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 29, 2015August 16, 2026Lorraine Escher

First Dinghy Drive: Grocery Shopping Without a Car

Rain Sounds in Florida on a Sailboat
November 17, 2015August 23, 2026Lorraine Escher

Rain Sounds: One Minute of a Florida Downpour on a Sailboat

Building an offshore medical kit
November 4, 2015August 9, 2026Lorraine Escher

Building an Offshore Medical Kit for a Family With Kids

Halloween in Tavernier: Our kids with my husband, Rick. Tavernier, Florida 2015.
November 1, 2015September 17, 2026Lorraine Escher

Halloween in Tavernier, Florida Keys: A Street Carnival

Florida Keys Sailing: Paul enjoys a dockside supper outside the Island Grill at Mandalay, Key Largo.
October 28, 2015August 1, 2026Lorraine Escher

Florida Keys Sailing with Kids: Rodriguez Key and Key Largo

kids and boredom
October 24, 2015August 8, 2026Lorraine Escher

Kids and Boredom: The Best Park Had No Playground

October 22, 2015August 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Educating Kids on a Sailboat: Homeschooling Three Grades

Ingredients for homemade icecream for a boy who lives on a sailboat with food allergies.
October 14, 2015August 7, 2026Lorraine Escher

Off-Grid Ice Cream on a Sailboat: Our Lello Musso Pola

Picture taken today from the top of our 60+ foot mast
October 11, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Technical Writer Turned Cruiser: Our First Weeks Aboard

The book, "Frankie The Flying Fish" and Frank Nicol's boat in the background.
October 2, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Books Are Treasures Forever: Betty’s Gift From Captain Fish

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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

Worth Reading

Managing Food Allergies at Sea
Checklist for the Big Move

From the Archives

  • Boat Projects
  • Homeschooling Four Kids
  • Early Years of Cruising
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