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Honeymoon at Sea: A Memoir Paperback – September 19, 2023

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 51 ratings

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When Jennifer Shea married Russel Redmond, they made a decision to spend their honeymoon at sea, sailing in Mexico. The voyage tested their new relationship, not just through rocky waters and unexpected weather, but in all the ways that living on a twenty-six-foot sailboat make one reconsider what's truly important.

In this charming, meditative memoir, Jennifer recounts that fateful first year, moving back and forth with the currents of her life. On their voyage, the couple sailed Watchfire to Baja California's Sea of Cortez, where they spent twelve months before sailing south along Mexico and Central America and through the Panama Canal. Jennifer's unique experience on the boat weaves through time as she explores the events that lead to taking her first step onto Watchfire—from her bohemian 1960s childhood in Southern California to the years she spent as a struggling actor in New York.

As Jennifer’s grandfather once said, “If you want to get to know someone, take a long trip in a small boat.”

The memoir begins and ends with the couple on their current sailboat in San Diego and then in Port Townsend, Washington. More than thirty years later, their honeymoon at sea continues.

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Editorial Reviews

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“Sailors, readers who would live the sailing dream through the pages of personal experience, and those who would navigate their own treacherous relationship waters to better understand their lives and the lure of travel will find Honeymoon at Sea especially revealing in its ability to traverse other cultures while exploring the nautical world's characters and challenges. As she works on being fluent in Spanish and in the language of love and independence, Redmond finds she is growing into her prowess as a writer and a sailor alike. She brings her readers along for an unexpected foray into new experiences that will especially delight armchair travelers interested in stories of living simpler lives and experiencing such riches." —Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review

"In her poignant and entrancing memoir, Honeymoon at Sea, Jennifer Silva Redmond evocatively recalls the intrigue of an adventurous but lovely extended honeymoon spent sailing the beautiful but changeable waters of Mexico, imbibing exotic cuisines and locales, and wandering pristine empty beaches — each unique moment a morsel of savory goodness…her fascinating and exotic recollections evoke the dual mystery and pleasure of recent marriage and solo traveling with a truly loving partner. Together with brief flashes of personal history, her story reflects and illuminates the journey of life itself. More gratifying still, hidden beneath the surface of her wonderfully written words lies the heart-warming evocation of what it truly means to live." —Joel Dennstedt, A Voice for Independent Authors

“Jennifer Silva Redmond is in many ways a quintessential Californian; her family blends Mexican and Okie. She is secular yet spiritual, an aesthete born into the working class. But that’s only the exterior of the story. As this candid narrative vividly chronicles, the author has done what most of us lack the courage to do: live life all the way up." —Raul Ramos Sanchez, Mustang To Paducah, The Skinny Years, Class H Trilogy

“In her delightful travelogue…Redmond does a great job of blending her background and travel experiences to create an absorbing memoir with many humorous and heart-warming moments. Redmond shares the joys and challenges of living at sea, painting a realistic picture of their encounters. She beautifully examines themes about love, friendship, taking a leap, and learning on the go…” —Edith Wairimu, Readers’ Favorite 5-star review

"This enchanting memoir is both a hymn to the open sea and a homage to the human heart…In lyrical passages Redmond shares inspirational moments that touch upon wonders beyond reason….If you’ve ever wanted to leave everything behind and sail off into the sunset (and who hasn’t?), Honeymoon at Sea welcomes you aboard." —Judy Reeves, A Writer’s Book of Days and When Your Heart Says Go

"A travel memoir that’s as sunny and bright as a Baja beach day, punctuated with occasional dark storms and high winds….traces the journey of a free-spirited woman from her peripatetic childhood with a bohemian mother to her self-discovery during the early months of marriage onboard a small sailboat." —Judy Goldstein Botello, The Other Side: Journeys in Baja California

"The intimate story of a loving couple on a small sailboat exploring each other and the Sea of Cortez. A fast, fun, and uplifting read, Redmond shares adventures and experiences in a marine wonderland that made me laugh, cry, and feel green with envy." —Leslie Johansen Nack, Fourteen: A Daughter’s Memoir of Adventure, Sailing, and Survival 

“A heartwarming, windward voyage into a life well-lived. With the talented Redmond at the helm, readers are gifted a stunning glimpse into the world of sailing and the beauties of a simple and yet rich life at sea. What starts off as a novice navigating the ways of love and the open blue waters, turns leeward as the seafarer gains insights into her own point of sail.” —Cherie Kephart, award-winning author of A Few Minor Adjustments

“A memoir, a love story, and a sailing adventure—all deftly rolled into one! Redmond puts her readers into the action whether she’s describing her hippy childhood in California, her New York City quest for the perfect career, or sailing among towering rock pinnacles in the azure blue waters of Baja California." —Elsie Hulsizer, Glaciers, Bears and Totems: Sailing in Search of the Real Southeast Alaska; Voyages to Windward, Sailing Adventures on Vancouver Island's West Coast

"Beautifully written, Honeymoon at Sea takes us on a journey of glittering romantic love, meaningful self-discovery, and reflections on what truly matters." —August McLaughlin, author of Girl Boner

"Like a rolling ocean swell, Jennifer Silva Redmond’s romantic sailing memoir sweeps you from the captivating story of her bohemian youth in Venice Beach through her years acting in NYC and into the welcoming arms of her husband, Russel. She tells the story in graceful prose, with the stark beauty of Baja California and the Mexican coast providing a colorful backdrop to her maiden voyage." —Jeanine Kitchel, Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya

“Jennifer Silva Redmond has written a frank, no-holds-barred memoir—whether she’s at sea, in the bedroom—or both. She writes as if she is confiding to her best friend. When I finished reading and put down her book, I felt like I was missing a friend. Redmond adapts to the sailing life like a fish to water. You don’t have to be a sailor to follow her adventures on their yacht, Watchfire. She explains sailing terms as her story unfolds, without overwhelming you with technicalities.” —Lois Joy Hoffman, Maiden Voyage, Sailing the South Pacific, and The Long Way Back 

"As enlightening as it is fun. I loved seeing the places I knew, and those I didn't, through her eyes, and feeling them in her heart. The author beautifully shares the spiritual journey that was a huge part of their physical journey. Her memoir increased my appreciation for life’s adventures—especially for the complex simplicity of love." —Ann Hazard, Cartwheels in the Sand and Agave Sunsets

"If you’ve ever fantasized about living on a sailboat, read this. You will travel along with the author and her husband as they experience life and love in a paradise of their own making. This beautifully written book will entice you to live life more simply, understanding that the heart of an adventure is the manner in which you navigate it." —Lori Oliver Tierney, Trudge: A Midlife Crisis on the John Muir Trail

"What a beautiful, beautiful book! Jennifer Silva Redmond’s clear prose flows smoothly from vivid accounts of the joys and rigors of sailing to breathtaking descriptions of the natural world to explorations of her past to intimate glimpses of her relationship with her husband, sailing partner, and soulmate, Russel. Ultimately, her memoir is about love: love for a man, love of sailing, and love for a life-changing journey. Reading it, I traveled right along with her." —Helen Landalf, Flyaway

About the Author

Jennifer Silva Redmond is a writer and freelance editor from California. Her essays, articles, and fiction have been published in numerous anthologies and magazines, and on sites such as Brevity. She is on the staff of the Southern California Writers Conference and San Diego Writers, Ink, and was the prose editor for A Year in Ink, vol 3, and co-founder of the critically acclaimed Sea of Cortez Review. She lives with her husband Russel, an artist and teacher, aboard their current sailboat Watchfire, somewhere on the West Coast of North America. Formerly editor-in-chief of Sunbelt Publications, Jennifer is now their editor-at-large. She is currently writing a book about editing; her book reviews and blog posts about writing, editing, and the sailing life can be found at www.jennyredbug.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ re:books (September 19, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1738945200
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1738945207
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.75 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 51 ratings

About the author

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Jennifer Silva Redmond
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Jennifer Silva Redmond, the author of "Honeymoon at Sea: How I Found Myself Living on a Small Boat" (Sept 2023, re:books, Toronto), is an editor who blogs at www.jennyredbug.com and on the Substack newsletter Honeymoon at Sea. Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Sunbelt Publications, an award-winning small press based in San Diego, she is now their Editor-at-Large. Acclaimed authors whose books she has edited include Jasmin Iolani Hakes, Judy Reeves, Daniel Reveles, Gayle Carline, and Eric Peterson. Jennifer is on the staff of the Southern California Writer's Conference and San Diego Writers, Ink. Her essays and short stories have appeared in Science of Mind, A Year in Ink vol 11 & 12, and Latinos in Lotusland. She was prose editor for A Year in Ink, volume 3, and co-founded the critically acclaimed Sea of Cortez Review (1998-2001). She and artist-writer-teacher Russel Redmond live on their sailboat somewhere on the west coast of North America.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
51 global ratings
Hardly anything worthwhile in life can be bought in a store.
5 Stars
Hardly anything worthwhile in life can be bought in a store.
Redmond has written an intimate story of her life with her husband on a small sailboat, exploring each other and the Sea of Cortez in the early 1990s. A fast, fun, and uplifting read, she shares adventures and experiences in a marine life wonderland that made me laugh, cry, and feel green with envy.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2023
If I had to pick a friend to spend ample time with at sea, I’d want one who could as easily poke fun at herself, turn a funny phrase, and spin a good yarn as she could explain the complexities of boating, bare vulnerable memories and feelings from her life’s most tumultuous moments, and ponder the greater meaning of life with the insight of someone who is both learned and lived. That’s why I’m glad my sea voyage took place via armchair under the guidance of talented writer and sailor Jennifer Silva Redmond in her memoir, Honeymoon at Sea.

Honeymoon at Sea follows a pair of newlyweds at the beginning of the 1990s as they sail south from San Diego, California into Mexico, and around its Baja California peninsula into the Sea of Cortez. The couple in question, we learn early on, were in grave danger of letting each other be “the one who got away,” so it’s especially gratifying to see them pull together in this ambitious and romantic romp on the open waters. The author quotes her grandfather as saying that if you want to get to know someone, “go on a long journey in a small boat.” These two certainly did that.

But even more than a love story, what we have here is the author’s search for her own identity, her own answer to life’s biggest questions including: How should I spend my time in this world? What does it all mean? How can I be naked as often as possible?

The chapters of this book consist of vignettes from each leg of the trip interspersed with personal history that give us a greater understanding of the author and how she became the kind of gal that would set off on such an incredible adventure. Lucky for us, she’s lived a very interesting life and the backstory is as engrossing as the sea travel itself.

This book left me feeling like I’d just spent time with an old friend, and like I’d just been on a long exotic vacation. I can’t wait to pass this book on to friends and family so that they can experience their own honeymoon at sea.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2024
A beautiful book to read, written with honesty, humor, and heart!
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2023
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on a sailboat and travel to Mexico? In Jennifer Silva Redmond's gripping memoir, "Honeymoon at Sea," she delivers the full monty, from halcyon days in idyllic settings to the nightmarish realities of monotonous midnight crossings, tempests, and medical emergencies. Meticulous in her words, Redmond describes the innumerable, simple joys of her acquired itinerant lifestyle -- joys like walking on a secluded sandy beach, going au naturel for an afternoon dip in the sea, or feasting on a fresh-caught dorado that's been cooking all afternoon over warm coals. Redmond was a child when she started stage acting -- it's how she met her future husband, Russel, a talented illustrator, photographer, and artist twelve years her senior. For this newly married couple embarking on life aboard the 26-foot sloop "Watchfire," headed for the Sea of Cortez, the sailboat becomes their crucible, stress-testing their burgeoning marriage. Redmond is a fearless narrator, deft at rendering vivid scenes and sharp dialogue. The real skill of her memoir is in showing how the two main characters react when things heat up.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2023
What and inspiring journey! I’m only part way through, and already I’ve been transported to multiple cities, countries, times, and situations. Such a beautifully written memoir for a fantastically lived life- it pulls you in and brings you along for the ride. Never a dull moment- each chapter brings, in equal measure, a sense of satisfaction and of longing to see what’s next. I highly recommend!
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2024
This book rocked me! And I don't mean mal de mer! It was lively funny and a real gem. I highly recommend it. In fact I bought the hard copy too!
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2023
“Honeymoon at Sea” is a story about love. Love of nature, love of others and love of oneself. The life journey that Jennifer Silva Redmond guides the reader through is one of continual self discovery and delight. Her unconventional childhood, her early life as an actress and her marriage to Russel and subsequent life on a small boat in a big sea send the reader on a most magical voyage. Her descriptions of the natural world, her blazing intelligence, literally overcoming seasickness with Melvillian fortitude all pop from the page. This book made we want to explore the Sea of Cortez, dive for scallops and watch the sunset every night. It is above all a great love story.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2023
Redmond has written an intimate story of her life with her husband on a small sailboat, exploring each other and the Sea of Cortez in the early 1990s. A fast, fun, and uplifting read, she shares adventures and experiences in a marine life wonderland that made me laugh, cry, and feel green with envy.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Hardly anything worthwhile in life can be bought in a store.
Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2023
Redmond has written an intimate story of her life with her husband on a small sailboat, exploring each other and the Sea of Cortez in the early 1990s. A fast, fun, and uplifting read, she shares adventures and experiences in a marine life wonderland that made me laugh, cry, and feel green with envy.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2023
Oh how I loved and appreciated this sweet love story that takes place mostly in the Sea of Cortez - where I am currently in our Sprinter van. As I am reading Jennifer’s descriptions of all the various places I look up to the desert mountains behind me, the clear turquoise sea before me and nod vigorously. But I also love her talk about building a relation-ship. Mostly, I wanted to comment on the joy in reading her book - her words flow with ease - she offers great descriptions of each cove, while also giving us the nuances of her growing love and the benefits of a simpler life. Ahhhhh - happy reading!