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: Safety at sea

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

Rick Escher presenting his submission video on the MedSailingAdvisor application that he wrote as part of the MedGemma Impact Challenge 2026.
February 23, 2026August 11, 2026Lorraine Escher

MedGemma Impact Challenge: Offline Triage App for Sailors

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

Teen independence run amok on the dock in Chuuk, Micronesia as we head to shore to buy diesel.
January 2, 2024August 25, 2026Lorraine Escher

Teen Independence on a Sailboat: A Diesel Run in Micronesia

Paul in a hospital bed in Kavieng, Papua New Guinea, receiving oxygen therapy
December 13, 2023October 12, 2026Lorraine Escher

Shallow Water Blackout: Freediving to 31 Feet in PNG

Picture of a catamaran
December 7, 2023July 24, 2026Lorraine Escher

Bluewater Catamaran: A Detailed St Francis 50 Equipment List

August 23, 2023July 24, 2026Lorraine Escher

Travel Safety in Honiara: Mugged on Skyline Road at Dawn

Malaria prevention for sailors: as arranged at Guardian Pharmacy, Savusavu, Fiji.
June 12, 2023September 13, 2026Lorraine Escher

Malaria Prevention for Sailors: Getting the Right Medication

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From the Archives

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