The Source for Yacht Charter Around the World

FAMILY SAILING VACATION

  • Wonderful experience for families
  • Plan details well in advance
  • Safety on the boat and the use of life jackets
  • Sailing with babies is easier than one may believe
  • Provisioning essentials
   

A family sailing vacation is a wonderful experience for children. For it to be equally wonderful for the parents, it does help to plan ahead. I have sailed with my family throughout New England and the Caribbean from the time they were infants. Here are some suggestions that I have found useful when sailing.

Remember to preorder children’s meals on scheduled flights to the Caribbean or any destination. For the return journey take a selection of snacks and drinks with you to the airport in case of delays. Facilities at some the smaller Caribbean airports are limited and can be expensive. I have always carried a small soft cooler in my carry on luggage.

Whether on a boat or on a plane, a portable DVD player is a great way to keep small children entertained. Coloring books and crayons are ideal to encourage creativity. My children loved to keep colorful logs and drawings of what they saw.

With the release of the “Pirates of the Caribbean II”, in July 2006, a yacht charter may be the ultimate vacation for teenagers. To have first hand access to movie locations, one must travel by yacht. Certainly, the enormous popularity of this film will bring attention once again to the adventure inherent to sailing.

Life jackets for emergency use should be provided on all yacht charters. There are no laws over seas in regards to who must wear them, so as a parent the decision is yours. Many states in the US have laws that children under 12 years of age are required to wear one. Check your charter boat for life jackets small enough for kids before leaving the dock. For anyone under the age of seven, we recommend taking their own life jacket that fits and that he/she likes wearing. Consider using a harness and tether to keep young children safe. One side of the tether line is attached to the life jacket and the other end to something stable on the boat. You can also request safety netting on your charter boat. Some companies will put it on for a small fee. While underway, a young child will have the ability to move rather freely around the boat. With children under the age of two, we placed them in their car seat, and strapped them in during anchoring or docking. This way they are safe and secure, while you have your mind and hands dealing with the boat. Believe me when I say, each of my kids would scream at this point! I learned to block it out and keep safety my priority. My pre-teen sailors, even now continue to wear life jackets on deck, while underway, and in the dinghy. Most especially they are worn at night!

Living on board with children can be challenging. They need constant entertainment. Small babies love sitting in a bucket of water in the cockpit to splash around and get cool. The deck shower on the transom is also great fun. Watch water tank levels!

The motion of a yacht is quite hypnotic, so kids are often drowsy while underway. I used a cotton beach wrap to drape over a sleeping child or an umbrella to give complete sun protection in the cockpit. Unfortunately, relaxing at an idyllic anchorage is boring for children. However, swimming with the fishes, going ashore in the dinghy and beach picnics are all great adventures. For swimming, especially snorkeling, a swim tee shirt or “rash guard” is useful. Kids can stay in the water for hours, especially in the Caribbean, without the pain of sunburn. (Speedo make a 100% UVF protection t-shirts that are lightweight and dry quickly).

Older kids and teens enjoy the private spaces they are given, with an ipod, their favorite music and great books. Books on tape also allow some relaxing private time. Give kids sailing tasks to keep their interest – steering towards a point on the horizon, or a compass setting, spotting buoys, tending the dinghy, even recording the ship’s log. Have a knot book around so that they can practice.


Baby wipes and anti-bacterial liquid soap are very useful in the heat. Mosquito spray for ankles is needed going ashore, especially at sundown, and antihistamine cream is useful for bites.

When planning a passage, keep sailing time to several hours with breaks in between. We try to stop for lunchtime swimming and continue in the afternoon allowing passages of about 2-3 hours sailing time.

Provisioning can be difficult for picky eaters, especially if you are traveling out of your own country. Plan provisioning in advance with the charter company. I tried to get rid of boxes that contained the name brand of the product. My family thought cheerios was the only O’s cereal. Once the box was gone, they had no idea it was a different brand. Fresh milk can be expensive in the islands. I purchased one gallon and the rest was long shelf life milk, Parmalot. When the gallon was gone I poured the boxed milk in and no one really knew the difference. I did have on hand chocolate syrup to add to the milk in case there was a problem. Sailing is hungry work! Have plenty of healthy snacks on board. Trail mix, microwave popcorn, cheeses and fruit, and of course plenty of chilled water.


The information provided in Sailing-Advisor.com is based on the opinion of the writers and is presented in good faith. All information is subject to change.

Don’t forget, this type of vacation will allow you to explore new destinations every day with the luxury of not having to pack and unpack for an entire family!

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