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Story Map
2014–2026 · Everything on the Blog
An interactive map showing everything I have written on the blog from 2014 to the present, arranged by theme and color.
The themes and sub-themes were assembled from the ground up at the paragraph level, meaning every dot represents a short passage of one to three paragraphs. Dots that sit close together share similar ideas; dots far apart are about different things.
Move your mouse over the dots to see the title, date and opening words of each post. Move your mouse onto that box to see a longer summary and a link to the full post. On a phone, tap a dot.
The Play Through Time feature shows how these ideas emerged over the years, while the 3D feature turns my posts into an immersive virtual galaxy.
Take a Tour
Start scrolling to begin exploring.
Gear, Storage & Shipping
Before we left, we sold or stored most of what we owned. Since then I have packed gear, sorted boat spares into labelled bins, and shipped parts to wherever the boat was.
Moving Aboard & Lorraine Learns to Sail
We rented out our house, lived in a campground for a month, and then moved aboard with four kids. I had never sailed before, and I learned as I went.
Refits & Boat Projects
We bought our St Francis 50 catamaran, SV Aphrodite, in 2015 and have been refitting her ever since, from a washing machine under the saloon table to new woodwork in Malaysia.
Anchorages, Storms & Boatyards
From the Bahamas to Trinidad, we anchored in remote cays, sailed through a gale, prepared for tropical storms, and spent long stretches in boatyards fixing things.
A Hurricane Season in Luperón
We spent six months in Luperón, Dominican Republic, waiting out hurricane season. We built our own mooring, the kids went to school, and we made friends.
Galápagos & the Pacific
We crossed the Panama Canal and reached the Galápagos, where we swam with sea lions and hiked a volcano. Across the Pacific, I learned to shop and cook with whatever each island had.
Mishaps & Hard Lessons
Not everything went to plan. We lost our anchor in deep water in Thailand and got it back with divers, our Parasailor sail blew out, and a fish hook caused an injury.
Health & Medicine Aboard
I built an offshore medical kit before we left and have updated it since. I write about malaria pills, seasickness, food allergies and finding doctors abroad.
Street Safety Ashore
Two stories about staying safe ashore: a dawn walk in Honiara that ended in a mugging, and a family outing in Phuket that took an unexpected turn.
Caribbean Culture & People
In Trinidad, Grenada, Haiti, Dominica and Martinique, we went to carnivals, spent Christmas in a local family's home, and learned how people live. In Grenada we were also there when COVID arrived.
Cooking Aboard
I cook with a pressure cooker, make ice cream on the boat, and went meatless for a while in the Dominican Republic. Here are a few of our recipes, including Paul's curry.
Upholstery & Style
Boat life also means sewing, cushions and hair. I cut my hair short before we left, bought a sewing machine, and replaced our saloon cushions in Malaysia after nine years.
Homeschooling to University
We schooled the kids ourselves on the boat, with real chores and real lessons. In November 2025 Betty applied to universities, and she was accepted to several, including Toronto and Queen's.
Your turn
Explore on your own
That's the story so far. From here the map is yours: drag and zoom, hover over any dot to read it, or ask a question in the search box below.
Browse the Themes
Every theme and its sub-themes, with a few of the posts that sit in each.
Gear, Storage & Shipping 123 passages · 28 posts
Downsizing and storage
- Long-Term Storage While Traveling: Is It Worth the Cost?
- 2 Long-Term Basement Storage Solutions for Travelers
- House to Boat: Downsizing When the Pressure Is On
- Decluttering Before Moving Aboard: Finding What Matters
Packing and organizing gear
- Boat Spares, Storage Bins & a Label Maker: Taking Stock
- Sailing Crew Packing List: 5 Weeks With Carry-On Only
- Moving Aboard a Sailboat: The 4 Checklists We Wish We’d Had
- Packing Up to Sail: Shipping Gear from Canada to the USA
Life raft, ditch bag, shipping
Moving Aboard & Lorraine Learns to Sail 203 passages · 75 posts
Moving the family aboard
- Leaving for an Epic Adventure: Crewing on a Sailboat at 18
- Living on a Sailboat With Kids: Freedom or Confinement?
- 2nd Pacific Puddle Jump: Boat Kid Becomes Skilled Crew at 18
- Mona Passage Mutiny: Sailing with a Seasick NYC Cop
Learning to sail in Antigua
Refits & Boat Projects 177 passages · 42 posts
Buying and refitting SV Aphrodite
- Planning and budgeting for sail boat refits
- Buying Our St Francis 50 Catamaran, SV Aphrodite
- Top 10 sexiest refits we’ve made – so far
- Choosing a Catamaran Color Scheme for SV Aphrodite
Laundry and washing machines
- Sailboat Washing Machine: Capacity & Dimensions for a Family
- Washing Machine Retrofit on a Catamaran: The Messy Work
- What Goes Wrong on a Sailboat: When the Watermaker Breaks
- Handwashing Laundry on a Boat: 4 Lessons & The True Cost
Woodwork refit in Malaysia
Anchorages, Storms & Boatyards 228 passages · 38 posts
Bahamas cays and anchorages
- Bahamas Long Reads — Exumas Stories
- Off the Beaten Track Bahamas: Sailing Beyond the Exumas
- George Town Dock Drama
- Jumentos, Bahamas — Leaving Chicken Habour
Storms and heavy weather
- Rough Offshore Sailing: A Rite of Passage in a Gale
- Preparing for a Tropical Storm: 4 Methods Sailors Used
- Long Reads Grenada
- Scary things that can happen at sea
Trinidad boatyard
A Hurricane Season in Luperón 146 passages · 16 posts
Luperón, Dominican Republic
Galápagos & the Pacific 155 passages · 17 posts
Galápagos and the Panama Canal
- Long Reads Galapagos
- Sierra Negra: Hiking in Darwin’s Footsteps on a Galapagos Volcano
- Crossing the Panama Canal: A Different Cruising World
- Jumping into the Water of the Galapagos Was Like the Best Exhibits in the Zoo Had Thrown the Doors Wide Open
Provisioning in the Pacific
Mishaps & Hard Lessons 70 passages · 11 posts
Injuries, fishing and fitness
- Fishing in Bequia: A Boy Learns From a Local Fisherman
- Getting Fit After 50: 30 Pounds Lost and Trigger Finger
- Parasailor Sail: Flying Downwind Until the Sail Blew Out
- Fish Hook Injury at Sea: A Double Hook to the Face
Losing an anchor in Thailand
Health & Medicine Aboard 99 passages · 19 posts
Offshore medical kit
- Offshore Medical Kit List: What We Used After 10 Years
- Malaria Prevention for Sailors: Getting the Right Medication
- How to Avoid Seasickness While Sailing: Ditching Dramamine
- Building an Offshore Medical Kit for a Cruising Family
Allergies and doctors abroad
Street Safety Ashore 25 passages · 2 posts
Mugged in Honiara; Phuket night
Caribbean Culture & People 107 passages · 12 posts
Grenada and Trinidad life
- Long Reads Grenada
- Christmas in Trinidad: A Glorious Night with a Local Family
- COVID Arrives in Grenada
- Halloween in Tavernier: Trick-or-Treat Carnival in the Keys
Haiti, Dominica, Martinique
Cooking Aboard 34 passages · 8 posts
Recipes and cooking aboard
Upholstery & Style 54 passages · 9 posts
Upholstery and sewing
- Brother Lim Cushion: A Fresh Start for our Marine Upholstery
- Ultraleather Boat Upholstery: Our Honest 9-Year Review
- Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1: Our 7-Year-Old Gets Us Started