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.
Sailing Around the World: SV Aphrodite leaves the dock on day 1 of her circumnavigation
September 30, 2015August 30, 2026Lorraine Escher

Sailing Around the World: Our Family Adventure Begins

Former prime minister, Pierre T
September 24, 2015August 30, 2026Lorraine Escher

Growing Up Canadian: Winter, Canoes and Sailing South

Karen (4) and Betty (9) enjoy a book on SV Aphrodite.
September 11, 2015September 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Homeschooling on a Boat: Why We Paused Lessons to Settle In

Family life on a sailboat
September 7, 2015August 9, 2026Lorraine Escher

Family Life on a Sailboat: Our First Weeks Sailing Solo

Provisions on SV Aphrodite, dry processed goods
September 5, 2015September 23, 2026Lorraine Escher

Meal planning and provisioning for a family afloat: six suggestions for cruisers

September 2, 2015August 2, 2026Lorraine Escher

Living on a Sailboat With Kids: Freedom or Confinement?

First Ssquall on SV Aphrodite. a St Francis 50 catamaran
August 29, 2015August 16, 2026Lorraine Escher

First Squall at Anchor: Why We Moved Off Egmont Key

August 26, 2015September 23, 2026Lorraine Escher

Child Safety on a Sailboat: Our Kids’ First Day Aboard

August 22, 2015August 31, 2026Lorraine Escher

Life Raft Servicing: What’s Inside a Life Raft?

Catamaran Test Sailing: SV Aphrodite in Florida
August 21, 2015September 21, 2026Lorraine Escher

Catamaran Test Sail: Putting SV Aphrodite Through Her Paces

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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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