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 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: haul-outs

Blue tape on a hyalon Zar dinghy flag leaks to prepare for a hypalon dinghy repair in Lunas Shipyard, Langkawi, Malaysia
May 13, 2026August 9, 2026Lorraine Escher

Hypalon Dinghy Repair: Patching Our Tubes in a Boatyard

Karen Escher painting the keel in Langkawi, Malaysia.
April 13, 2026July 23, 2026Lorraine Escher

Keel Art: Whale Sharks and Scrollwork on Our Catamaran

Karen painting the underside of our saloon table at Lunas Shipyard in Langkawi, Malaysia.
January 11, 2026July 21, 2026Lorraine Escher

Boat Interior Painting: Teaching My Teen A Useful Skill

Hands showing how the curvature of our hull impacts the amount of usable counterspace.
November 27, 2025July 21, 2026Lorraine Escher

Measuring a Boat Countertop and Backsplash on a Curved Hull

Eastbay Foreman, Rashid, and another woodworker from Eastbay apply new cherry veneer to a cupboard in our saloon.
October 27, 2025September 17, 2026Lorraine Escher

Boat Woodwork Refit in Malaysia: A Full-On Transformation

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

Miele W1 washing machine on SV Aphrodite, a St Francis catamaran.
May 1, 2021September 20, 2026Lorraine Escher

Sailboat Washing Machine: Miele W1 Dimensions and Capacity

Boatyard project management
October 18, 2019August 6, 2026Lorraine Escher

Boatyard Project Management: Set Expectations Early

January 30, 2018July 30, 2026Lorraine Escher

Leaving a Trinidad Boatyard and Night Sailing to Grenada

December 23, 2017July 31, 2026Lorraine Escher

Boat Spares Inventory: How We Organize Our Spare Parts

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On This Day

  • 9 years ago todayTrinidad Oil Spill: Our Boat in Chaguaramas Harbour

Worth Reading

Managing Food Allergies at Sea
Checklist for the Big Move

From the Archives

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