Becoming a Sailor

Becoming a Sailor

More Than a Decade Afloat • Raising Sailors • Stories from SV Aphrodite

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  • Our story in six chapters, in the order we sailed it.

    See the story-map →See our entire route →

    Before We Moved Aboard

    • From House to Sailboat: How a Road Trip Changed Us
    • Buying Our St Francis 50 Catamaran
    • Learning to Sail From Scratch
    • Our Family Camping Gap Month
    • Browse all 113 posts →
    • This chapter on the map →

    Florida and the Bahamas

    • Living on a Sailboat With Kids: Freedom or Confinement?
    • Crossing the Gulf Stream
    • Off the Beaten Track Bahamas
    • Bahamas Long Reads: Exumas Stories
    • Browse all 43 posts →
    • This chapter on the map →

    The Caribbean

    • Luperón Long Reads: Boat Kids Go Local
    • Dominica Travel: If Outside Magazine Visited
    • Rough Offshore Sailing in a Gale
    • Long Reads Grenada: 6 Stories From Our Sailboat
    • Browse all 66 posts →
    • This chapter on the map →

    Panama and the Pacific

    • Crossing the Panama Canal
    • Shellback Ceremony at the Equator
    • Long Reads: Galápagos
    • Sleep Deprivation at Sea
    • Browse all 11 posts →
    • This chapter on the map →

    Melanesia

    • Heavy Weather Sailing: NZ to Fiji
    • Sevusevu Ceremony in Fiji
    • Land Diving on Pentecost Island
    • Shallow Water Blackout
    • Browse all 19 posts →
    • This chapter on the map →

    Micronesia to Southeast Asia

    • Lagoon to Table: Subsistence Fishing
    • Losing an Anchor in Thailand
    • 322 Days in a Malaysian Boatyard
    • Bangla Road Phuket
    • Browse all 26 posts →
    • This chapter on the map →

    By Topic

    • Learning to Sail
    • Downsizing & Moving Aboard
    • Sailing With Kids & Homeschooling
    • Boat Projects & Gear
    • Health & Safety at Sea
    • Food & Provisioning
    • Family, Crew & Guests
    • Writing & Creative
    • Browse all 291 posts →
  • About the CrewMeet our family of six from OttawaSt Francis 50 Catamaran Specs: SV Aphrodite, a Bluewater CatSV Aphrodite, our St Francis 50 catamaran
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Author: Lorraine Escher

Canadian writer and sailor. Honours BA in English Literature (Carleton University) and a decade as a senior technical and marketing writer at Nortel Networks and Alcatel. Since 2015 Lorraine has lived aboard the St Francis 50 catamaran SV Aphrodite, homeschooling four children while cruising the Caribbean, crossing the Pacific, and working toward a circumnavigation. Her cruising writing has appeared in SAIL Magazine, All At Sea, and Caribbean Compass.
June 16, 2017August 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Catamaran Safety for Kids: DIY Pool Noodle Swim Enclosure

May 30, 2017August 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Mr. Bricolage Martinique: A French Caribbean Home Depot

Hosting guests on a sailboat
April 30, 2017August 29, 2026Lorraine Escher

Hosting Guests on a Sailboat: 18 Visitors by the Numbers

Anchoring in the USVI
February 4, 2017August 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Anchoring in the USVI: Rules, Fines and Harbour ‘Mayors’

Reverse culture shock in the cruise ship hub of St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands
January 20, 2017August 18, 2026Lorraine Escher

Reverse Culture Shock: From Luperón to St Thomas, USVI

December 12, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Caframo Sirocco II Fan Review: 17 Fans on Our Catamaran

Dairy-free mint chocolate chunk ice cream
December 8, 2016August 7, 2026Lorraine Escher

Easy Dairy-Free Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream (No-Churn)

December 7, 2016August 2, 2026Lorraine Escher

Mona Passage Mutiny: Sailing with a Seasick NYC Cop

Henry with a local Dominican boy outside Wendy's bar near Luperon harbour, Dominican Republic where we spent hurricane season with our catamaran and four kids
December 6, 2016September 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Luperón Long Reads — Boat Kids Go Local

Leaving Luperon, A Story of Red Tape on top of the flag of the Dominican Republic and a three stripes, one star naval insignia to signify the bureaucracy and challenges we had leaving Luperon
December 2, 2016December 2, 2016Lorraine Escher

Leaving Luperón, Dominican Republic: Getting Your Despacho

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From the Archives

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