Bare Boat Chartering with a Baby

We’ve been bare boat chartering for a number of years and we weren’t about to give it up just because we had a baby. When we told our friends we were doing a charter for two weeks in the Grenadines, many of them asked if our seven month old boy, Finn, was staying with his Grandparents. "Oh no," we said with confidence "he’s coming with us. He’ll be have a grand time." It was a bold statement for a couple of first time parents who’d barely flown with a kid, much less taken one on a major trip to the tropics. But, you know what, we were absolutely right! Finn loved sailing, swimming in his float ring, traipsing around the islands, playing with his aunts, and sitting on the beach. He had as wonderful a time as we did.

When it comes to taking a trip with a baby it’s pretty tough to compete with a visit to grandmas. But if you have ambitions for a vacation much beyond that, it turns out bare boat chartering a catamaran is a close second. Chartering a cat has lots of advantages over road trips to Disney Land, car camping, or jetting about. For starters you take your accommodations with you wherever you go, so you’re not constantly packing up and moving all the kid parafinalia. Next, a catamaran is so stable that you don’t have to worry about your kid getting tossed about or gear getting tossed onto the kid. Last, a cat has lots of room for you to set up special places for your child to play safely and securely.

Our little boy turned seven months old while we were on our cruise and I wouldn’t have wanted him much older. He was able to sit up and entertain himself, but he couldn’t crawl yet. Under the basic premise that a highly mobile child is more likely to get into trouble on a boat, I’d say the perfect age range for a charter with a baby is five to nine months. At that age they are still easy to contain, but they can wear sunscreen and are old enough to give you a sense of their needs and rhythms. If you are going to embark on the dual adventure of chartering and traveling with a baby, here are some tips to make it more enjoyable.

The stability of a catamaran makes a multihull a must!
Bring lots of toys and games.
Bring plenty of food your child likes. If your kid can’t live without it, then you probably can’t get it in the tropics.
You’ll need baby sunscreen, sunglasses with a gator, hats, sun-shirts, the works. The last thing you need is a sunburnt baby.
If your child is old enough, do the water babies class before you go and bring a little floating ring for him to swim in.
Bring a good supply of diapers. You may find it very difficult to find small sized disposable diapers.
Bring baby Tylenol, or any other medication you might need.
Set up a little play area just for your child in the main salon, so you can keep your eye on him while your in the cockpit, but he is out of the way of any sailing action.
Crew quarters work great as a "nursery " or kids room.