Hey all,

We are heading down island on the 30th of December for a week aboard Star Gazer a 2017 Leopard 45 via Captains Compass. This is my 9th charter.

We intend to rent a swim mat for anchorage fun, and hit a few spots with a pool to break things up a bit. (does anyone know the policy at Scrub and Oil Nut for using their facilities?)

Our children are 5, 9 and 11. We sail here at home with the kids and understand safety, etc.... But mostly wondering what you have found to be fun or helpful when chartering with kids. We have a seasoned restaurant ditty bag with distractions, etc.... The kids have their own snorkel gear so it fits right.

Its literally natures playground, so I dont anticipate too many issues; but thought I would ask all the experts.

We are really looking forward to sharing our favorite vacation with the kids for the first time.

So, what tips and tricks can you all share?

Thanks. Keith

"Oi've heard tell there be buried treasure in Sandy Cay..hidden by some nefarious parent before their junior pirates were left ashore to investigate....perchance they had an ol, parched and torn map to help them.."

Avoid Jost Van Dyke 12/30-31.

Scrub - must rent slip to access facilities. Contact them NOW.

Oil Nut - can only access marina area - I do not believe day passes are currently offered for the main resort (they were $$$$ anyway).

When our son was younger, he could have spent an entire day exploring Sandy Cay. We stopped on a day trip and I took a pirate bag.

Leverick is family friendly.

Coco Maya is right on the beach with yard games by the bar.

We had a slip reserved for scrub our last trip in July. They emailed me a day or two before saying they weren't going to be able to accommodate us and we should just take a mooring at Marina cay and come over to enjoy the facilities. We saw a few other people who did the same. Seems like that may be an option if you can't dock.

We also spent 2 nights at Leverick and our son had a great time in the pool. Also had fun at top of the baths in the pool where we had breakfast and enjoyed exploring the baths and swimming. Norman island was also a huge favorite of his, we spent a long time on the beach there. Bubbling pool and Coca Maya were fun too.

It is very cool! We did it in the Galapagos Islands.

It is very cool! We did it in the Galapagos Islands. The uniqueness of the Galapagos Islands is that due to the remoteness from the mainland, there are many species of fauna that live only here, such as the Galapagos sea lion, Galapagos crab, blue-footed booby and others. It is believed that it was a visit to the Galapagos Islands that prompted Darwin to create an evolutionary theory of species. I advise you to visit this incredible place with the help of Avid Travel Club.

Hi Keith, I’m the owner of Stargazer in Captain’s Compass’s fleet. You are going to love your week sailing. One of the great features of the Leopard 45 is the walk through from the galley to the covered “front patio”. No one has to walk along the sides of the boat to get to the front. Very kid friendly. I’ll be down in two weeks and looking forward to checking out the James Young Marina at Fat Hog Bay where Brent has relocated Captain’s Compass. If you have any questions about the marina, I’ll be able to answer them before you go down. A couple stops I’d recommend are: Leverick Bay. They have a swimming pool and I’d recommend taking a cab to the Baths, your kids will love it. There’s also a swimming pool at the restaurant at the Baths. I’m sure your kids would love exploring the Baths. Cooper Island is kid friendly with a nice beach and easy snorkeling from the beach. Snorkeling the caves at Norman is great just depends on how well the older ones snorkel. Some of the mooring balls are right up by the caves for a very short swim. I’ve never been to Scrub so I have no input on Scrub. Anegada does have some great beaches, it’s a great place to spend a couple days. My catamaran is red-lined for White Bay (most accidents happen there more than anyplace in BVI) so if you want to go to White Bay a cab or the dingy (if the water is calm) are your options. I think your kids would love seeing the bubbly pool as well. Thank you for chartering Stargazer. I know you will enjoy everything about the boat. Brent will have her in great shape for your arrival. Frank

AARPSKIER had a terrific post and links regarding sailing with kids way back in 2016.
I bookmarked the page, and fortunately the links to his Dropbox are still active. Bless his pea-picking heart.
Suggest you visit and review:

http://www.traveltalkonline.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/95318/3.html

This is gold. Holy cow. Thank you for posting!

Thanks Frank! Appreciate the suggestions. Very much looking forward to playing on Stargazer. Saw it when I was down there this past January and was happy to find it available when we decided to book for this winter. We have found Brent to be awesome and look forward to checking out Fat Hogs Bay. Seems to have many advantages.