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: boat projects

December 7, 2016August 2, 2026Lorraine Escher

Mona Passage Mutiny: Sailing with a Seasick NYC Cop

Paul with a toilet motor he installed in 2016 at the age of 8.
September 18, 2016August 5, 2026Lorraine Escher

Boat Chores for Kids: Fixing Marine Toilets at 8 and 10

August 25, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Fixing a Seized Helm in Puerto Plata: Leo’s Steering Saga

Building a Mooring: Luperon Long Reads Building a Hurricane Moorring with input an design review by Bruce Van Sant
August 3, 2016September 26, 2026Lorraine Escher

Luperón Long Reads — Designing and Building a Mooring for Our 50-foot Catamaran

April 9, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Docking Drama in George Town, Bahamas: No Steering, Wind

March 25, 2016July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

George Town, Bahamas: Summer Camp for Cruisers

Our son Paul jumping into the sea in the Bahamas with the safety of our DIY swim enclosure.
February 28, 2016August 14, 2026Lorraine Escher

Cruising Life With Kids: Busy Days Anchored in the Bahamas

The hoist, being careful not to drop a battery into the water.
January 15, 2016September 1, 2026Lorraine Escher

Our Victron Boat Batteries: From Install to Thermal Runaway

AGM boat battery testing
January 12, 2016September 1, 2026Lorraine Escher

Boat Battery Testing: Why Load Tests Missed Bad Batteries

Picture taken today from the top of our 60+ foot mast
October 11, 2015July 3, 2026Lorraine Escher

Technical Writer Turned Cruiser: Our First Weeks Aboard

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Magic Porridge Pot Mom New word in …

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On This Day

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Checklist for the Big Move

From the Archives

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