Becoming a Sailor

Becoming a Sailor

Family of Six: 10 Years Circumnavigating Aboard SV Aphrodite

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Author: Lorraine Escher

I’m a Canadian writer from Ottawa who spent 10 years in high tech before heading out sailing. When we began I had no sailing experience but was keen for the adventure. With my husband and our four children, we've travelled halfway around the world, as we complete a full circumnavigation aboard our St. Francis 50 catamaran, SV Aphrodite. Here, I share what it’s like to homeschool at sea, maintain a boat, and explore new cultures as a family afloat.
Lorraine Escher measures for gallery countertop, unskilled and unhappy about the task.
November 27, 2025 Lorraine Escher

How Did I Miss the Skill of Measuring with Accuracy?

A man in a yellow shirt at Brother Lim Cushion in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
November 24, 2025November 26, 2025 Lorraine Escher

A Fresh Start for Our Boat’s Upholstery in Malaysia

Photo of Escher kids on SV Aphrodite on the Ultraleather saloon cushions after slightly less than two years of use.
November 23, 2025November 24, 2025 Lorraine Escher

Succumbing to the Sales Pitch of Ultraleather on a Boat

Eastbay Foreman, Rashid, and another woodworker from Eastbay apply new cherry veneer to a cupboard in our saloon.
October 27, 2025October 29, 2025 Lorraine Escher

Teak and Transformation: Refinishing SV Aphrodite’s Woodwork in Malaysia

Betty with her hand-drawn Montserrat flag. Later, she laminated the flag and we flew it on our boat,, SV APhrodite, with pride.
October 23, 2025October 25, 2025 Lorraine Escher

Betty’s First Essay: The Soufriere Hills Volcano

Karen Escher, boat kid and young artist, works on illustrations for the Princess and the P's Boardgame.
October 9, 2025October 9, 2025 Lorraine Escher

Karen Escher Draws: The Card Game She Illustrated on Our Boat at Age 10

Our niece, Jorja, from Calgary in front of the Bridge of the Americas, Panama.
September 26, 2025October 10, 2025 Lorraine Escher

Crossing the Panama Canal Doesn’t Just Move Your Boat from One Ocean to Another — It Moves You to a Completely Different World

Diver Michael and Lorraine watch the Mantus anchor retrieval from the bow.
September 18, 2025November 6, 2025 Lorraine Escher

Part 3: Diving for a Lost Anchor: A Salty Ballad from Phuket

105-lb Mantus Anchor with anchor chain
September 13, 2025October 20, 2025 Lorraine Escher

Part 2: Losing our Ground Tackle: A Continuation of our Malaysian Anchor Chain Debacle

Rick Escher, sailor, skipper, husband amazing human
September 5, 2025October 20, 2025 Lorraine Escher

Part 1: Re-galvanizing our anchor chain. What could possibly go wrong? Adventures at Pangkor Marina Malaysia.

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Welcome to Becoming A Sailor. I've written more than 250 posts about our travels on our St Francis 50 catamaran. We have been sailing since 2015, and our four kids have grown up on our sailboat. This is not a sailing log. Instead, it's an immersive record of a life afloat. I write to recreate the moment, whether we're standing on a volcano or cleaning our boat bottom.
- Lorraine

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Becoming a Sailor
Blog at WordPress.com.
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