Becoming a Sailor

Becoming a Sailor

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

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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.
Karen Escher painting the keel in Langkawi, Malaysia.
April 13, 2026July 9, 2026Lorraine Escher

Sailboat Keel Painting: Karen Paints Whale Sharks on SV Aphrodite

Paul leaving SV Aphrodite and his family for the first time at the Langkawi International Airport
March 16, 2026July 10, 2026Lorraine Escher

Paul Leaves SV Aphrodite to Crew from the Bahamas to French Polynesia

Rick Escher presenting his submission video on the MedSailingAdvisor application that he wrote as part of the MedGemma Impact Challenge 2026.
February 23, 2026February 23, 2026Lorraine Escher

Rick Writes an Offline Medical Support System App for Offshore Sailors

A side-by-side image of the Taipei 101 climbed by Alex Honnold in January 2026 and a land diving event on Pentecost Island, Vanuatu.
January 26, 2026January 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

The Spectacle Seekers: From Taipei 101 to Pentecost Island

Karen painting the underside of our saloon table at Lunas Shipyard in Langkawi, Malaysia.
January 11, 2026January 11, 2026Lorraine Escher

Learning to Paint with Karen Aboard our Sailboat

Hands showing how the curvature of our hull impacts the amount of usable counterspace.
November 27, 2025November 27, 2025Lorraine 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 24, 2025Lorraine 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 23, 2025Lorraine 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 27, 2025Lorraine 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 23, 2025Lorraine Escher

Betty’s First Essay: The Soufriere Hills Volcano

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This Week in Years Past

  • 10 years ago this weekFrom the Vault: Cycling 1,000 miles Along the US Pacific Coast — with a Parrot
  • 10 years ago this weekBeans! Beans! Beans! Abandoning Meat in the Dominican Republic
  • 11 years ago this weekLogistics: strategies for getting from house to boat
  • 11 years ago this weekStress-free camping? Not here.

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From the Archives

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