reviews and read sample chapters. Just type title in Amazon search bar. Shipping free with Amazon Prime.

Check out author's personal "Windswept" page on Facebook for more info. Just type title in FB search bar. Author welcomes and responds to comments and questions. Reviews appreciated. Anyone interested may google the book by title or the author by name.

Ginny. a Montana native, her husband, Jim, a Wyoming native and their two daughters have lived in Sheridan, WY, Portland, OR, Glendale, CA (suberb of L.A.), Pacifica, CA (just south of San Francisco), Honolulu, HI and Coeur d'Alene, ID. Ginny and Jim currently reside in Green Valley, Arizona.

"Windswept A South Pacific Sailing Adventure" was nominated to be in the 2019 Tucson Festival of Books.