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: Creative writing

First Person essay “Everybody should have a family dictionary” by Lorraine Escher
October 8, 2026October 9, 2026Lorraine Escher

Our Family Dictionary Essay in The Globe and Mail

The cover page of SV Aphrodite's Family Dictionary
July 4, 2026July 21, 2026Lorraine Escher

Our Sailing Familect: 1 Unique Word Drops Every Hour

A man in a yellow shirt at Brother Lim Cushion in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
November 24, 2025July 21, 2026Lorraine Escher

Brother Lim Cushion: Marine Upholstery in Kuala Lumpur

Karen Escher, boat kid and young artist, works on illustrations for the Princess and the P's Boardgame.
October 9, 2025July 23, 2026Lorraine Escher

Card Game Illustration: A Boat Kid’s First Job at 10

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)

Lorraine Escher on a flight to Kuala Lumpur for trigger release surgery
August 28, 2025July 22, 2026Lorraine Escher

Getting Fit After 50: 30 Pounds Lost and Trigger Finger

Fedex picking up our three boxes in our friend Carl's apartment in Miami.
August 27, 2025July 22, 2026Lorraine Escher

FedEx Shipping to Malaysia: Yacht in Transit Customs Tips

Alfred toasting edited
August 8, 2024July 23, 2026Lorraine Escher

Alfred Escher remembered

Shows weevil larvae in pasta
January 13, 2024July 23, 2026Lorraine Escher

Weeviling: managing weevils on a sailboat in Micronesia

Karen and Henry inspect the octopus
January 5, 2024July 24, 2026Lorraine Escher

Lagoon to Table: Subsistence Fishing in Micronesia

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On This Day

  • 1 year ago todayGrade 6 Essay Sample: Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat

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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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