A local author who lost her sister in the Conception maritime disaster will discuss her book about it, “Her Last Voyage,” on Friday as the fifth anniversary of the tragedy that killed six Santa Cruz County residents approaches.
Heather Sawdon, whose younger sister, Kristy Finstad, died when a 75-foot dive boat caught fire on Sept. 2, 2019, will hold a book signing from 6 to 8 p.m. at Simpkins Family Swim Center, 979 17th Ave. in Live Oak. Following a brief presentation at 6:30, Sawdon will take questions from the audience.
Finstad, who worked at the Santa Cruz Water Department, lost her life along with 33 others on the dive boat Conception, when it caught fire near the Channel Islands off the Santa Barbara coast. The book is a retelling of the events, a memorial by Sawdon to her younger sister, and includes information about the California scuba diving community as well as Sawdon’s own story dealing with the loss.
Finstad’s family has deep roots in the Santa Cruz community. Her parents bought a dive shop from Jack O’Neill in the 1970s and started a dive business, which Kristy helped run until her death.
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