TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Upcoming Charter - Advice for Kids

I have TMM's new Lagoon 460 "Artemis" chartered for the first 10 days of August. Though I have been to the BVI several times pose-Irma doing deliveries on friend's catamaran, this will be my first charter since 2017 (pre-Irma). Another difference this time is that it will be our first charter with children. Between the two couples on board we have four children, ages 6, 9, 11, 14. I think I'm pretty squared away with the tentative itinerary w.r.t. entertainment (BVI style) for the children, but I would love to hear some great/unusual "must-do" activities for kids. Conversely, I would love to hear the bad/ugly "avoid-at-cost" recent experiences. Keep in mind that I'm not new the BVI - this is my sixth charter and 9th time there. Thanks in advance and hope to see some of you there!

Well definitely not recent BUT is funny because our first trip with the kids they were 6, 9 and 10, I should poll Zach and Haley and ask them what they remember the most!!

As the parent, I remember the hike to the top of Norman Island was pretty cool to look for "buried treasure" and search for pirate look out spots over the Drake ...I have no clue if they were as impressed, but I enjoyed it... hahaha.

Anywhere that there was a pool was a hit. The Baths and hike was cool for them. Haley got hair braids in CGB by Marcia who is still there! Wiily T was cool for them (you know the drill there lol, daytime of course)

Snorkeling was probably the highlight, we got lucky and anchored in some nice spots that they could snorkel a ton right off the boat and they had a fish identifier chart.

This was 20 years ago so these were the days before devices, Facebook and I had my first digital camera LOL I didn't even know any TTOLers yet! so each kid had a little kid "ships log" if they wanted to write in they could, they also each had a cheap disposable camera (you could probably get them a cheap digital these days).

It was honestly so unstructured though and I think we found the kids just went with the flow either on land or boat. I cant think of any must do things but I think a treasure map hunt or scavenger hunt would be memorable. It could be a bit of a pain to organize but it would be so fun for them!

We just got back a couple of weeks ago and took our nine year old for the first time. This was our seventh time, but first time with our daughter. It's definitely a different experience and you have to mentally prepare yourself for that. Fortunately, you have multiple kids on board which will allow them to entertain each other a bit. We did some things right, and some things wrong and learned from them. Luckily, TMM provides a wifi router which will let your kids have some limited screen time and that helps break things up. We found ourselves rushing to provide our daughter with every experience possible instead of slowing things down and letting her enjoy things. Long sails can lead to boredom especially this time of year when it is hot and the wind is lighter. Be sure to bring some cards or games with you. Uno was popular with our family in the evenings. Take some time to just play in the water, jumping off the boat, snorkeling, etc. You may want to bring some inflatable rafts, etc for them. We took a taxi from Leverick to the Baths and she loved exploring there as well. Anegada wasn't a crowd pleaser for her because the sail both ways was longer, with light wind and hot. We could have better used the time to spend more time snorkeling somewhere else. We took a mid-week break at Scrub Island and she loved being able to go in the pool. She also liked snorkeling there as well. Looking for turtles in each harbor was popular, as was exploring Sandy Spit. She loved learning to drive the dinghy and that became her role in each harbor (with my close supervision and docking). Make sure if you are ashore that there are virgin daiquiris to keep them cool and entertained while you enjoy an adult beverage. We did not let her jump off of the Willy T, but we did moor close to the cliffs on the east side of Norman so that we could just jump off of the boat and snorkel along the rocky shoreline and check out the coral and fish along the edge. She loved that.

In summary, remember to slow down and enjoy it through their eyes. Set reasonable expectations for everyone (activity as well as relaxation time) and make sure that you make time for yourself to enjoy things as well. I hope that helps. Happy to answer any questions you may have.

Something fun for the older kids is to give them a paper chart and have them plot where you go and if they're into it plot the next day's compass course for a leg or 2 and then they can steer and see how close they came. They can also write down what they did, etc at each stop.

Rent a Sunchill for $125 for the week from here. Best thing we had on the boat with kids. They deliver it to you boat and pick it up after your charter.
https://bviwatertoys.com/
If you haven't done geocaching before, check it out. There are little treasures hidden on most every island. Go to geocaching.com or download the app.
Rent the truck with the seats in the back from Leverick and drive to the Baths. Kids will love the views and scenic overlooks, and also go to the Copper Mine on your way.
Also, definitely moor up and Snorkel the Kodiak Queen with them. They will LOVE it! They can essentially jump in the water and it is right below them.

https://1beyondthereef.com/kodiak-queen

Also, if you go to Anegada, definitely do Kelly's boat tour. He will take you to the conch island, snorkeling, lobstering, catch some conch and make ceviche right there, and see the flamingos up close.
https://m.facebook.com/AnegadaTours

After dark “flashlight tv”. Have the kids shine flaslhlights in the water when it is dark to watch the fish. First the little fish show up, then the bigger…..you get the idea. And trust me, no one will want to go in the water after dark!

Thanks all for the feedback!

Haley said pools for sure and Saildoggie used to take them to Scrub with the waterslide so that was the bomb of all pools!
Thought of another fun memory. We have a running joke/saying now started by Candace, I always heard her say it while we were at CRC just tuned out chatting and watching pelicans dive over and over ..."what's on Tortola Channel 1 today?" ....pelicans, turtles, the same ferry entering and leaving a harbor....whatever ....and the more mindless and repetitive the better LOL but a great way to take a minute and reset everyone's brain!

Things our son enjoyed over the years -

hike around Sandy Cay. take pirate gear for the young and young at heart

Spring Bay VG to jump off the rocks

Willy T I was a sissy, thankfully he had a young at heart uncle to jump with.

Tarpoon at Saba

spot light in the water at night as previously mentioned.

There have been some great suggestions in this thread, I'll just add a few from our experience. We started taking our girls in 2016 when they were 9 and 12, and it has been beautiful to watch their growth over the years in terms of how they can handle the boat, dinghy, etc. - so I hope you keep taking them!

With this said, my wife cried twice on the first trip (never good, right guys) because we failed to help the kids understand how they should help - so the adults can also enjoy the trip. We were doing too much for them so they would enjoy the experience, but we were putting too much on ourselves. Overall, we have learned that the responsibilities on the boat need to be a team effort (cooking, cleaning up after meals, cleaning the boat, getting lines and fenders ready, etc.).

I learned on our first few trips not to push too hard in the early days of the trip. Of course, your kids may be different, but one of mine needs a few days to get her sea legs. Therefore, we try to have extended mooring/anchoring time in a beautiful spot on the first few days. As mentioned, a highlight for the kids is jumping off the boat - take a skip ball, football, or something like this for them to throw and catch while jumping off to add some fun.

Our girls also aren't huge Anegada fans, but as they have aged, they appreciate the food at Wonky so much that they want to go. We like it, and since our trips are also for longer than a week, we go. With 10 days, you have the time, but taking the tour (mentioned above) may help the kids experience. We haven't done this, so I can't provide feedback.

Our girls do jump off Willy T, and they love it. Although, they have seen nudity in the afternoon a few times. We have used it as a teaching moment. We also enjoy finding good spots to jump off the rocks around the Baths. I use the dinghy to get them in position, but you obviously have to be careful.

Snorkeling is a primary activity, but I have learned to put them in calmer spots since one of my girls panics some if the water is rougher. It doesn't bother me, so I had to learn to consider the fear the kids may have.

Last, we get a ski rope and pull the kids behind the dinghy on the paddleboard. The type of paddleboard will impact their maneuverability in and out of the wake, but the team at BVI SUP CO has been great over the years helping me pick a board that fits all needs. This year, my daughter brought a ring float and sat in the ring on the board while dinghy skiing. It was a new twist and they had a blast.

Overall, the years of memories are so worth the few challenging times you have while learning to do the boat with kids. It has become a special family vacation for us, and I hope you experience the same! Best of luck!

another post about the North Sound reminded me they have a pool and docking here:
https://www.blunderbaymarina.com/
We didn't make it there last trip (and after staying the night at the new BYEC I wish we would have as it was nothing spectacular) but we heard good things about the marina, docks, restaurant and people.

Keep in mind that Blunder will get the entirety of the NS fetch. If it is blowing it can be a bumpy night on the docks. (Same with Leverick).

AARPSKIER wrote a great manual for sailing for kids years ago. Search here on TTOL and find the threads, or click the link below.
I’ve kept a link with the hope I can use with my grandkids someday

Here’s the link to the Dropbox with word and pdf versions. Still active
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5t4ouuqxfsk6tw4/AACcWHvT51EQ9o-1MbS75mfHa

Sailkids