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: Travel and Destinations

Travel and Destinations transports you to the places we’ve explored. More than a sailing log, my writing aims to let you hear the voices, see the sights, smell the air, and feel as if you’re right there with us.

PIcture of the Escher kids on the deck of SV Aphrodite during Grenada Carnival 2017
August 16, 2017August 16, 2017Lorraine Escher

Sights to See (and Unsee) at Grenada Carnival 2017

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

Finding Crew for a Pacific Crossing: Our Ad Went Wrong

July 3, 2017July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Grenada Hash House Harriers: A Muddy Hash with Our Kids

Betty in front of the Soufriere volcano in Montserrat - lots of ash wound up on our catamaran, Aphrodite
June 27, 2017July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Sailing to Montserrat: Volcano, Ash and the Exclusion Zone

May 30, 2017August 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Mr. Bricolage Martinique: A French Caribbean Home Depot

Anchoring in the USVI
February 4, 2017August 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Anchoring in the USVI: Rules, Fines and Harbour ‘Mayors’

Reverse culture shock in the cruise ship hub of St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands
January 20, 2017August 18, 2026Lorraine Escher

Reverse Culture Shock: From Luperón to St Thomas, USVI

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

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Magic Porridge Pot Mom New word in …

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On This Day

  • 1 year ago todayGrade 6 Essay Sample: Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat

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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