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 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: Life Afloat

Life Afloat captures what everyday living is like aboard our catamaran, SV Aphrodite. This category explores the challenges of our early years afloat with four young children and the routines we’ve settled into a decade later. Here you’ll find how we manage practical things like laundry, provisioning, medical emergencies at sea, homeschooling on the move, and welcoming guests—while celebrating milestones and reflecting on life along the way.

October 26, 2023August 9, 2026Lorraine Escher

Medical Mission in Papua New Guinea: Betty, 17, Volunteers

Glasses sit atop other World War II artifacts including a glass syringe.
September 18, 2023August 9, 2026Lorraine Escher

Peter Joseph WWII Museum: A Backyard Full of World History

September 16, 2023July 22, 2026Lorraine Escher

Fish Hook in the Face at Sea: How We Removed It

August 23, 2023July 24, 2026Lorraine Escher

Travel Safety in Honiara: Mugged on Skyline Road at Dawn

June 8, 2023August 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Breadfruit History: Captain Bligh, Colonialism and Fiji

May 22, 2023July 30, 2026Lorraine Escher

Fiji Biosecurity Rules: Using Up Contraband Food at Sea

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

July 25, 2020July 28, 2026Lorraine Escher

Preparing for a Tropical Storm: 4 Methods Sailors Used

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

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On This Day

  • 9 years ago todayTrinidad Oil Spill: Our Boat in Chaguaramas Harbour

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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