Becoming a Sailor

Becoming a Sailor

More Than a Decade Afloat • Raising Sailors • Stories from SV Aphrodite

Menu Skip to content

  • 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
  • Family Dictionary
  • Subscribe
  • Search

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 22, 2015August 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Educating Kids on a Sailboat: Homeschooling Three Grades

Ingredients for homemade icecream for a boy who lives on a sailboat with food allergies.
October 14, 2015August 7, 2026Lorraine Escher

Off-Grid Ice Cream on a Sailboat: Our Lello Musso Pola

The book, "Frankie The Flying Fish" and Frank Nicol's boat in the background.
October 2, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Books Are Treasures Forever: Betty’s Gift From Captain Fish

Sailing Around the World: SV Aphrodite leaves the dock on day 1 of her circumnavigation
September 30, 2015August 30, 2026Lorraine Escher

Sailing Around the World: Our Family Adventure Begins

Former prime minister, Pierre T
September 24, 2015August 30, 2026Lorraine Escher

Growing Up Canadian: Winter, Canoes and Sailing South

Karen (4) and Betty (9) enjoy a book on SV Aphrodite.
September 11, 2015September 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Homeschooling on a Boat: Why We Paused Lessons to Settle In

Family life on a sailboat
September 7, 2015August 9, 2026Lorraine Escher

Family Life on a Sailboat: Our First Weeks Sailing Solo

Provisions on SV Aphrodite, dry processed goods
September 5, 2015September 23, 2026Lorraine Escher

Meal planning and provisioning for a family afloat: six suggestions for cruisers

September 2, 2015August 2, 2026Lorraine Escher

Living on a Sailboat With Kids: Freedom or Confinement?

August 10, 2015August 8, 2026Lorraine Escher

Becoming a Sailor: Discovering an Alien Landscape

Posts navigation

← 1 … 5 6 7 →

Word of the Hour

Tent New word in …

Tent

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
Subscribe

Near misses are matched, here and with the options below: Fuket finds Phuket.

+word
must appear
-word
leaves out posts that contain it
"two words"
finds the exact phrase