Deeply personal and revealing, I feel privileged.
Bernadette's a memoir rockstar!
To say By the Light of the Moon has touched my soul is an under statement.
By the Light of the Moon
Set on the extraordinary world stage of a high-seas adventure, By the Light of the Moon is a true story of a young woman’s rite of passage into love and self-realisation.
When Bernadette Marama Gavin accepts an invitation to join a solo sailor on his quest to circumnavigate the globe on a small sailboat, she has no idea how deeply it will impact her life.
Sailing more than 28,000 nautical miles over 4 years, the countless hours of aloneness demands immense endurance. Bernadette finds exquisite beauty on the boundless ocean, but also fear, frustration and fatigue, bringing her to the thresholds of her own inner impasses.
Thirteen years later, through a process of self-reflective writing as a therapeutic way to revisit her past, Bernadette begins piecing together fallen aspects of herself, not only belonging to the young woman lost at sea years ago, but also of the wounded child. It is here that she makes an unforeseen discovery, one that sheds light on her past and holds the key to forever shape her future.
“A raw and honest personal story, an adventure on the high seas, and a profound spiritual journey. I look forward to more from this author.”
“From the first sighting of the cover to the final page of Bernadette Gavin’s high seas tale of her four-year ocean voyage in a small yacht took me less than 24 hours.
I was hooked; reeled in by the gorgeous monotone cover and the promise of a cracking maritime yarn. And the book did not disappoint... Among the many high sea’s narratives penned by men are a few by women… I now add Bernadette Gavin’s book to the list of epic tales which have enriched me as a reader and as a woman.”
Original Analog Photos & Logbook Sketches
NZ's #1 daily lifestyle and entertainment show talks to Bernadette about her memoir.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bernadette currently lives in Raglan, New Zealand with her partner, Phil and their daughter, Sequoia.
During her seventeen years as co-creator, owner/operater and director of Yoga and Holistic Bodywork at Solscape Eco Retreat in Raglan, Bernadette developed her role in the healing arts. She dedicated her time to supporting others in aligning with their highest expression of self through yoga and mindfulness practices, Hawaiian massage, reiki, craniosacral therapy, and Intuitive Guidance.
Bernadette and Phil have now passed Solscape over to new owners.
Her continued passion for the ocean has inspired many other adventures including volunteering with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society aboard their ships, Bob Barker, Brigit Bardot and Steve Irwin.
When she is not too busy being a mother, therapist, yoga instructor, artist, writer and activist, you will find her surfing, riding the wind, walking the beach, talking with animals and star gazing.
By the Light of the Moon is Bernadette’s first book.
I could not put this book down. The detail and delicateness in which Bernadette describes an incredibly adventurous and heart-wrenching tale through the high seas is amazing. It's a coming of age story mixed with love, adventure and everything you could ever want in a book, written by an incredibly thoughtful and humble narrator. Even as a young woman, Bernadette has wisdom, a sense of bravery beyond her years and a soul like no other. I am so glad this book is getting out into the world.
- Shelby Stanger, adventure journalist, writer and host of Wild Ideas Worth Living podcast.
Instagram @bernadette.marama
