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: Creative

Creative is where I use figurative language, lifting me from the fetters of my former life as a technical writer where I was bound by strict writing conventions and the authoritative voice.

First Person essay “Everybody should have a family dictionary” by Lorraine Escher
October 8, 2026October 9, 2026Lorraine Escher

Our Family Dictionary Essay in The Globe and Mail

The cover page of SV Aphrodite's Family Dictionary
July 4, 2026July 21, 2026Lorraine Escher

Our Sailing Familect: 1 Unique Word Drops Every Hour

All At Sea Caribbean magazine cover, December 2017.
December 20, 2017December 20, 2017Lorraine Escher

Family Cruising Crew and Port of Spain Market: Two Articles

Leaving Luperon, A Story of Red Tape on top of the flag of the Dominican Republic and a three stripes, one star naval insignia to signify the bureaucracy and challenges we had leaving Luperon
December 2, 2016December 2, 2016Lorraine Escher

Leaving Luperón, Dominican Republic: Getting Your Despacho

Lorraine with Dixie Parrot on a 1,000 Mile Bicycle Ride, pictured in Washington State.
July 12, 2016July 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Cycling the Pacific Coast: 1,000 Miles with a Parrot

What is the .cat domain? Salvador Dali and his ocelot cat, Babou
August 6, 2015August 1, 2026Lorraine Escher

What is a .cat Domain? Why Our Catamaran Blog Uses One

Short Fiction Example: Chicken Dinner Delight
May 16, 2015August 21, 2026Lorraine Escher

Short Fiction Example: Chicken Dinner Delight (219 Words)

Sailing Poetry: Donne and Coleridge
March 3, 2015August 25, 2026Lorraine Escher

Sailing Poetry: Did John Donne Know More Than Coleridge?

Word of the Hour

Big Dress New word in …

Big Dress

On This Day

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

Worth Reading

Managing Food Allergies at Sea
Checklist for the Big Move

From the Archives

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