Honeymoon at Sea: How I Found Myself Living on a Small Boat

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.