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: Preparing for Cruising Life

Preparing for Cruising Life begins right from the start when we thought about buying a boat, and living afloat seemed like a dream. This category describes the moving parts we lashed together to pack up our house, learn to sail, shop for a bluewater catamaran, refit our St Francis 50, and launch our family circumnavigation adventure.

May 2, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Antigua Sailing Week: Our Underdog Crew’s Podium Finish

SV Spirit of Juno - 3rd place yesterday in the big boats category
May 1, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Antigua Sailing Week: Last Day of Racing on a Farr 65

Yellow Transderm Scopolamine packages
April 30, 2015August 6, 2026Lorraine Escher

Scopolamine Patch Side Effects: Blurred Vision at Sea

2nd place in our class today
April 28, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Antigua Sailing Week: Racing Spirit of Juno to 2nd in Class

Coffee grinder winches
April 28, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

What Is a Jib? Grinding Winches at Antigua Sailing Week

Speakers at the beach
April 26, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Learning to Sail at Antigua Sailing Week: A Humbling Start

April 26, 2015August 25, 2026Lorraine Escher

Round Antigua Race as a Beginner: Racing or Lounging?

The sail catches the wind and springs to life on the SV Spirit of Juno
April 24, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

My First Sail: Seasickness and a Ripped Mainsail in Antigua

Mongoose restaurant at night, Falmouth Bay, Antigua
April 24, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Antigua Sailing Week: Meeting My Race Crew Before the Start

April 20, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

RYA Day Skipper Theory: How I Passed Online With Navathome

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On This Day

  • 11 years ago todayKids and Boredom: The Best Park Had No Playground

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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