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: Sailing with kids

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

Betty in Malaysia. The text says Queen's Housing Lottery: How Betty Chose a University Residence
July 7, 2026October 15, 2026Lorraine Escher

The Queen’s Housing Lottery: Choosing a Uni Residence

Job Jar for Kids: Boat Jobs For Kids with Karen dusting our Nav desk in the background on SV Aphrodite
June 12, 2026July 25, 2026Lorraine Escher

Job Jar for Kids: How Real Boat Chores Build Grit

A graphical representation of Paul's trip across the Pacific from Bahamas to French Polynesia
June 8, 2026July 20, 2026Lorraine Escher

Pacific Puddle Jump at 18: Our Boat Kid Crews a Catana 50

Betty after accepting her university offer in Canada after years of homeschooling on a sailboat.
April 22, 2026September 23, 2026Lorraine Escher

Homeschooled on a Sailboat, Betty Got Into University

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

Keel Art: Whale Sharks and Scrollwork on Our Catamaran

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

A side-by-side image of the Taipei 101 climbed by Alex Honnold in January 2026 and a land diving event on Pentecost Island, Vanuatu.
January 26, 2026July 27, 2026Lorraine Escher

Land Diving on Pentecost Island: Ritual, Tourists, Ethics

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

Photo of Escher kids on SV Aphrodite on the Ultraleather saloon cushions after slightly less than two years of use.
November 23, 2025July 22, 2026Lorraine Escher

Ultraleather Boat Upholstery: Our Honest 9-Year Review

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On This Day

  • 1 year ago todayBoat Woodwork Refit in Malaysia: A Full-On Transformation

Worth Reading

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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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