HONEYMOON AT SEA: HOW I FOUND MYSELF LIVING ON A SMALL BOAT

Book by Jennifer Silva Redmond

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

February 15, 2024 (San Diego) -- In 1989-90, Jennifer and Russel Redmond set off from San Diego for Baja California on their 26-foot sloop, Watchfire, shortly after they married. After traveling through the Panama Canal, they sailed all the way to Canada, before turning around to end their honeymoon in New York City. The trip was intended to be an extended honeymoon, a chance to properly get to know each other and settle into married life, but over the months and then years, it became a way of life. However, they did eventually upgrade to the 35-foot Watchfire 2. 

Honeymoon at Sea is written as a travel log much of the time, with the author sharing her thoughts and feelings about the sights and people. Redmond also chronicles details of life at sea, ranging from deep sea diving to catch their next meal, to fixing a blocked toilet, to swimming to get away from sharks.

Here is an excerpt:

A SPRINKLE OF RAIN CAME THROUGH the open window as I pulled away from the curb. Russel stood there, watching me go. My lips hummed from his kisses. With the window rolled up, he became a blurry shape. Switching my foot from clutch to gas, I was grateful to concentrate on driving—living in New York City, you get out of practice. Clutch, shift, gas. Turning slowly at the next stop sign for one last look back, and tooting my horn at his distant form, I accelerated out of the turn. Clutch, shift, gas.

Clusters of faux-Spanish houses, their red tiles ruffled against the rain, lined the sloping street down to the Pacific Coast Highway. Looking past the highway to the flat blue line of the harbor was briefly disorienting; I was still a bit surprised to find myself in San Diego. Coming back for a family Christmas had seemed like the ideal way to take a break from thinking about my life and my future. Of course, that concept was shattered after today.

The last few hours with Russel already seemed unreal. But the car was real, and this busy freeway entrance certainly was. God, look at the traffic. As I merged into the slow lane my mind rejoined, Russel is real, too, isn’t he? My mouth was dry, my lips still tender; my body was well aware of what was real—his mouth on mine. The jury was still out on his words

Interspersed with scenic descriptions, the author recounts her life prior to marriage with Russel, which is as interesting as her time spent on a small boat. She was raised by a hippie mother in the United States. In the 70s; her family traveled in Europe and then returned to the U.S., where she launched an acting career that would eventually lead her to meet Russel.

Honeymoon at Sea is also a love story, chronicling the ups and downs of a relationship that is still going strong in 2024. Redmond states: “If you are in love and like spending a great deal of time together, then a small boat has room to spare. If you aren’t thrilled to be with your partner 24 hours a day, then no yacht in the world is big enough.” 

Jennifer Silva Redmond is a writer and editor from California. Her essays, articles, and fiction have been published in anthologies and magazines, and sites, such as Brevity. On the staff of the Southern California Writers’ Conference and San Diego Writers, Ink, she was prose editor for A Year in Ink, Vol. 3, and co-founder of Sea of Cortez Review.

Formerly editor-in-chief of Sunbelt Publications of San Diego, Redmond is now their editor-at-large. She is writing another book, doing book reviews, and posting about life on Substack. She lives with Russel in Bonita, CA.