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.
June 18, 2020July 27, 2026Lorraine Escher

Story of the World Review: World History for Kids at Home

June 2, 2020August 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Boat Schooling: Preparing Cruising Kids for University

Boatyard project management
October 18, 2019August 6, 2026Lorraine Escher

Boatyard Project Management: Set Expectations Early

Henry and Karen with the Splendide washer/dryer on SV Aphrodite with the machine in its custom hutch under the saloon table
September 18, 2019October 6, 2026Lorraine Escher

Installing a Washer/Dryer on a Catamaran: Splendide Retrofit

Why the Caribbean has no tides
February 21, 2019August 1, 2026Lorraine Escher

Why the Caribbean Has Virtually No Tides

Amazon Packages We Did Not Order
December 7, 2018August 4, 2026Lorraine Escher

Amazon Packages We Did Not Order: A Secret Santa Surprise

Wintering afloat on a catamaran is below freezing in Richmond, Geogia at For McAllister Marina
November 28, 2018July 29, 2026Lorraine Escher

Wintering Afloat: -2°C at Fort McAllister Marina, Georgia

Kids on a St Francis 50 catamaran with a Splendide washing machine in the saloon.
November 22, 2018August 4, 2026Lorraine Escher

Catamaran Washing Machine: A Surprising Space Solution

Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 setup by 7-year-old Henry
November 11, 2018July 31, 2026Lorraine Escher

Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1: Our 7-Year-Old Gets Us Started

Ditch bag contents
October 29, 2018September 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Ditch Bag for a Pacific Crossing: Rethinking Life Raft Gear

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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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Checklist for the Big Move

From the Archives

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