A boating holiday with a family can be the most amazing experience.
It is a real highlight for us as a team to have a family return from a boating holiday bursting with enthusiasm. The parents are so impressed by their children's ability to participate and take interest in the process of sailing, assisting with navigation, looking for markers, reading maps, helping with ropes or reading the compass.
When a family experiences a visit by a pod of dolphins it can be hard to tell who is more excited; the children in awe of the dolphins or the parents in awe of their children's uninhibited joy. Either way, it is a great thrill to witness.
Families talk about their fishing achievements; catching prawns at Barrier Landing for lunch the next day is unique experience kids consider a monumental achievement.
The safety and logistics of having children on board is simple with clear and easy to follow rules:
life jackets on children 10 years and under when up on deck
3 points of contact on the boat at any given time means moving around even when under sail, is safe: 'swing like a monkey'.
for very young or unpredictable small children a tether can be used to keep them in one area (clips onto their life vest)
involving children in the briefing and having them find certain important objects on board can make for a fun and meaningful game.
older children like to have an active role in the boating process, be it responding to calls on the marine radio from our base, to assist to plan a route for the day, or maybe they are head chef in the galley.
Of course the most important part of boating as a family is to have fun.
Whether your idea of fun as a family is jumping off the swimming platform of the boat into the water, or catching dinner with a rod and net, playing board games and drinking hot chocolate after a day of swimming and sailing, watching for shooting stars in the bright night sky, taking night walks and discovering glowing mushrooms, having pods of dolphins putting on a show around your boat, or reading a quiet book together while the sunsets and the ocean thunders in the distance; there is an adventure for your family that is unforgettable and unlike any other.
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