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: Packing up and moving

Packing Up and Moving describes how we transitioned from life in a house to a life on a St Francis 50 catamaran. The blog posts in this sub-category covers the pure chaos of downsizing to being able to reflect back and provide some lessons learned and checklists.

SV Aphrodite docked in the Florida Keys
May 11, 2015September 8, 2026Lorraine Escher

Downsizing Before Moving Aboard: 6 Weeks to Make It Happen

April 8, 2015August 30, 2026Lorraine Escher

Making Maple Syrup at Home: A Taste of Canada

April 1, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Our Move Date: 13 Weeks to Pack Up and Move Aboard

Winterized sailboats, Ottawa River, March 2015
March 17, 2015August 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Winterized Sailboats and Winter Liveaboard Marinas in Canada

Downsizing for a sailing life: Inscription on our upright piano.
January 23, 2015August 7, 2026Lorraine Escher

Downsizing to Live on a Sailboat: 220 Boxes and a Piano

January 9, 2015August 23, 2026Lorraine Escher

Planning to Sail Away Before We Even Owned a Boat

Renting Out Our House to Sail
January 4, 2015August 8, 2026Lorraine Escher

Renting Out Our House to Go Sailing: What Went Wrong

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From the Archives

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