BVIs with 4 y/o daughter

Any tips from others who bareboated with children in the BVIs? Will be taking my 4 year old daughter with us along with grandmother. Anything from safety or how to keep her busy having fun would be appreciated.

Thanks!

PFD, PFD, PFD. Be sure she is comfortable in it. Be sure she has worn it a lot before your trip. Be sure it meets all coast guard specs for children’s PFDs. No compromise here. She will be able to find plenty to entertain herself on the boat.

I'd wait until she was at least 6.

Don't have children, but my brother and I were sailing from the age of zero (ALL the time)...from the age we can remember we loved it and photos from before that time suggest we always did! So I would emphatically disagree with 706jimbo

We brought our niece when she was 3.5 years old (along with her brothers 8 and 13). She had a great time. She wore her own PFD (most of the time).She loved the pool at Leverick and Scrub, and simply splashing in the shallows at various beaches we visited. Pack plenty of their favorite snack foods.

We put together a picture album of that trip for her, and I think we enjoy reliving that trip the most.

5 years later she returned and snorkeled the Rhone, Indians, Flash of Beauty, etc.

We took our daughters 5 years ago when they were 4 & 7 and they had an amazing time! We brought coloring books, little art projects and small games to fill the time while under sail. They also brought their dolls who had swimsuits and a life jacket just like they did. For the most part the kids spent the time looking for turtles and other animals while we sailed and were never bored. We’ll be there again in 2 days with our now 9 & 12 year olds and our friends who have a 9 & 4 year old. As long as your daughter knows how to swim I say go for it! I love to hear of people traveling with their kids, it’s definitely not the norm where I live.

The older the less work but if they can walk and move around it’s really not much of a hassle, it’s when the can’t walk and have to be held that it becomes a real nuisance for the person carrying them especially in bumpy seas.

PFD was already mentioned - I'd just add to get one that has a tether. We always have our son in his PFD and tethered when underway. He turned 4 in February and has been on a few trips at the age of 6 months to 1.5 years old. At 1.5 he helped us move our boat from St Lucia to the BVI with stops in Isle de Saints in Guadeloupe and St Kitts before ending in the BVI. Since then he's been on the boat back in the NE in Jamestown RI. We always make sure to bring things to keep him busy - toys, puzzle, books.. whatever they like.

Hoping she knows how to swim, but if she doesn't, get her in swim lessons right away. Very important skill to have in general and even more so when on a boat.

We have lots of snacks and things to do in the cockpit before we set off. Everything is readily available.

Duct tape pictures are fun to make. Bring a roll of duct tape and make animals etc! Playdough is another easy fun one to keep kids busy.

Also, at four our daughter would probably have slept when underway! Cozy towel and a grandma to lay on and you are set!

Something else we do is gauge how the kids are doing. We try to plan fairly short sails and/or have a few layover days at islands so they can play hard and then more likely to chill when sailing the next day!

A fun playlist and dance party is always a hit too! Let the kids be the DJ!

We also bring "kid size" sea bands just in case.

There are also fun journals that you can get for that age group....they circle what the weather is like that day and draw pictures of sea life they have seen etc. Highly recommend! Bring stickers etc!

Somethings we did, but we were also living on our own boat.


On a cat, a deck beer cooler works great as a pool. Or a small inflatable pool for the cockpit. Would rig our bosun chair via the clew of the headsail as a swing.

Found the best short people beaches are Pirates, Sidney's and Sandbox. Anegada has a drop right by the shore that an adult wouldn't really notice.

Most restaurants will offer a kids menu. Our daughter would usually sleep through dinner as dinner in BVI is usually too late for kids.

Pools at Leverick ,Scrub and Nanny Cay were big hits. Lilly had several birthday parties at YCCS in North Sound.

Generally there were other kids around for her to play with during happy hours.

The stack pack makes a great spot to nap.

Had adjustable shower curtain rods with fabric to use as a baby gate across her berth.

Thank you for all the comments. It makes me feel (really my wife 😀) more comfortable with taking our daughter along with us!

Rent a water float. Our two year old and 9 year old loved it. The adults also did as we could rest our beverages on it as the kids played.
https://www.bviwatertoys.com/water-floats/

First trip with kids for us was when our daughter was 3y3m. Great comments so far. I'll re-iterate bringing a good, well-fitting PFD that the child likes to wear. Ask for netting for the lifelines.

Also, the two things that made the time go by best for our child:
- Bring a pack of "bathtub crayons"... these are markers designed to make bathtime more fun by letting your kid draw all over the tub and tile. Rinses right off. Encourage them to go to town in the cockpit defacing that half-a-million-buck yacht! Cockpit table and bulkhead were always colorful and interesting on that trip!
- Go ashore to the beach, but bring some of the ship's mixing bowls, pots, spoons, etc. My daughter liked to mix bathes of sand meatballs and some other culinary delicacies.

Have fun!

Sorry, not 3y3m... she was 4y3m.

I'm planning a sailing trip for next July with 12, 11, and 8 yr. old kids. There's enough adults around, I'm not too worried about full pfd's because the kids are older, but they will have snorkel vests, with whistles (cheap from Amazon). I've witnessed both young and old, panic while swimming in deep water from the boat to some of the snorkel spots. I'm thankful my 12 yr. old started swimming lessons very young and could not care less about the water depth.

For the younger kids, I plan to use the dinghy with a rented boarding ladder, so I can ferry them back and forth over the deeper spots. Last thing I want is to have a guest get panicky far from the boat (again).

Finally, In my safety briefing (yep I actually do that with guests) we talk about a MOB situation, using the whistle, and the need to have one person keep their eyes on, and never take their eyes off, the MOB.

Have fun!

We started coming down with a 9 month old which was pretty easy in comparison. Now our 3 year old 5 year old have been down 4 and 5 times. It can be great at times and a challenge at times. Under sail always in PFDs and clipped into jack line in the cockpit. If they venture to the cabin in calm seas then no life jacket. Once moored the are free to roam with constant supervision. They wear swimmies to play around the boat and off the transom. The 5 year likes to jump off the bow. We typically keep sailing to less then 2 hours a day. We always have less sail out then if just adults on board. Have food and activities ready at all times. Plenty of beach time. Paddle board time. Etc. the kids do tend to like the busier beaches to watch and play with other kids.

Started traveling to the BVI with a 2 year old who is now 6 (and been there 5 times, her 6th this November). Pretty much agree with most of the posts, while underway pfd and jack line of some sort, on a ball or at the beach constant supervision. For activities bunch of coloring books, play-doh, swim toys and kids movies (on an iPad for ashore and raspberry pi and thumbdrive to hook to onboard tvs). Must say with all of that (lugging around a bunch of extra stuff), I wouldnt change it for anything, daughter loves the beach and the ocean and we love being able to share something so special with her.

We’re contemplating a bareboat charter next June with 6 adults (all with charter experience ranging from 15+ charters for Captain and Primary Wench (grandparents) down to one for the least experienced adults (parents)), plus 4 children from 2.5 to 6 years. This thread is very instructive for one or two kids, but would the advice be any different for 4 kids?

We’re thinking about a mid-40s cat. We’re especially interested in suggested sleeping arrangements for four cabins. Non-parents have indicated they’d bunk down with one of the children if necessary. Is there any alternative, e.g., bunk beds, main salon. . . ?

Scuba Doo is a lagoon 450 in the TMM fleet. It has air conditioning in the port and starboard pilot berths in addition to the main salon settee which converts to a large bed.

There is s hatch at the front end that joins the forward cabins to the pilot berth.

Fesser
My boat is in TMM fleet with Scuba Doo. With your crew, I do believe Scuba Doo is going to be your very best option. The pilot berths, especially with Scuba Doo's customized AC systems, AND hatch opening into forward cabins, makes these two "cabins" the perfect spots for the 6 and under crowd.
I would emphasize with the pilot berths being utilized, be sure everyone has duffles and not hard(Bulky) luggage as there will be limited storage.

The little ones will enjoy having their own space and does not permanently occupying the salon for naps, etc.

Great family event. Epic Vacation they will remember forever!

I have taken 4+ kids out for many years...we put them in the forward berths and I take the dinette to keep watch...

Nice thing when they are small they fit better. I am on the Moorings side of things but would highly recommend Warrens boat which I have been on as he maintains a great boat...Wes's boat is also really cool with decked out in the orange Tiger motif and we see it every time we go down. with these 2 you know what you are getting and it is a 1st tier presentation. To Wes's point I had the opportunity to reflect with some of the kids who are now college age on looking back and the BVIs have been a highlight of their life to date. The problem I have now is my May college BVI kids trips are now oversubscribed...:)

Incredible opportunity you are offering them...I would add 4 swimming noodles to your list btw...

Scuba Doo do sound doable. Primary Wench (Granny) wants to know about the availability of netting for the lifelines.

I don’t recall seeing netting on lifelines on any charter boat in the BVI. I have heard of people bringing their own nets.

I have seen netting on Moorings boats at Moorings in the past, before Irma.

When we took our 3 year old and 7 year old (and another family 3 yr old and 6 yo), we had no netting. We did take comfortable life jackets (and swim shirts with a "collar") and the kids knew that it was just part of being on the boat/dingy. Off in the salon and a few times in cockpit.

I don't think netting is needed.

Been bringing my daughters since they were a few months old...no issues. Snacks and things for them to do is the key. No need to wait...get them out there!