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.

August 25, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Fixing a Seized Helm in Puerto Plata: Leo’s Steering Saga

Paul bruce van sant
August 11, 2016July 23, 2026Lorraine Escher

Bruce Van Sant: Lunch With the Author of Passages South

Building a Mooring: Luperon Long Reads Building a Hurricane Moorring with input an design review by Bruce Van Sant
August 3, 2016September 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Luperón Long Reads — Designing and Building a Mooring for Our 50-foot Catamaran

July 23, 2016July 5, 2026Lorraine Escher

Another interview with CBC Reporter, Stu Mills (with audio)

Going meatless in the Dominican Republic
July 12, 2016August 29, 2026Lorraine Escher

Going Meatless in the Dominican Republic: Our Beans Recipe

June 24, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Kindness in Luperón: A Fisherman Who Became My Translator

Baseball in the Dominican Republic: Paul from SV Aphrodite
June 10, 2016August 5, 2026Lorraine Escher

Baseball in the Dominican Republic: A Field of Dreams

How to avoid seasickness while sailing
May 27, 2016August 6, 2026Lorraine Escher

How to Avoid Seasickness While Sailing: Ditching Dramamine

Hurricane Season in the Caribbean
April 24, 2016August 19, 2026Lorraine Escher

Hurricane Season in the Caribbean: Why We Chose Luperón

April 9, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Docking Drama in George Town, Bahamas: No Steering, Wind

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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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