15 replies to this topic

[2slow]

The title pretty much says it all. My whole family is going down to the BVIs in the spring. 12 of us on a Lagoon 500, 10 days. Half kids, half adults. The only ones that have done this are me, wife, mother and my two boys. The rest are sailing newbies but all are water people, non-complainers and can cook.

The logistics seem daunting, not quite what Ike had to plan out for D-Day but my staff is smaller. Any suggestions or recommendations from someone who has done this?

[Paps]

Why?

[Balder]

Not ever a charter but I have handled logistics for up to 30 ppl for 10 days with some kind of resupply available at least max 5 dAys. And for 8 up to 20 days with NO resupply of any kind beyond a water maker. More to follow. I'm on my iPhone. It is not the nightmare you may think.

[Presuming Ed]

I've done a week on a 72' ketch with 9 guests and 4 crew. Pro crew simplifies things in one way in that you know the skipper is in charge of the boat. Without that, things work much better if it's made clear that you're in charge, which means occasioninally telling people what to do. Flipside is enough democracy to make sure that everybody buys into the plan, and you don't have a boatfull of people who feel they're on a trip lead by Captain Bligh's evil brother.

Other thing to remember is the stuff you know, but others might not - soft cases, not hard suitcases. 2 towels each - one for salt, one for fresh. Briefings on showers/heads etc.

[Dale dug a hole]

The title pretty much says it all. My whole family is going down to the BVIs in the spring. 12 of us on a Lagoon 500, 10 days. Half kids, half adults. The only ones that have done this are me, wife, mother and my two boys. The rest are sailing newbies but all are water people, non-complainers and can cook.

The logistics seem daunting, not quite what Ike had to plan out for D-Day but my staff is smaller. Any suggestions or recommendations from someone who has done this?

As long as you have enough grog and can recharge the kids Iphones/ps2 etc. not a problem

[robalex117]

Did it a few years ago with 11 in our group and 4 BVI friends around a lot on a voyager 50'.

Get more rum than you think.
Check sun block often on the kids. Also use new sunblock. We had a bad tube that did not end well.
Sunglasses for all including a good hat.
Eating out takes a long time. Although for that many people on a boat it is a pain to cook dinner it is worth the effort.
We brought a cooler of frozen meat down. Make sure the boat has a BBQ
Get some SUP boards. Great fun. Contact http://www.go-hiho.c...ction=surf.main for more info.
Keep a good handle on fresh water. Be mellow about everything but a task master on that.
Only duffel bags, nothing hard for the clothes.
Make sure all of the kids that can read bring a real book. Adults also. Once they get into it, it will keep them going on the down times.
Don't forget the "i" devices. They will help.
Bring one of the male to male plugs to get your iPod into the stereo. Most of the boats have stereo's that take the input but the cables are not there.
Did I mention a lot of rum.

[Soñadora]

Did it a few years ago with 11 in our group and 4 BVI friends around a lot on a voyager 50'.

Get more rum than you think.
Check sun block often on the kids. Also use new sunblock. We had a bad tube that did not end well.
Sunglasses for all including a good hat.
Eating out takes a long time. Although for that many people on a boat it is a pain to cook dinner it is worth the effort.
We brought a cooler of frozen meat down. Make sure the boat has a BBQ
Get some SUP boards. Great fun. Contact http://www.go-hiho.c...ction=surf.main for more info.
Keep a good handle on fresh water. Be mellow about everything but a task master on that.
Only duffel bags, nothing hard for the clothes.
Make sure all of the kids that can read bring a real book. Adults also. Once they get into it, it will keep them going on the down times.
Don't forget the "i" devices. They will help.
Bring one of the male to male plugs to get your iPod into the stereo. Most of the boats have stereo's that take the input but the cables are not there.
Did I mention a lot of rum.

nice response!

[Dale dug a hole]

Did it a few years ago with 11 in our group and 4 BVI friends around a lot on a voyager 50'.

Get more rum than you think.
Check sun block often on the kids. Also use new sunblock. We had a bad tube that did not end well.
Sunglasses for all including a good hat.
Eating out takes a long time. Although for that many people on a boat it is a pain to cook dinner it is worth the effort.
We brought a cooler of frozen meat down. Make sure the boat has a BBQ
Get some SUP boards. Great fun. Contact http://www.go-hiho.c...ction=surf.main for more info.
Keep a good handle on fresh water. Be mellow about everything but a task master on that.
Only duffel bags, nothing hard for the clothes.
Make sure all of the kids that can read bring a real book. Adults also. Once they get into it, it will keep them going on the down times.
Don't forget the "i" devices. They will help.
Bring one of the male to male plugs to get your iPod into the stereo. Most of the boats have stereo's that take the input but the cables are not there.
Did I mention a lot of rum.

nice response!

And thats better than mine?
Lots of Grog and keep kids entertained?

[Mark Morwood]

You've got good suggestions so far. Having done this with friends before I would recommend a couple of things:

- you should do a safety/water/head briefing for everyone yourself even if the charter company does it - establishes a clear "captain" for those essentials
- to make sure it stays relaxed and everyone feels like it is their vacation - make an effort to do a quick adults meeting each evening to rough out the next day. Everyone participates in the decision, but then in my experience, you as the sailing guy will end up making it happen
- do a little briefing in the morning of the plan for the day so everyone (including kids) knows the plan
- don't try to go to many places - leave lots of time for the kids (and adults) to relax and play
- stay relaxed - as long as everyone sort of knows what the plan is everyone will be much happier - it is not about you being boss, but about everyone knowing what to expect and there being a rough plan that they understand each day

Mark.

[2slow]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I am adding many of them to my epic email I will be sending to everyone so they know what to expect and what to bring.

Love the idea about stand up paddle boards. We have one two man kayak already but a SUP would be great. Was even thinking about renting an extra dingy. I hate to have to tow one but it will add to the amount of freedom and exploration everyone can do. Maybe the boat will not shrink quite as fast if there is another escape pod.

I am also doing the cooler full of meat thing, we will be doing most of our eating on board.

Basically, this crew has rented a beach house together for decades and I talked them into to doing the BVI's instead of South Carolina. I chose a Lagoon 50 because as far as I know it is the biggest boat I can charter bareboat. Have done the Lagoon 44 before and really loved the space and all the different outdoor sitting areas. People can spread out.



edit; Mark thanks for the great ideas about keeping everybody involved with decisions and next days planning.

[SailRacer]

I am ready yesterday.

When do we leave?

[Balder]

The cook doesn't do dishes. The cook should usually eat last (just a boat rule I learned young, not everybody does it) and the skipper FIRST! If you complain about the cooking YOU are the new cook! Stay out of my galley when I am preparing the meal!!

Serve snacks ahead of dinner because it will always take longer than you think.

Plan some easy meals for when you are sailing or if there is some rough weather. Like sandwiches and fruit, snacks. At least you will have a stable platform for the most part.

If you can do any cooking ahead of time and freeze these recipes work well that way, and keeps the refer cold while they thaw out.

If you have freezer these keep as long as you'll like on your trip. Just reheat in oven when thawed! Preheat the oven well, and boat ovens usually take much longer, so plan ahead. Most could be reheated on BBQ or fry pan too

Short ribs with BBQ, Asian, or Honey Mustard sauce
Roast chicken, roast whole in oven then cut in 1/2 and freeze
Meatloaf
Meat balls

Don't forget you can freeze milk - sorry, I notice a lot of ppl don't know this

Make up to a day ahead, refrig but dont freeze;
eggs, potatoes, cooked bacon, cheese, onion layered in a pan and refrig the night before bake for a looong time usually.

Do you need ideas for estimating serving size / groceries?

[Joli]

A 50 foot cat should not be a hardship for 12, that will be a good platform for what you want to do. Groceries can be had in Roadtown, to bad they don't have a KMart like Charlotte Amalie. As other said, buy rum, it's good neat but certainly buy mix too. Beer is expensive but damn tasty on a hot sail. Food wise, I would try for one hot meal and the rest easy stuff like cereal, soup and sandwichesand and lot's of snacks. Kids are non-stop eaters.

Snorkel gear is a must, a second dinghy with 12 is probably a good idea. Heading out, Norman the first night, then work your way east (motor in the case of a cat) to maybe Trellis or Marina Cay, then into Leverick after you've spent the day at the Baths (leave early to get a spot at the Baths) and north swells can be problematic at the Baths. That is the end of your easting so the rest is easy. Are you going to Anagada? If so remember to stay west of Necker.

Have fun, I'm jealous!

[rattus32]

Did it a few years ago with 11 in our group and 4 BVI friends around a lot on a voyager 50'.

Get more rum than you think.
Check sun block often on the kids. Also use new sunblock. We had a bad tube that did not end well.
Sunglasses for all including a good hat.
Eating out takes a long time. Although for that many people on a boat it is a pain to cook dinner it is worth the effort.
We brought a cooler of frozen meat down. Make sure the boat has a BBQ
Get some SUP boards. Great fun. Contact http://www.go-hiho.c...ction=surf.main for more info.
Keep a good handle on fresh water. Be mellow about everything but a task master on that.
Only duffel bags, nothing hard for the clothes.
Make sure all of the kids that can read bring a real book. Adults also. Once they get into it, it will keep them going on the down times.
Don't forget the "i" devices. They will help.
Bring one of the male to male plugs to get your iPod into the stereo. Most of the boats have stereo's that take the input but the cables are not there.
Did I mention a lot of rum.

Great suggestions - we learned the same the hard way - especially the male-male plug and the rum, which may be needed because you brought the male-male cable for the kids' tunes!

One other one that worked well for us when you have younger kids (<13 or so) - bring one of those large inflatable "islands" (find 'em on Ebay or at Defender, I think ours was $20 for a 10-foot dia.) and tie to boat with a 50' line. Kids will wear themselves out fast playing King of the Mountain. Oh, yeah, a volleyball and a piece of line strung between a few trees will wear everyone else out too.

It's gonna be hard keeping up with the refreshment demands...

Bring a large-screen laptop and a DVD of Captain Ron.

[stranded]

put the kids in charge

steer, sail, navigate, anchor, dinghy, what do we do today decisions .... daytime " watch " regime ?

keep them busy

get them to do a roster for all tasks, as above, also for cooking / washing, cleanup ( with an adult buddy so they can perceive " fairness " )

they will soon sort themselves out as to various task preferences

keep them away from the rum ..................

[Dale dug a hole]

You've got good suggestions so far. Having done this with friends before I would recommend a couple of things:

- you should do a safety/water/head briefing for everyone yourself even if the charter company does it - establishes a clear "captain" for those essentials

Mark.

No strings or wings