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
    • 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 OttawaAbout Our BoatSV Aphrodite, our St Francis 50 catamaran
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Category: Pacific Passage Crossing

Pacific Passage Crossing takes you across the world’s largest ocean, scattered with palm-lined islands and coral beaches surrounded by warm, clear water. We experienced the hospitality of subsistence farmers in remote island communities — sometimes in countries I had never heard of — nestled in lush volcanic landscapes, and we swam with penguins, sharks, seals, dolphins, and fish as large as people.

Colour striations on the Sierra Negra volcano hike on Isla Isabela, Galapagos.
June 9, 2022September 25, 2026Lorraine Escher

Sierra Negra: Hiking in Darwin’s Footsteps on a Galapagos Volcano

Betty and Karen on the Galapagos Day Trip
June 6, 2022June 6, 2022Lorraine Escher

Jumping into the Water of the Galapagos Was Like the Best Exhibits in the Zoo Had Thrown the Doors Wide Open

Galapagos Animals: Sea Lion Feet
June 6, 2022September 2, 2026Lorraine Escher

Galapagos Animals Up Close: Feet, Claws and Flippers

Shellback Ceremony Maritime Traditions and Crossing the Equator as a Family at Sea on Circumnavigation
June 5, 2022September 20, 2026Lorraine Escher

Shellback Ceremony: Crossing the Equator as a Family

Karen pacific crossing sv aphrodite wind in hair e1759498788460
June 4, 2022June 4, 2022Lorraine Escher

After the Galapagos: The Sea Is Alive with Extremes of Life, Luxury and Exploitation

Interviewing Crew
August 14, 2017August 7, 2026Lorraine Escher

Interviewing Crew: How Our Pacific Crossing Ad Went Wrong

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This Week in Years Past

  • 1 year ago this weekCard Game Illustration: A Boat Kid’s First Job at 10
  • 11 years ago this weekTechnical writer turned cruiser

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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