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.
Putting the Parasailor back in the "sock" on SV Aphrodite, a St Francis 50 catamaran.
June 8, 2022July 29, 2026Lorraine Escher

Parasailor Sail on a Catamaran: Downwind to French Polynesia

Betty and Karen on the Galapagos Day Trip
June 6, 2022June 6, 2022Lorraine Escher

Jumping into the Water of the Galapagos Was Like the Best Exhibits in the Zoo Had Thrown the Doors Wide Open

Galapagos Animals: Sea Lion Feet
June 6, 2022September 2, 2026Lorraine Escher

Galapagos Animals Up Close: Feet, Claws and Flippers

Shellback Ceremony Maritime Traditions and Crossing the Equator as a Family at Sea on Circumnavigation
June 5, 2022September 20, 2026Lorraine Escher

Shellback Ceremony: Our Family Swims at the Equator

Karen pacific crossing sv aphrodite wind in hair e1759498788460
June 4, 2022June 4, 2022Lorraine Escher

After the Galapagos: A Superyacht Race and Fishing Fleets

Long reads Grenada: A picture of someone walking on a hike in Grenada during a Hash House Harriers run
December 11, 2021September 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Long Reads Grenada: 6 Stories From Our Sailboat

September 11, 2021September 11, 2021Lorraine Escher

COVID in Grenada, 2021: Lockdown Seen From Our Sailboat

Miele W1 washing machine on SV Aphrodite, a St Francis catamaran.
May 1, 2021September 20, 2026Lorraine Escher

Sailboat Washing Machine: Miele W1 Dimensions and Capacity

Splendide 7100XC review
February 14, 2021July 30, 2026Lorraine Escher

Splendide 7100XC Review: Not Built for Sailboats

July 25, 2020July 28, 2026Lorraine Escher

Preparing for a Tropical Storm: 4 Methods Sailors Used

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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

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From the Archives

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