Every post on the blog, chapter by chapter, in the order the story happened. Looking for something in particular? Use Search at the top of the page.
Before We Moved Aboard113 posts
Deciding to sail
15 posts
- From House to Sailboat: How a Family Road Trip Changed Us
- Sailing Around the World with Kids: Where Our Dream Began
- Planning to Sail Away Before We Even Owned a Boat
- Sailing Self-Doubt: Fears Before Our Family Set Sail
- Family Sailing Transition: Preparation and Chaos
- Diane Stuemer: Sailed 6 Times, Then Went Around the World
- Boating in the 1970s: Navigation Was Simpler
- Winterized Sailboats and Winter Liveaboard Marinas in Canada
- Boat Kid Perspective: Why a 9-Year-Old Wanted to Sail
- Living on a Boat vs Living on Land: A 9-Year-Old’s View
- Dangers at Sea: Pirates, Storms, Guns and Capsize
- Telling Family You’re Sailing Away: How Ours Reacted
- Laundry on a Boat: Cruising Doubts Before Moving Aboard
- Sailing Family: From Corporate Suits to Hippies?
- Becoming a Sailor: Discovering an Alien Landscape
Learning to sail
14 posts
- Sailing Navigation Without GPS: Charting a Course by Hand
- Annapolis Boat Show for Beginners: 4 Things to Know
- Docking a Sailboat: Is it a Relationship Builder?
- Hiking in Sailing: Why Sail Racers Sit on the High Side
- Rats on a Boat: How They Get Aboard and How to Remove Them
- Mount Gay Rum Round Barbados Race: Following It Live
- Sailing Knots: A Boring Exhibit Made Them Feel Like Crafts
- Marina Etiquette: Good Sailing Knots Make Good Neighbours
- Sailing Terms for Beginners: Shrouds, Reefing and Twiddly Bits
- RYA Day Skipper Anchoring —Navigating Namely Harbour Safely
- In Transit or In Range: Trail Markers of the Sea
- RYA Day Skipper Theory Online: It’s Not Child’s Play
- VHF DSC Radio: When and How to Send a Distress Call
- Learning to Sail From Scratch: Our First Six Months
Antigua: Sailing Week and RYA training
19 posts
- Sailing Crew Packing List: 5 Weeks With Carry-On Only
- Leaving My Family for Antigua Sailing Week: Mixed Feelings
- RYA Day Skipper Theory: How I Passed Online With Navathome
- Antigua Sailing Week as a Newbie Sailor: Arrival Day
- Antigua Sailing Week: Meeting My Race Crew Before the Start
- My First Sail: Seasickness and a Ripped Mainsail in Antigua
- Round Antigua Race as a Beginner: Racing or Lounging?
- Learning to Sail at Antigua Sailing Week: A Humbling Start
- What Is a Jib? Grinding Winches at Antigua Sailing Week
- Antigua Sailing Week: Racing Spirit of Juno to 2nd in Class
- Antigua Sailing Week: Last Day of Racing on a Farr 65
- Antigua Sailing Week: Our Underdog Crew’s Podium Finish
- Antigua in Hurricane Season: Signs Peak Season Is Over
- RYA Day Skipper Course in Antigua: A Relaxed First Day
- Learning to Sail: Day Skipper vs Competent Crew in Antigua
- RYA Competent Crew Course in Antigua: A Day on the Water
- Great Bird Island, Antigua: Dinghy Drama Without a Motor
- Learning to Sail in Antigua: Helming, Docking and Dinghies
- Slow Is Pro: Sailing Lessons From an Antigua Instructor
Buying SV Aphrodite
10 posts
- Buying a St Francis 50 Catamaran: Why We Chose SV Aphrodite
- Transferring Boat Ownership With a Documentation Specialist
- Buying a Catamaran: Our St Francis 50, SV Aphrodite, Is Ours
- First Days With Our St Francis 50: Repairs and Reality
- Sailing Subculture: Are Catamaran Owners Seen as Snobs?
- Hiring a Skipper: Learning to Sail Like Captain Ron
- SV Aphrodite: The Family Catamaran with a History of Adventure
- Our First Night Aboard a Sailboat at a Florida Marina
- Choosing a Catamaran Color Scheme: Trampoline, Canvas, Art
- Mermaid Boat Logo: A Canadian Twist on the Original Design
Refitting and outfitting the boat
13 posts
- Outfitting a Boat: Our Checklist Before the First Passage
- Taking Inventory of Our Sailboat Before Moving Aboard
- Sailboat Refit Budget: How We Planned Our Catamaran Refit
- Cleaning a Used Boat: 30 Bags of the Last Owner’s Stuff
- Catamaran Trampoline Replacement: Weave, Colour and Weight
- 10 Refits on Our St Francis 50 Catamaran (2015)
- Catamaran Refit: Preparing Our St Francis 50 for Cruising
- St Francis 50 Refit 2015: Alternators, Rigging and Interior
- Galley refits on our St Francis 50 catamaran
- Catamaran Haul-Out in Tampa: Lifting Our St Francis 50
- Our First Boat Haul Out: Living Aboard in a Boatyard
- Boat Organization: Finding Anything Aboard in 30 Seconds
- Catamaran Test Sail: Putting SV Aphrodite Through Her Paces
Downsizing and renting out the house
14 posts
- Renting Out Our House to Go Sailing: What Went Wrong
- Downsizing to Live on a Sailboat: 220 Boxes and a Piano
- Our Move Date: 13 Weeks to Pack Up and Move Aboard
- Downsizing Before Moving Aboard: 6 Weeks to Make It Happen
- Decluttering Before Moving Aboard: 200 Boxes and a Minivan
- Creating Curb Appeal in a Forest: A 5-Acre Woodland Retreat
- Thrift Store Shopping: Was the Adrenaline Rush Worth It?
- Downsizing Room by Room: A Simple Strategy for a Big Task
- Moving Out Before Sailing: Our Final House Checklist
- Preparing to Move Aboard: Getting Our House Ready to Rent
- Long-Term Basement Storage While You Travel: 2 DIY Options
- Shipping Gear from Canada to the USA for Our Boat
- House to Boat: How We Downsized, Stored and Shipped Our Gear
- Moving Aboard a Sailboat: The 4 Checklists We Wish We’d Had
Our camping gap month
8 posts
- Before Moving Aboard: With House Rented, Where Will We Live?
- Transitioning to a Boat: House Rented, Sailboat Not Ready
- Moving from House to Boat: Our Family Camping Gap Month
- Canada Day in Ottawa: Celebrating in a Campground
- Camping Solo With 4 Kids: Mama Bear Mode in Ottawa
- CBC Radio Visit: How Our Sailing Plans Became a News Story
- Living in a Campground Before Sailing Away: A Family of Six
- CBC Radio Interview with Stu Mills: Listen to the Audio
Medical and safety preparation
10 posts
- Food Allergies on a Sailboat: Planning for a Child at Sea
- Medical Emergencies at Sea: Preparing to Be Self-Sufficient
- Child Safety While Traveling: Keeping Four Kids Together
- Rope Burn from Sail Handling: How It Happens
- Travelling with a Severe Tree Nut Allergy: Our Son’s Story
- Scopolamine Patch Side Effects: Blurred Vision at Sea
- Medical Provisioning for Cruising: A Year’s Supply of Medication—Then What?
- Life Raft Servicing: What’s Inside a Life Raft?
- Child Safety on a Sailboat: Our Kids’ First Day Aboard
- First Squall at Anchor: Why We Moved Off Egmont Key
Imagining life aboard: kids, food and everyday life
10 posts
- Sailing Hair: Going Low-Maintenance Before Living Aboard
- Outsourcing Household Chores So I Could Learn to Sail
- Homeschooling or Boatschooling: Can It Lead to University?
- Sailing Hair, Don’t Care: Going Short and Ditching the Dye
- Grocery List for a 4-Day Passage: Provisioning From Scratch
- Making Maple Syrup at Home: A Taste of Canada
- Sailing Shoes: Technical Trainers vs Leather Boat Shoes
- Pressure Cooker on a Sailboat: Learning to Cook Aboard
- Homeschooling Science on a Sailboat: Learning About Pulleys
- Living on a Sailboat in the Tropics Without Air Conditioning
Florida and the Bahamas43 posts
Learning the ropes in Florida
19 posts
- Living on a Sailboat With Kids: Freedom or Confinement?
- Meal planning and provisioning for a family afloat: six suggestions for cruisers
- Family Life on a Sailboat: Our First Weeks Sailing Solo
- Homeschooling on a Boat: Why We Paused Lessons to Settle In
- Growing Up Canadian: Winter, Canoes and Sailing South
- Sailing Around the World: Our Family Adventure Begins
- Books Are Treasures Forever: Betty’s Gift From Captain Fish
- Off-Grid Ice Cream on a Sailboat: Our Lello Musso Pola
- Educating Kids on a Sailboat: Homeschooling Three Grades
- Kids and Boredom: The Best Park Had No Playground
- Florida Keys Sailing with Kids: Rodriguez Key and Key Largo
- Halloween in Tavernier, Florida Keys: A Street Carnival
- Building an Offshore Medical Kit for a Family With Kids
- Rain Sounds: One Minute of a Florida Downpour on a Sailboat
- First Dinghy Drive: Grocery Shopping Without a Car
- Handwashing Laundry on a Boat: 4 Lessons & The True Cost
- International Medical Insurance: An Ontario Sailing Family
- Offshore Medical Kit List: What We Used in 10 Years Aboard
- Christmas on a Sailboat: Cards by Dinghy and a Florida Storm
Across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas
24 posts
- First Sailing Passage: Fear, Seasickness and Bahamas Plans
- Boat Battery Testing: Why Load Tests Missed Bad Batteries
- Our Victron Boat Batteries: From Install to Thermal Runaway
- Storm at Anchor: 35-Knot Winds in the Florida Keys
- Waiting to Cross the Gulf Stream: Excitement Builds
- Sailing From Florida to the Bahamas: 11 Hours to Cat Cay
- Buying a Mattress for a Boat: When Delivery Means Dinghy
- Nassau Jitney Bus: How It Works and the Real Bahamas
- Allen Cay, Exumas: Iguanas, a Stingray and a 40-Knot Blow
- When the Watermaker Breaks: What Goes Wrong on a Sailboat
- Cruising Life With Kids: Busy Days Anchored in the Bahamas
- Shroud Cay, Exumas: Exploring the Tidal Creeks by Dinghy
- Pigs, Sharks, and Thunderball Grotto — Exploring the Exumas with Kids
- George Town, Bahamas: Summer Camp for Cruisers
- Sailing the Jumentos, Bahamas: Hog Cay Cut and Water Cay
- Docking Drama in George Town, Bahamas: No Steering, Wind
- Hurricane Season in the Caribbean: Why We Chose Luperón
- Swimming With a Wild Dolphin in the Bahamas (With Video)
- Ragged Islands, Bahamas: Duncan Town and Buena Vista Cay
- Mayaguana, Bahamas: The Generosity in Abraham’s Bay
- Off the Beaten Track Bahamas: Sailing Beyond the Exumas
- Bahamas Long Reads — Exumas Stories
- Beginner Sailor Checklist for Leaving an Anchorage (PDF)
- How to Avoid Seasickness While Sailing: Ditching Dramamine
The Caribbean66 posts
A hurricane hole in Luperón
22 posts
- Luperón Long Reads — Waiting Out Hurricane Season
- Luperón Cruiser Complaints: Dogs, Dock, Water and Fees
- Baseball in the Dominican Republic: A Field of Dreams
- Kindness in Luperón: A Fisherman Who Became My Translator
- Sailing with Kids: Our First Year Cruising as a Family of Six
- Going Meatless in the Dominican Republic: Our Beans Recipe
- La Isabela, Dominican Republic: Columbus Comes Alive
- Another interview with CBC Reporter, Stu Mills (with audio)
- Luperón Long Reads — Designing and Building a Mooring for Our 50-foot Catamaran
- Bruce Van Sant: Lunch With the Author of Passages South
- Fixing a Seized Helm in Puerto Plata: Leo’s Steering Saga
- Cruising with Kids: Our Family on CruiserTV
- Sailing Life Culture Shock: Questioning the Dream
- Canadian Boat Kids Go Shopping for School Uniforms in Luperón
- Boat Chores for Kids: Fixing Marine Toilets at 8 and 10
- Canadian Boat Kids Go to School in Luperón
- Allergic Reaction at School: How Facebook Found Us First
- Luperón, Dominican Republic: School Days and an Orange Wagon
- English-Speaking Eye Doctor in the Dominican Republic
- Heavy Rain Closes School in Luperón, Dominican Republic
- Leaving Luperón, Dominican Republic: Getting Your Despacho
- Luperón Long Reads — Boat Kids Go Local
Down the island chain
23 posts
- Mona Passage Mutiny: Sailing with a Seasick NYC Cop
- Easy Dairy-Free Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream (No-Churn)
- Caframo Sirocco II Fan Review: 17 Fans on Our Catamaran
- Reverse Culture Shock: From Luperón to St Thomas, USVI
- Anchoring in the USVI: Rules, Fines and Harbour ‘Mayors’
- Hosting Guests on a Sailboat: 18 Visitors by the Numbers
- Mr. Bricolage Martinique: A French Caribbean Home Depot
- Catamaran Safety for Kids: DIY Pool Noodle Swim Enclosure
- Sailing to Montserrat: Volcano, Ash and the Exclusion Zone
- Grenada Hash House Harriers: A Muddy Hash with Our Kids
- Finding Crew for a Pacific Crossing: Our Ad Went Wrong
- Sights to See (and Unsee) at Grenada Carnival 2017
- Taking the Bus in Grenada: Fares, Soca and Drama
- Dominica Travel: If Outside Magazine Visited the Caribbean
- Fishing in Bequia: Our Son Learns from a Local Fisherman
- Cruising the BVIs: Marina Cay & Trellis Bay Full Moon Party
- Trinidad Oil Spill: Our Boat in Chaguaramas Harbour
- Living with Four Kids in a Trinidad Boatyard
- Boat Repairs in Trinidad: Two Months in a Chaguaramas Yard
- Boat Spares Inventory: How We Organize Our Spare Parts
- Christmas in Trinidad: A Glorious Night with a Local Family
- Leaving a Trinidad Boatyard and Night Sailing to Grenada
- Grade 6 Essay Sample: Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat
The zigzag years
12 posts
- Rough Offshore Sailing: A Rite of Passage in a Gale
- Destination Île-à-Vache, Haiti: Voodoo, Fear and Fascination
- Christian Missionaries in Haiti: Church on Île-à-Vache
- Summer in Canada 2018: A Break from Life on the Boat
- Ditch Bag for a Pacific Crossing: Rethinking Life Raft Gear
- Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1: Our 7-Year-Old Gets Us Started
- Catamaran Washing Machine: A Surprising Space Solution
- Wintering Afloat: -2°C at Fort McAllister Marina, Georgia
- Amazon Packages We Did Not Order: A Secret Santa Surprise
- Why the Caribbean Has Virtually No Tides
- Installing a Washer/Dryer on a Catamaran: Splendide Retrofit
- Boatyard Project Management: Set Expectations Early
The COVID years in Grenada
9 posts
- Boat Schooling: Preparing Cruising Kids for University
- Story of the World Review: World History for Kids at Home
- Preparing for a Tropical Storm: 4 Methods Sailors Used
- Splendide 7100XC Review: Not Built for Sailboats
- Sailboat Washing Machine: Miele W1 Dimensions and Capacity
- COVID in Grenada, 2021: Lockdown Seen From Our Sailboat
- Long Reads Grenada: 6 Stories From Our Sailboat
- Card Game Illustration: A Boat Kid’s First Job at 10
- Grenadian Rum Punch Recipe: Authentic, Made From Scratch
Panama and the Pacific11 posts
Through the Panama Canal
1 post
Swimming at the Equator
1 post
An unplanned stop in the Galápagos
5 posts
- Galapagos Animals Up Close: Feet, Claws and Flippers
- Jumping into the Water of the Galapagos Was Like the Best Exhibits in the Zoo Had Thrown the Doors Wide Open
- Sierra Negra: Hiking in Darwin’s Footsteps on a Galapagos Volcano
- What Lies Beneath? Barnacle Busting Outside the Galapagos at 2,000 Meters Deep
- Sailing to the Galapagos: 5 Stories From Our Family Boat
Three weeks of open Pacific
3 posts
A New Zealand summer
1 post
Melanesia19 posts
Onto Fiji, through a gale
11 posts
- Heavy Weather Sailing at Night: New Zealand to Fiji
- Losing a Rudder at Sea, 500 Miles from Fiji
- Fiji Biosecurity Rules: Using Up Contraband Food at Sea
- Fiorentino Para Anchor: Our Overnight Stop Before Fiji
- Sevusevu Ceremony in Fiji: Reluctant First-Time Kava Drinker
- Savusavu Hot Springs: Cooking Stew in a Geothermal Vent
- Dropping Our Rudders in the Water in Fiji: No Haul-Out
- Breadfruit History: Captain Bligh, Colonialism and Fiji
- Malaria Prevention for Sailors: Getting the Right Medication
- Ethical Tourism in Fiji: Eight Women and Unequal Worlds
- Fear at Sea: Finding Calm in Heavy Weather
Vanuatu
3 posts
The Solomon Islands
3 posts
Micronesia to Southeast Asia26 posts
North to Micronesia
3 posts
Thailand, and an anchor lost and found
3 posts
322 days in a Langkawi boatyard
11 posts
- FedEx Shipping to Malaysia: Yacht in Transit Customs Tips
- Getting Fit After 50: 30 Pounds Lost and Trigger Finger
- Boat Woodwork Refit in Malaysia: A Full-On Transformation
- Ultraleather Boat Upholstery: Our Honest 9-Year Review
- Brother Lim Cushion: Marine Upholstery in Kuala Lumpur
- Measuring a Boat Countertop and Backsplash on a Curved Hull
- Boat Interior Painting: Teaching My Teen A Useful Skill
- Leaving for an Epic Adventure: Crewing on a Sailboat at 18
- Keel Art: Whale Sharks and Scrollwork on Our Catamaran
- Hypalon Dinghy Repair: Patching Our Tubes in a Boatyard
- Catamaran Haul-Out in Malaysia: 322 Days on the Hard
Back to Thailand, then Malaysia
9 posts
- Homeschooled on a Sailboat, Betty Got Into University
- Pacific Puddle Jump at 18: Our Boat Kid Crews a Catana 50
- Paul’s Curry and Coconut Rice Recipe
- Job Jar for Kids: How Real Boat Chores Build Grit
- Bangla Road Phuket: A Family Outing Takes an Unexpected Turn
- The Queen’s Housing Lottery: Choosing a Uni Residence
- Long-Term Storage While Traveling: Is It Worth the Cost?
- Pulau Indah Marina: A Guide for Cruisers
- Our Family Dictionary Essay in The Globe and Mail
Also on the blog13 posts
Crew, press and other writing
13 posts
- Sailing Poetry: Did John Donne Know More Than Coleridge?
- Meet Betty, Age 9: Skating, Forts, Books and Ice Cream
- Short Fiction Example: Chicken Dinner Delight (219 Words)
- What is a .cat Domain? Why Our Catamaran Blog Uses One
- Technical Writer Turned Cruiser: Our First Weeks Aboard
- Cycling the Pacific Coast: 1,000 Miles with a Parrot
- Family Living on a Catamaran: Multihull Sailor Magazine, September 2017
- Family Cruising Crew and Port of Spain Market: Two Articles
- Bluewater Catamaran: A Detailed St Francis 50 Equipment List
- St Francis 50 Catamaran Specs: SV Aphrodite, a Bluewater Cat
- Alfred Escher remembered
- MedGemma Impact Challenge: Offline Triage App for Sailors
- Our Sailing Familect: 1 Unique Word Drops Every Hour