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: Buying a St Francis 50 catamaran

Buying a St Francis 50 Catamaran describes the anticipation of finding the right bluewater boat for our family’s adventure, the transition to life aboard, and some of the modifications that turned SV Aphrodite into a comfortable floating home and a capable chariot to sail.

Photo of Escher kids on SV Aphrodite on the Ultraleather saloon cushions after slightly less than two years of use.
November 23, 2025July 22, 2026Lorraine Escher

Ultraleather Boat Upholstery: Our Honest 9-Year Review

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

Cleaning a Used Boat
April 4, 2015September 17, 2026Lorraine Escher

Cleaning a Used Boat: 30 Bags of the Last Owner’s Stuff

Our catamaran SV Aphrodite with the team from St Francis Marine in South Africa.
March 27, 2015September 5, 2026Lorraine Escher

SV Aphrodite: The Family Catamaran with a History of Adventure

Sailing subculture: Artwork by Betty, age 9. Message = parenting fail
March 19, 2015August 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Sailing Subculture: Are Catamaran Owners Seen as Snobs?

March 15, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

First Days With Our St Francis 50: Repairs and Reality

SV Aphrodite, a St Francis 50 catamaran and Hull #1 as seen from the Starboard side.
March 13, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Buying a Catamaran: Our St Francis 50, SV Aphrodite, Is Ours

Transferring Boat Ownership
March 4, 2015August 30, 2026Lorraine Escher

Transferring Boat Ownership With a Documentation Specialist

Buying a St Francis 50 catamaran: Aphrodite, St Francis 50 catamaran
February 28, 2015September 16, 2026Lorraine Escher

Buying a St Francis 50 Catamaran: Why We Chose SV Aphrodite

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On This Day

  • 1 year ago todayGrade 6 Essay Sample: Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat

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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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