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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Tag: Anchoring and mooring

Our niece, Jorja, from Calgary in front of the Bridge of the Americas, Panama.
September 26, 2025September 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Crossing the Panama Canal: A Different Cruising World

Diver Michael and Lorraine watch the Mantus anchor retrieval from the bow.
September 18, 2025July 19, 2026Lorraine Escher

Saved! Anchor Retrieval: 2 Technical Divers, 1 Lift Bag (Poem)

105-lb Mantus Anchor with anchor chain
September 13, 2025July 19, 2026Lorraine Escher

Losing an Anchor in Thailand: Our Chain Snapped at 65 Feet

Rick Escher, sailor, skipper, husband amazing human
September 5, 2025July 19, 2026Lorraine Escher

Re-galvanizing Anchor Chain in Malaysia: Wrong Chain Back

Fierentino Para Anchor: Stopped sailing image
May 24, 2023July 28, 2026Lorraine Escher

Fiorentino Para Anchor: Our Overnight Stop Before Fiji

Heavy weather sailing: Paul on the deck of SV Aphrodite
May 19, 2023October 8, 2026Lorraine Escher

Heavy Weather Sailing at Night: New Zealand to Fiji

July 25, 2020July 28, 2026Lorraine Escher

Preparing for a Tropical Storm: 4 Methods Sailors Used

October 16, 2017August 2, 2026Lorraine Escher

Trinidad Oil Spill: Our Boat in Chaguaramas Harbour

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

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

November 14, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Heavy Rain Closes School in Luperón, Dominican Republic

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From the Archives

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