Becoming a Sailor

Becoming a Sailor

More Than a Decade Afloat • Raising Sailors • Stories from SV Aphrodite

Menu Skip to content

  • 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
  • Family Dictionary
  • Subscribe
  • Search

Tag: boat projects

Kids on a St Francis 50 catamaran with a Splendide washing machine in the saloon.
November 22, 2018August 4, 2026Lorraine Escher

Catamaran Washing Machine: A Surprising Space Solution

Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 setup by 7-year-old Henry
November 11, 2018July 31, 2026Lorraine Escher

Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1: Our 7-Year-Old Gets Us Started

Ditch bag contents
October 29, 2018September 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Ditch Bag for a Pacific Crossing: Rethinking Life Raft Gear

December 23, 2017July 31, 2026Lorraine Escher

Boat Spares Inventory: How We Organize Our Spare Parts

December 18, 2017September 20, 2026Lorraine Escher

Boat Repairs in Trinidad: Two Months in a Chaguaramas Yard

Paul in Power Boat Boatyard, Chaguaramas, Trinidad with our Mantus Anchor 2017 below SV Aphrodite, our St Francis 50 catamaran.
November 5, 2017July 17, 2026Lorraine Escher

Living with Four Kids in a Trinidad Boatyard

October 16, 2017August 2, 2026Lorraine Escher

Trinidad Oil Spill: Our Boat in Chaguaramas Harbour

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

Finding Crew for a Pacific Crossing: Our Ad Went Wrong

May 30, 2017August 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Mr. Bricolage Martinique: A French Caribbean Home Depot

December 12, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Caframo Sirocco II Fan Review: 17 Fans on Our Catamaran

Posts navigation

← 1 2 3 4 … 7 →

Word of the Hour

Magic Porridge Pot Mom New word in …

Magic Porridge Pot Mom

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
Subscribe

Near misses are matched, here and with the options below: Fuket finds Phuket.

+word
must appear
-word
leaves out posts that contain it
"two words"
finds the exact phrase