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: Dominican Republic

We spent hurricane season in the Dominican Republic. The local community welcomed us so warmly; our children attended the public school and played neighborhood baseball. The produce was fresh, the rum was cheap, and it was the first place we’d bought eggs to bring home in a plastic bag. Luperon remains the only place we’ve visited that I actually had tears when we left.

Leaving Luperon, A Story of Red Tape on top of the flag of the Dominican Republic and a three stripes, one star naval insignia to signify the bureaucracy and challenges we had leaving Luperon
December 2, 2016December 2, 2016Lorraine Escher

Leaving Luperón, Dominican Republic: Getting Your Despacho

November 1, 2016August 14, 2026Lorraine Escher

English-Speaking Eye Doctor in the Dominican Republic

October 22, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Luperón, Dominican Republic: School Days and an Orange Wagon

Our kids outside Escuela Pedro Alejandro Pina (the public elementary school in Luperón) in the Dominican Republic
September 11, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Canadian Boat Kids Go Shopping for School Uniforms in Luperón

July 20, 2016October 12, 2026Lorraine Escher

La Isabela, Dominican Republic: Columbus Comes Alive

June 9, 2016August 13, 2026Lorraine Escher

Luperón Cruiser Complaints: Dogs, Dock, Water and Fees

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From the Archives

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