There are plenty of vacation ideas you can do with your family. For instance, you can go to the beach, travel out of the country, camp out or stay in a luxury hotel. On the other hand, if you’d like to spice up your trip to have a more exciting and fun adventure, you may consider sailing and allow where the ocean would take you and your family.
Sailing with your kids can be fun as you all get to work together manoeuvring the boat even with the strongest winds. But before booking a sailing vacation with Ahoy Club Australia or other sailing trips, you should know that this activity can be tricky and risky. And with that, your top priority should always be safety.
Furthermore, if you are planning a superb sailing vacation with your kids, listed below are some tips worth noting:
1. Check The Weather
When planning for the perfect sailing vacation, checking the weather should be on top of your list. You should not put yourself in a risky situation, no matter how exciting the adventure sounds.
For your and your children’s safety, it is best to check the weather forecast for the next few days and see if it is safe to be cruising in the water. This way, you can guarantee that everyone can stay in the boat comfortably and safely.
2. Establish Rules
Before you head off to the boat with your children, it’s essential to establish some ground rules that they must follow once they’re inside the boat or swimming in the ocean. This can help ensure that everyone is safe and prevent any possible mishaps from happening under your watch.
However, try to make the rules exciting and provide gentle guidance on how they can stay safe during the trip. This way, they won’t focus too much on the don’ts but rather be excited about the dos.
You can begin by telling them the importance of wearing their life jackets. Then you can ease into discussing other essential safety rules, such as that no one should be on the deck alone, keep one hand on the boat and one hand to themselves, keep their hands away from winches, and so on.
3. Wear Life Jackets
As briefly mentioned in the previous point, wearing life jackets is essential. It is a necessity every time you’re on a boat, and there’s no exception for all of your children, even if they know how to swim. This way, you can be at peace knowing that they’re completely safe even with the slightest wave that your boat comes with.
Alternatively, it would also be better if you could encourage your children to learn how to swim before your trip, so they can survive themselves, in case something happens. Moreover, you can also try practising wearing life jackets in the pool. This way, they know how to move well with the life jacket on and will not panic if they get thrown out into the ocean.
4. Prepare Seasick Remedies
If it’s your first time being on the boat with your children, it is recommended to prepare for scenarios wherein your kids might feel seasick. This could happen, especially if they have highly sensitive stomachs and with the constant movement and waves on the boat.
To keep your children comfortable during the entire trip, you should prepare seasick remedies they can use in case they feel sick or queasy. You can pack antihistamines, which are not only great for treating allergies but could also help manage motion sickness. In addition, you can have them wear a skin patch, apply topical oil or ointment on pressure points, or let them stay on the deck to get fresh air rather than sitting inside an enclosed cabin to alleviate seasickness.
5. Include A First Aid Kit
You can never know what could happen while you’re on a boat away from land. Life on the ocean can be unpredictable, and you should prepare for it. To help you be at peace knowing that everyone will be safe during the trip is by preparing a first aid kit.
Ideally, your first aid kit should be able to carry everything you need, from medications for headaches, allergies, seasickness, injuries, scratches, or any emergency that could happen while you’re on a boat.
6. Bring Enough Snacks
Sailing can be tiring, especially for younger kids. To keep them energized and enjoy the sailing trip, consider bringing plenty of snacks or food for them to nibble on from time to time. Your list may include some of the basics such as drinking water, fruits, vegetable sticks, crackers, cereal bars, cookies, chocolates, sweets, homemade chips, and more.
Apart from the snacks, your children can eat during the trip, preparing a whole meal could also make the sailing vacation more enjoyable. You can opt for ocean-appropriate dishes like seafood that could match your seascape adventure.
7. Pack The Right Clothes
There’s nothing more annoying than being on the boat and not wearing a comfy and right set of clothes. For your children to feel cosy and pleasant during the sailing trip, you should pack the appropriate clothes suited for the season. This way, they can fully enjoy the wind, sun, and all the amazing adventures that await.
For instance, if you’re sailing during the warmer seasons, you should bring plenty of cool, light clothing, ideally with cotton material. You can also toss in some sunhat, flip-flops, sunglasses, and sunblock. With this, they can be comfy during the entire trip and allow themselves to have loads of fun and create memories they’ll cherish as they grow up.
Wrapping Up
Taking your kids on a sailing vacation can be fun, as this can be a new outdoor experience for them to explore and enjoy. While exciting, it can also be tricky since you’ll need to balance adventure and safety.
But with the proper planning and preparations, you can ensure that everyone aboard can have a safe and enjoyable trip, making it the best vacation your family has ever had. And keeping in mind the tips discussed in this post can be a good start.
