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.
November 14, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Heavy Rain Closes School in Luperón, Dominican Republic

November 1, 2016August 14, 2026Lorraine Escher

English-Speaking Eye Doctor in the Dominican Republic

October 22, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Luperón, Dominican Republic: School Days and an Orange Wagon

October 17, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Allergic Reaction at School: How Facebook Found Us First

October 4, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Canadian Boat Kids Go to School in Luperón

Paul with a toilet motor he installed in 2016 at the age of 8.
September 18, 2016August 5, 2026Lorraine Escher

Boat Chores for Kids: Fixing Marine Toilets at 8 and 10

Our kids outside Escuela Pedro Alejandro Pina (the public elementary school in Luperón) in the Dominican Republic
September 11, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Canadian Boat Kids Go Shopping for School Uniforms in Luperón

September 3, 2016August 13, 2026Lorraine Escher

Sailing Life Culture Shock: Questioning the Dream

August 31, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Cruising with Kids: Our Family on CruiserTV

August 25, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Fixing a Seized Helm in Puerto Plata: Leo’s Steering Saga

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This Week in Years Past

  • 1 year ago this weekBoat Woodwork Refit in Malaysia: A Full-On Transformation
  • 1 year ago this weekGrade 6 Essay Sample: Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat
  • 3 years ago this weekMedical Mission in Papua New Guinea: Betty, 17, Volunteers
  • 10 years ago this weekLuperón, Dominican Republic: School Days and an Orange Wagon

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From the Archives

  • Boat Projects
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  • Early Years of Cruising
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