Bvi sailing Vacation With Kids

There is always something extra about shared house time. A few years ago, my husband and I decided to take our niece (then 8) and nephew (then 10) on a seven day pilotage vacation to the British Virgin Islands. Living in Florida, we wanted to supply them with an feel other than Disney. Although I was excited to share a pilotage vacation feel with them, I had three main concerns.

First, would they be bored without their television, GameBoys and Playstations? Second, would the general sibling spats escalate being in a relatively confined space 24/7? And finally, how would they cope different foods when they primarily subsisted on pizza and buttered noodles? I did not need to worry.

Breakfast Pizza

Melody at ViSailing made the arrangements through the Moorings to hire a 47' Catamaran for our pilotage vacation. The squeals of pleasure from Tori and Kacey when we met them at the Redhook, St. Thomas ferry dock, with our dingy, were fast surpassed by the exclamation, "Sweet!" as we pulled up alongside the anchored Cat. This was the first time they had ever been on a catamaran. After a quick tour of the boat and a head lesson, we all retired early so that we could begin our Bvi pilotage vacation first thing in the morning.

When I went to check on the kids, Tori inquired, "How can you sleep on this thing?" But, I assured Tori that the diplomatic rocking of the Cat would soon have both children soundly snoring. We cleared the kids through customs in West End, Tortola, and then began island hopping through the Bvi.

"I'm bored" was naturally not a factor on this trip and my first concern was a non-issue. Prior to leaving on our pilotage vacation, I made journals for Tori and Kacey filled with maps and photos of the Bvi.

Each morning we would discuss assorted topics along with the history of the Bvi, the culture, music and language. The kids had an chance to write down their thoughts and the journals later proved to be overwhelming keepsakes for Show and Tell.

The kids loved exploring pirate caves on Norman Island, jumping off the Willie T at the Bight, and snorkeling for hours nearby the Indians.

They enjoyed the "main drag" on Jost Van Dyke. They decorated and hung a pair of underwear at Foxy's; Tori had her hair braided and beaded at the charm shop; Kacey was introduced to Ting ( a carbonated grapefruit drink) at Abe's By The Sea; and played with Annie's new puppy.

Both kids became fast friends with Anna's children and are still pen pals. The crossing to Marina Cay was busy by studying to man the helm, plotting a procedure on a chart, and playing hide and seek on the Cat.

The Baths on Virgin Gorda was one of their popular spots. Climbing through, up and nearby the boulders without adult supervision was a highlight of their pilotage vacation.

I thought Tori and Kacey might appreciate the Bitter End, mainly because I figured they would need a fix at the outdoor big screen television. To the contrary, they wanted to leave because the resort was, "too fancy" and "not islandy enough." (I think that meant they had to wear shoes and shorts to go into eat, rather than be in swimsuits and barefoot!)

They delighted in playing in the sand at the Beach Club of Cooper Island, chasing goats on Peter Island and swimming with the sea turtles in Great Harbour.

Days were spent snorkeling, swimming, jumping on the trampoline of the Cat, cannon-balling off the aft, telling pirate stories and production up pirate names for each of us. Playing boule and singing with the donkey at Dick's Last Resort, searching for iguanas, and exploring assorted coves while studying to steer a dingy were also a great hit.

They learned how to raise a sail and participated in the daily chores of living aboard. Both kids were in case,granted with disposable water cameras and Caribbean fish guides so they could identify what they saw while snorkeling. By nightfall, they were exhausted and often barely made it through dinner.

My second concern concerning sibling fighting was also a non-issue. We were pleasantly surprised to see how well Tori and Kacey got along. The only seminar in seven days was a brief spat having something to do with "backwash" in a shared can of Ting.

Overall, the pilotage vacation seemed to bring them closer together. My last concern concerning taking the children on a pilotage vacation had to do with what would Tori and Kacey eat since their main diet was pizza and buttered noodles. Since this was my vacation too, other than breakfast, I did not cook aboard.

Fortunately, roughly anywhere we went had Bbq chicken or ribs, which the kids ate. They tried and liked rice and beans, fried plantains, and a variety of new fruits like mangoes.

We were shocked because they even assuredly ate triggerfish sandwiches at Foxy's. Tori did get her buttered noodles on Cooper Island, while Kacey unfortunately developed a taste for fresh Anegada lobster (sorry, Sis!).

Both kids slurped nightly virgin Pina Coladas or Daiquiris - good than any state side slurpee. They thought it was pretty cool to mix their own drink concoctions at Sidney's Peace & Love. Neither child starved. With all the performance and fresh air, they had good appetites at meal time.

Tori and Kacey were very sorry to see their pilotage vacation end. My husband and I have spent many vacations with them, but this was right on the best. The "Bvi" has become as much a general part of their vocabulary as "pepperoni pizza" and "iPods."

Recently, my nephew had to write a paper for his sixth grade language arts class about his idea of the most excellent vacation. He did not need to dream - he already knew. A pilotage vacation on a 47' Catamaran in the Bvi, of course! Since then, we have had any more opportunities to take a Bvi pilotage vacation with the family.

Luckily for all of us, we are going back again this summer.

Bvi sailing Vacation With Kids

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