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Holidays With Childrens

In Follow the Wave by DrSailsLeave a Comment

Enjoy some sailing holidays with children can be a pleasant experience and also a good opportunity to inculcate them our love to the sea and sailing. But a boat is a small space and the sea is a difficult mean for humans that require preparing the experience with special attention specially when we have children onboard. Our first aim is to make them have fun, keeping them a good memory and wishing to repeat the experience. The second, but not least, is maximizing safety because their way of acting and thinking is different than adults.

Safety and fun are compatible

When preparing any sailplan, we must always pay attention to safety: check that the boat is in a good conditions, check that any safety element (lifejackets, harnesses, raft, etc.) isn’t missing, check the weather forecast, study routes and carry spare parts with the right tools without forgetting DrSails adhesives and repair packs. By the way, we must pay special attention to the sizes of the lifejackets!

With the meteo we must be especially cautious. Perhaps sailing upwind with 20 knots of wind is not a big problem for adults, but for children sould be agonic. Therefore, we have to be more flexible, an extra day in harbour, or in anchorages foreseen could mean a happier experience.

Sailing childs

If the children are very young, we should consider the possibility of installing a net along the bow and even in the rest of the boat. The net is very useful to avoid overboard fallings and also to help adults to be less stressed out because of watching over the children. Regarding the first-aid kit, we have to include medicines and specific material for children and also we do not have to forget insect repellent or sunscreen. We have to take into account that a bandage for adults is very large for a wound of a 5 years old child, as well as the quantity of paracetamol or antibiotic of an adult pill.

The adventure of a lifetime

Remember, our mission is to make their holidays on the boat something unforgettable together with us. We can give you many advices, but the first one is to give you a great dose of patience accompanied by psychology. Kids are very smart, and they will quickly detect if adults have fun with them or not, especially if they perceive that they are being looked after. They must feel like protagonists, comfortable and someone is taking care of them constantly.

We do not want them to spend the day watching videos or hooked to electronic devices, so we will have to make them play with the “sailing toys” we have onboard. That will mean something new for them, and therefore enough attractive if we know how to handle the situation.

Teaching them the names of things, the purpose of each rope, practice knots, or also proposing them easy contests and games with small rewards to motivate them could be some interesting activities. An easy example could be: “Come to the bow and help me raise the anchor.” It is easy, safe and will make them feel important watching as the anchor approaches and asking what is seeing. There are many things that children can collaborate with or we can make them believe that they collaborate. “Anyone who helps me wash dishes can come with me to take the garbage to the port in the tender”. exploring-together-in-boat

Adaptation

Having children of different age can be challenging because the games’ rules cannot be the same for all of them, so you have to know how to adapt them, especially if the age difference between them is considerable. An 4 years old child does not have the abilities of another one aged 11. Neither do they resemble their ability to understand, their ability to do things, or their way of having fun. If we have enough space onboard, we can consider inviting a friend of them who can make their holidays more enjoyable.

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A good example of success is meal’s adaptation. From schedules, to thinking about their favourite flavours and food, but also to arouse their curiosity and make their gastronomy goes beyond ketchup and pizzas … or prepare with them a homemade pizza. Being on a boat means breaking the daily routine and that makes it easy to change some habits, but do not take many risks. They should not miss their favourite soft drinks, snacks or trinkets since they like them but it will also make them feel sure. Even though, “Pizza and ice cream in town tonight?” can be much more than a few magic words in certain circumstances.

Their things and sharing ours

Temperature and humidity contrast between day and night have to make us be sure they will have enough clothes. Something as simple as a pillow for them is also important; we all like a proper pillow. Let’s not forget a hat of his size and also sunglasses. Children are more sensitive to the sun than adults … but also to the cold.

They must have things to play and entertain themselves. So notebooks for drawing, puzzles or coloured pencils are some key players to have onboard. But let’s think about new games for them. An easy game of cards, discover chess or backgammon sure may be interesting for them. On the other hand, we have to restrict the use of mobile devices, but a good movie or even reading is also recommended.

If we have done things well, and once the experience is finished, if they come to us and ask us “Is it over already?” o “Will we repeat next year?”… Yes, we have succeeded!

DrSailsHolidays With Childrens

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