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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Category: About our Boat

About our Boat covers our gear, projects, haul-outs, and refits. I share what worked, what didn’t, and how we’ve adapted our St Francis 50 to best suit our needs afloat. It’s about the ongoing work, and equipment that keeps SV Aphrodite safe and seaworthy on bluewater passages.

AGM boat battery testing
January 12, 2016September 1, 2026Lorraine Escher

Boat Battery Testing: Why Load Tests Missed Bad Batteries

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?

August 17, 2015August 30, 2026Lorraine Escher

Boat Organization: Finding Anything Aboard in 30 Seconds

First boat haul out: Ladder to our boat with river view.
August 13, 2015August 9, 2026Lorraine Escher

Our First Boat Haul Out: Living Aboard in a Boatyard

August 12, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Catamaran Haul-Out in Tampa: Lifting Our St Francis 50

Logo big
July 25, 2015August 14, 2026Lorraine Escher

Mermaid Boat Logo: A Canadian Twist on the Original Design

Damaged flooring locker appears to the left of the photo along with tools
July 8, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Galley refits on our St Francis 50 catamaran

June 16, 2015September 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

St Francis 50 Refit 2015: Alternators, Rigging and Interior

June 6, 2015September 17, 2026Lorraine Escher

10 Refits on Our St Francis 50 Catamaran (2015)

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From the Archives

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