10 Boat Features we Find Useful for the Baby on Board

Boating and babies go together better than you might imagine, however, there are a few concessions one must make in order for the transition to be a smooth one. The boat you choose is a big one. The vessel you select for your journey – it’s pedigree, age, performance and features – can and will hugely impact your experience and enjoyment. This rule applies whether or not you have kids on board. There are certain traits, however, that really seem to suit the “baby on board” moniker. After three kids and over four years of boating with babies and/or toddlers we have compiled a list of ten boat characteristics that make life afloat with little ones easier. If you are like me, anything that makes the already hard job of parenting less of a crazy train is worth noting, so take heed. These things might not be “essential” but will almost certainly impact the frustrating vs. fun factor. 

Plenty of cabins/bunks

We wish SO BADLY we had a third cabin, it’s insane. We will most certainly be upgrading to a new boat in the next couple years and you had better believe our next boat will have a third cabin. The twins currently share our v-berth, but Isla sleeps in a make shift bunk bed we made in our walk-thru. She loves it and it works great for her…now. It’s definitely got an expiration date as it’s smaller than a toddler bed and children have this uncanny ability to grow non-stop, not to mention the fact that her placement in the “main cabin” of our boat greatly inhibits our life after she goes to bed. We cannot cook, watch movies, or hang out in our salon once it’s ‘lights out’ for her. Not the biggest deal to befall a boater, but something to seriously consider when boat shopping.

Plenty of water tankage

We used to be really conservative about our water use aboard when we cruised as a couple. We carried 60 gallons and had a 5 gallon per hour water maker that we’d run for a few hours once a week. We were so good and ecological! Now? We’re all “Who built the Ark? Let’s fill up that baby pool on the aft deck so the kids will play quietly for twenty minutes!” Luckily, when we were actively cruising with our eldest, we foresaw the need (or desire?) for more water and outfitted our boat with a high-output Cruise RO water maker. We sang it praise almost every day. Babies are messy. REALLY Being able to hose them off after the beach, the pool, or after they smear pasta sauce and/or god knows what else all over their adorable pudgy bodies really makes life easier. Not to mention the ability to do laundry regularly. We regularly rinse our boat, our clothes, ourselves and our kids and – believe me – life is better because of it!

Ability to be singlehanded

This is a biggie for the baby boat because human babies are pretty damn dependent for the first couple years of life. We learned very quickly that once we had our first child, one person needed to be on boat duty, while the other was on baby duty. When sailing overnight, we both assumed watch schedules while Isla slept, but most of the time, mommy tended to all things baby, while daddy sailed the boat. Of course we both could do the other’s job (to a point, Scott couldn’t nurse the babies) but we found this arrangement worked well for us.

Center cockpit

There are those that love center cockpit boats, and those that don’t. We stand firmly and proudly in the first camp. A center cockpit is great for a ‘baby boat’ for so many reasons. For one, it provides a nice 360 degree buffer between the water and the child, which is always a nice bonus when it comes to a baby on a boat. It also allows for an aft cabin, which makes for a great en-suite master bedroom and a little separation from the front of the boat and kids. And finally the center cockpit layout provides an aft-deck which makes a great place to load and unload provisions, store beach gear an other miscellaneous effects, and makes for an ideal area to hose off and/or shower after a day at the beach.

Swim platform

This makes getting in and out of the dinghy with babies tremendously easier. Having a nice, secure step or platform between the boat and the dinghy is great for doing the (sometimes precarious) baby-to-boat handoff. And if you ever find yourself solo parenting as I do? The step is almost a necessity! We will never own a boat without one of these!

One level interior

Having an interior with as few “levels” as possible is nice because, trust me, your baby will fall down those naughty little steps all. the. time. before they figure out how to climb up or down them. Granted, this window of time is super short so if you have a few steps (and I’m not talking about the companionway steps) fear not…but if you have the choice, a boat with a level interior will guarantee you hear fewer blood curdling screams from a tot that just took a tumble, not to mention give a little more surface to practice crawling or walking. Don’t get me wrong, your boat baby will take a ton of tumbles regardless – but if you want less, find a boat with less steps.

Vinyl cushions

Never in a million years would I have outfitted a boat with white vinyl cushions, but holy heck am I glad webought a boat with them. I cannot even IMAGINE what our cushions would look like if they were regular interior fabric because the amount of food, sauce, paint, marker, crayon, pen, playdoh, juice and you don’t even want to know what else I have wiped off is INSANE. Three toddlers are messy. Period. Our cushions not only clean up like a breeze, but make me more laid back about messes (and making them! which, mind you, goes against my very tidy nature but is great for kids) because, “It’s cool, kids! Don’t sweat that spilled paint! Look, we just wipe it right up!” I mean, I wash our cushions using the same spray cleaner I use for the counters. It. is. awesome. Would not want a baby boat without them.

Extra storage

We are definitely not minimalists, but we do try to limit what we bring on board. Even still, three kids equal a ton of crap. From booster chairs to books, from crafting supplies to clothes, from beach toys to building blocks – you will need a good place to keep it all. The more storage, the better. And if you can be well organized about it, even better. Organization on a boat is like golf, never mastered and a constant work in progress.

Two heads

This is one of the bonuses of a center cockpit boat. And whether or not you *think* you need an extra head they are sure nice to have because – ***spoiler alert*** – heads break down and people sometimes have to go “potty” at the same time. Toddlers, fyi, aren’t always great at holding it either and men, well…men tend to take their time. We love having two heads aboard and with a family of five, we’ve sung our extra head praise more than once, let me tell you!

Aft deck shower

Salt water and sand do not belong in the boat. They are a major pain in the butt if they infiltrate the interior so your mission, should you chose to accept it – is to keep it out. The best way to do this, short of avoiding beaches and salt water all together (not advisable!) is to do a fresh water rinse immediately when you return to the boat. Note that this favorable feature combines line items #2 (water tankage) and #4 (center cockpit). Being able to rinse off completely before we ever set foot in our cockpit is wonderful and definitely keeps salt and sand at bay. We keep a little bin full of our wash soap and shampoo on the aft deck and usually rinse off at least once, sometimes two or three times a day depending on our excursions.

So there you have the ten features we have found hugely beneficial to a boat with babies on board. It obviously goes without saying that these are things that we have found helpful and you might very have a different experience. We’ve seen families with children cruising on the most luxurious of catamarans with every gadget under the sun and we’ve seen families of five living aboard a simple thirty-two footer with as few systems as possible. It’s also worth noting that the baby and toddler stages of life are quick and fleeting, so whether or not your boat truly suits the baby stage might not be that important for you. Many of these features, however, will be enjoyed well past babyhood so keep that in mind. Either way, making sure you find a boat that works well for you and your family is the most important thing, so chose wisely. Fair winds!

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR ZIZOO BOATS.

"Aren't You Worried about Them Falling Overboard?" Real and Imagined Fears of Living Aboard with Three Toddlers

We live on a 44 foot sail boat with our three toddlers age four and under. Considering this living arrangement falls well outside the range of "normal" for most land-dwelling folks, we get a lot of questions. But no question do we field so much as: "Aren't you afraid of them falling overboard?!" While, yes, the fact that we are surrounded by water combined with the reality that not one of our three children can swim unaided yet falls in the "Big F***ing Deal" category, you might be surprised to learn that, no, we almost never worry about them falling off the boat.

(insert sound of record scratching)

Don't get me wrong, our kids going overboard is our greatest concern and, potentially, our worst nightmare. But "worry" about it? No. So...why? A few reasons, really: 1) They are constantly supervised by an adult when they are on deck, not to mention well contained by protective netting around our boat's perimeter and 2) the water is warm and clear here so if they did happen to fall in, particularly because they are always under close watch, one of us would be able to retrieve them in a matter of seconds. Would we worry about this more if we were living in the Arctic where you have only moments in the water before hypothermia sets in, or if we lived somewhere where water was brackish and murky? Probably. But here? Not so much. And finally, 3) our girls have grown up on and around boats. It's natural and normal to them. They know how to move and maneuver like little pros, and furthermore know the "rules" and don't climb the lifelines or venture to the 'off limits' area of our boat. We are very frank with our daughters and mince no words when it comes to their understanding of safety. We tell it like it is: "If you fall in the water, you will sink like a stone to the bottom of the ocean." Sure, that might sound a little harsh, but a healthy dose of fear has a very real place in this particular scenario. We don't worry about them falling overboard at anchor any more than we would worry about our boat suddenly springing a leak. Sure, it's possible. But it certainly doesn't keep us up at night.

Underway it's similar. Our girls are never more than four feet from a parent, usually in the cockpit with Scott and I, and always in their lifejackets. We are lucky to live in a cruising area where we don't see big seas or rough weather, and if weather is inclement you won't find us sailing. On nice days, I often venture on deck with the girls to have dance parties during a smooth passage and they love to be on in the open air, watching the water for dolphins and turtles and waving hello at other boats. While we still allow them a little freedom to explore, the rules are a more stringent underway because man overboard drills in even the most pleasant conditions can be challenging, particularly if you're retrieving a small child (if a child were to go in, I'd immediately jump in after her and Scott would bring the boat back, fyi). I have zero interest in ever experiencing this horror, so our #1 rule is to stay on the boat. Period. We don't climb the rigging. We don't run. If it's rough we do not leave the cockpit and no one is allowed on deck without a parent present. Our girls understand that they must maneuver carefully and use one hand for the boat and one hand for themselves while the boat is underway. If we move between the bow of the boat and the cockpit I usually walk with them while the other two are seated securely on deck holding on to hand rails. "Always hold on," I remind them sternly. "You must always be holding on to the boat when we are moving." And they do. We are cautious, calculated and careful, but worried about them going overboard? Not really.

So where do we get a little fearful? Where does worry come into play?

Three words: At the dock.

A dock gives off false security and makes many of us feel okay because - hey, it's a dock! It's stable and safe and people and boats are around! But, no. All it would take is for one child to get out of my view and run off (it doesn't take long, believe me) and the repercussions could be disastrous. Keeping tabs on three (very active and curious) children is not always easy. While the marina does provide some security in that we have a whole community of people who watch after our girls from afar and more than once I have had a friend help me capture a runaway child, it's more of a perk and not something I count on. I am cautious and constantly doing the 'head count' if they are walking free (I am not to the point of leashes yet, but holy crap I'm close!) There are serious hazards on docks; a child might trip over a hose, a cleat or a line and fall in unnoticed, might try to balance or climb up a piling and slip over. She might see something in the water and try to reach it and topple in. Or maybe try to board a boat and misjudge the step. Any of these situations could be compounded by a good knock on the head during a tumble, rendering her unconscious and in the water... I could go on and on with scenarios but the bottom line is: these are potentially life and death situations. These are things we don't mess around with. These are the thoughts that, if I let them, keep me awake at night.

Because of these very real dangers, we have a strict lifejacket rule when on the dock and unless our girls are attached to our person or in their stroller , they are (almost always) in life jackets when walking around. Because they are so used to the rule, they often put them on themselves and with little protest. It's normal and understood. Other marina rules? They are never allowed to get on or off a boat without adult help or supervision. If we want to look at something in the water, we lie on our bellies to do so (it's much harder to fall head first into the water from a laying position than from a kneeling one). When running we keep a healthy distance from the edge so a normal trip doesn't turn into a swim. These rules were drilled into my head like "please" and "thank you" when I was a cruising kid and I've passed them onto our children. With these few safety measures in place, we certainly feel better, but I'd be lying if I said there was zero worry. It's amplified because I am chasing around three kids, usually by myself, two of whom are twins with a penchant for running in opposite directions just to mess with me - so I am always on high alert. When they run around with their lifejackets on? I worry less. WAY less. In fact, I'm pretty laid back about their wanderings as long as I can see them and know they will float. "Oh, they're so close to the water!" someone will tell me with concern in their voice, "Aren't you afraid they'll fall in?" they ask. "If they do," I start, "They will float and they certainly won't do it again!" The onlookers don't typically share my cavalier attitude and laugh nervously as they pass. But my thinking is this: worst case scenario, one of my girls falls in and gets a good scare. I fish them out (no doubt in front of a large gasping audience whispering #momoftheyear), give them a cuddle and we carry on with our day after a good rinse and change of clothes. Of course I don't want this to happen, but I'm all about kids exploring and learning natural consequences as long as the consequences aren't dire. If my girls are wearing life jackets, my worry is almost nil. Almost.

***

We take the safety of our children very, very seriously and I'm doing risk analysis while watching my kids play a hundred times a day. Bad things can happen. Accidents happen. We know that. Risks are everywhere on both land and sea. We do not, however, let a fear of "what if" rule our life. If that was the attitude we maintained, we'd never have left on a sailboat in the first place. For the most part, we let our kids be kids and give them a long leash to explore their capabilities and the world around them. Our girls climb up our mast and hang out on the boom. They swing from trees with ropes. They scale walls, climb like monkeys and run with hopeless abandon. Sure, they have the bumps, scrapes and bruises to prove it, but it's pure fact that humans learn by doing and so - with some simple rules in place and supervision from afar - we let them do. Our parenting style is to teach rather than dissuade, to empower rather than frighten. We do this, in part, by managing our own worry. Our goal - like most parents - is to raise happy, independent, confident children who trust the power of their bodies and minds, and who have a healthy respect for - but are not afraid of - the world around them. So, sure, like every parent - we worry. We worry about a million things like their happiness, health and success in life...But we don't really worry about them falling off the boat.

Sailing; in lifejackets (always) and one hand for the boat, one hand for themselves.

Always on our bellies to look at the water (Thank you Cindy W. for this tip!!)

When we're dock walkin', we are wearing life jackets. (and going opposite ways)

Practicing climbing, problem-solving, and balance. 

Looking out over the water, our fender was on the deck but usually they are never leaning over life lines.

I rigged up a line from the mast to the bow and it provided a TON of entertainment.  

When sailing on a nice day, this is how you will usually find the girls and I. 

Our Favorite (Affordable and Practical) Products for the Boat Baby

Babies on boats (specifically aged 3 and under) are kind of our "thing". We have yet to meet another family who has our configuration of small children aboard. I'm sure more exist, but if boats with kids on them are the minority, boats with babies (plural!) on them are even more so. That said, we have learned a thing or two about boating with infants, and since so many people write us asking about the products we use, I thought I'd compile a new list here. Of course I must say that these are products that have worked for us, we are not in the business of telling people what to do and I'm very much of the mindset "to each his own." Every parent, family, and child is different and we must tailor to our own needs and lifestyle choices.

We have many other such lists from back when Isla was a baby (check out this oldie), but times (and opinions, and gear...) have changed, so a new list was due. For more of our articles on all things "cruising with babies", please visit our Baby on Board page where all my boat-baby related articles are kept.

Here's my list of products we have found useful for our three boat babies, I hope you find something useful in it!

1) Harness and Tether - The goal is to keep the baby on the boat, at all costs. While a life jacket is great, the harness and tether when clipped onto the boat will not only be more comfortable for the kiddo (some kids, like our Mira, despise life jackets) but will ensure the baby stays on the boat. We use the West Marine infant harness and tether, but if we were to do it again, I'd by the Edelrid Fraggle full-body climbing harness as it looks to be a better product.

Believe it or not, this is Isla, not Haven! Sailing off the coast of Grenada 2013

Here you see a LOT of our faves; harnesses, fisher price hairs, and the netting.

2) Lifeline Netting - Many boating families call lifeline netting a "false sense of security" and while I understand the argument, I respectfully disagree and there is no way we'd go without it on our boat. Our lifeline netting not only keeps the kids from slipping through the very large voids between the lifelines, but it keeps gear they throw around on board too! It's saved hats, suits, toys and all sorts of stuff from going overboard. We installed our West Marine lifeline netting over two years ago and it's still going strong (see our article about Installing Lifeline Netting), with not a single spot of chafe. I also sewed a mesh "door" that we put up to cover the bow at anchor (the one spot the lifeline netting does not cover) so our boat becomes a giant playpen. We consider netting a "must" for our boat and something we highly recommend. I've heard that there is some great UV resistant sport netting out there that some families use, which outlasts the generic brands. That might be worth looking into as well.

When we first installed it, Isla (pictured) wasn't so sure. Ft. Lauderdale, 2013

3) Life vest - A no-brainer for the boating baby. While I admit that our girls are not in life jackets 24/7 (it's not practical), they give us tremendous peace of mind when we're in the dinghy, on docks (I am way more nervous about our girls running around on docks than I am when we are at anchor) and visiting the un baby-proofed boats of friends. There are many brands of infant life vests, just make sure the jacket you get is rated for the weight of your child and you might need to try a couple different brands to find the right (and most comfortable) fit for your child.

Happy girl playing freely on the deck. St. John, 2015

4) Soft structured carrier - I'm a huge, HUGE fan of baby wearing. It was awesome, wonderful and very "mother earth" with Isla, and I'm pretty sure that it saved my life (and certainly my sanity) with the twins (check out my post on Tandem-Wearing Twins). There are many advantages to baby-wearing and many different brands of carriers, but the most versatile and my go-to carrier for babies six months and up is the ERGObaby performance baby carrier. I just noticed they came out with a super light, breatheable version as well, which might be a good option for babies in the tropics.

Wear ALL the babies! Sopers Hole, 2015

5) Puddle Jumper/Swim Float - Being surrounded by water means we have no shortage of floatation devices aboard! The Stearns Kids Puddle Jumper is a US Coast Guard approved swim/life vest that we use for our girls at the pool or beach. They love them. You might not realize it, but life jackets are terrible for swimming. They are designed to put a baby on their back in the water so kids who are not strong swimmers will immediately go 'turtle'. No fun. The puddle jumper is great for encouraging kids to start swimming, and while it's recommended for kids 30 pounds and up, both our twins have been using them since they were much smaller, under close supervision of course. They allow them some independence in the water, and if there is one thing our girls have in common - it's a strong will to do things on their own!

Mira, one happy little fishy! St. John, 2015

6) Swim Diapers- beach attire is a big deal for us since we spend at least a couple hours each day there and because the twins are still in diapers, that means we often need a swim diaper. We were generously gifted some Bamino Mio swim diapers and love them, not only are their swim diapers super affordable ($9.99 a piece!) and super cute, but they get the job done (yep, they'll contain the poop. Just...trust me).

Tushie brought to you by Mira. Chicago, 2015

7) Rash Guar Swimwear - When at the beach, I like our girls to be as protected as possible and that means UV swimwear, preferably with full or at least partial sleeves. Our newest parnter, SwimZip, is our new choice of beach wear. Not only are their suits affordable, and boast a slew of adorable styles, but the greatest part is that they all feature a zipper up the front which makes getting them on and off SO. MUCH. EASIER. When you are dressing and undressing three small children several times a day (note: easier said than done!!), anything that will make the process a little less painful (and quicker!) is very welcome, and these suits do the trick. We love them.

8) Sun Hats/Sunglasses/Sunscreen - These three are lumped together as they are all necessary evils to the beach baby. Hats are tugged at, sunglasses are pulled off, and sunscreen - ugh - the daily ritual of applying sunscreen is quite possibly the bane of my existence. But these three items are must-haves and so I've included them here.

• As far as hats go, we have tried a BUNCH of brands and the one that is by far the best is FlapHappy. We love them so much we approached them for partnership and they obliged. They have great styles, all of which feature either velcro or (better yet) tie closures making them a little harder for the kids to get off. Our favorite is the Flap Happy original flap hat which comes in a wide array of sizes and colors. 
• For sunglasses, we have a couple brands we like. For the twins, I like Mustachifier Polarized Baby Sunglasses which are great because they are rubbery and almost impossible to break (ours are still going strong after being manhandled by Haven - aka "the destroyer of things"). The other brand I love for Isla are the RIVBOS Rubber Kids Polarized Sunglasses.
• As far as sunscreen, I am not too picky. I try to buy the "good stuff' (i.e. not cancer-causing and toxic), but as long as it doesn't sting eyes and has an SPF of at least 50, I will use it. That said, I've recently been turned onto the Babyganics Mineral-Based Baby Sunscreen Spray and I have to say I much prefer it (and the cost!) to the more expensive, 'fancier' sun cream brands I have tried - plus, it's mineral based and that feels good.

Haven fixes Mira's hat. The Baths, Virgin Gorda 2015

9) Beach Bag/Diaper Bag - With babies, no matter how light you try to travel, comes gear. More kids = more gear. The best bag for the job, the one we have been using since day one, is our Sailor Bags Back Pack. I cannot say enough good things about this company and their bags (of which we have about fifteen!), and we are very proud to have them as a partner. We pack our backpack with beach towels, spare clothes, sunscreen, water bottles, and snacks. It's got enough room for our phones, camera, computer and wallets. We use it for everything from beach trips to provisioning runs and it comes with us everywhere. It's awesome. Big enough to hold a bunch of stuff, but not too big to be a burden. The perfect day pack, in our opinion. (Note: It's also a great carry on if you are flying with little ones!)

Our bag that we've been using since our FIRST BOAT! Cane Garden Bay, Tortola 2015

10) Fisher Price High Chairs/Booster Seats - when we were cruising with Isla, we loved the Bumbo Seat with the tray addition. Then we had our twins and it (very quickly) became apparent that we were dealing with three VERY different personalities and the Bumbo was not going to restrain Haven (Haven = Strong Like Bull) and was going to be uncomfortable for our little peanut, Mira. I went on the hunt for another solution. I found what I think is a far superior and more practical seat in the Fisher-Price Booster Seat with tray. This thing is fantastic. It travels well and packs up (relatively) small. We use it for every meal and it's a breeze to set up, break down and clean. It also doubles as a safety chair underway (two carseats would simply not fit in our boat and our girls do NOT enjoy that kind of restraint) we use the straps that are meant to attached to a chair, and attach them to cleats and winches and - voila! - we have seats that keep the girls entertained underway, with trays that I can add a few suction cup toys to for entertainment. (Note: I would not recommend this seat as a long term solution for serious passage-making, a car seat or something more protective would be better IMO).

It's not always pretty, but they're not going anywhere! Nanny Cay, 2015

11) Sturdy Beach Toys - Beach toys are key for babies who spend hours at the beach. While you don't need anything fancy, a few buckets, shovels and watering cans can go a long way with keeping little ones entertained on the shore. Up until now, I just bought the cheapest beach toys I could find. But after seeing how quickly they break down with constant use, I went on the hunt to find higher quality toys. I found them in Spielstabil Beach Toys. These beach toys are the bomb. They are made of higher grade plastic, super strong, and made to last (I mean, they are maufacuted by Germans!) When you hold them you can tell immediately they are of superior quality. I am pretty anal about keeping our toys together and in good condition and I am so pleased to partner with them and know that we have sand toys that will now last longer than one season!

12) Battery (or DC) powered sound machines - I know, I know. This one seems a little bit "out of left field" for this list, but I have two words for you: white noise. A 44 foot boat is by no means small as far as cruising boats go, but it does provide pretty cramped quarters for a family of five. As most of you know sleep for our kids is a big deal for me, and Isla sleeps in our walk through which is has no walls or sound barrier to quiet outside noise. The twins still wake up in the night, Scott and I have friends over from time to time, and general boat noises are sometimes loud, especially underway. We use the battery operated Conair Sound Machine to help drown out background noise so our girls sleep soundly. I can tell you that without them on, they wake up more frequently. The downside, of course, is that these are battery operated and so we burn through our rechargeable batteries pretty quickly. But if it means a better and longer nap, I'll take it!

So there's our current list of favorites, what are some of your great products or life-hacks for the boat baby? Share in the comments - we're always looking for new ideas of great products that make boating with babies a little bit easier!

Keep Your Head in the Game: The Importance of Visualization

Cheap umbrella strollers with simple stroller connectors were a well-thought solution for twin travel

"Wow, you sure think a lot." My mom and I taking the girls on a walk and I was verbally working out whether or not a collapsible wagon should or could replace our umbrella strollers (that we make into a double stroller with these great stroller connectors) when we head back to the boat in October. "I mean, the wagon is more practical," I started. "I would be able to cover more terrain and it'd be great for the beach and lugging more gear..." I paused, playing the scenario through in my head. "But then again, when I'm getting the girls off the boat and onto the dock, I do this one at a time, and grab the other from the boat after the first one is clipped in." I stalled, thinking further. "So if we do get a wagon, we'd need one that I can clip the girls into so that the one in the cart cannot get out while I'm going to the boat to load up the other one."

I have more thinking (and research) to do.

Would something like this make sense? Hmmm....

Scenarios like this one are constantly going through my head. If there is one thing that both cruising and children teach a person, it's the importance of staying one step ahead of the game. When it comes to kids and boats, things can go from hunky dory to hell in a matter of seconds, and the secret to preventing this (or at least making sure it happens with less frequency) is preparation. There's no way around it. You don't prepare, you're going to have problems. Period.

Bringing three toddlers to live on a 44 foot sailboat requires a tremendous amount of forethought. It's not a matter of just packing up the kids aboard and winging it (though no matter what there will be a trial and error "learn as you go" aspect). With fewer or no kids perhaps you can be more cavalier (we can tell you emphatically that cruising as a couple and cruising with only one young child is infinitely easier than cruising with three) - but given our experience of being outnumbered by babies, I am here to say that it is totally do-able, but requires planning. I am 100% positive that the last eight months on the boat would not have gone nearly as well if we hadn't prepared as thoroughly as we did. But, like anything cruising and parenting, no matter how much you prepare - you're going to get caught with your pants down once and a while. Shit happens. Mother Nature takes no orders and children cannot be programmed. Things don't always go to plan.

But - and this is a big one - having a plan will greatly lessen your chances of bedlam in both babies and boating, that is for certain.

"I have to think like this," I explained to my mom. "A professional athlete doesn't win a game by hitting the field and simply trying their best" I told her. "The most successful athletes are strategists - they envision a game before it's played, work out their moves, and visualize different scenarios and their reactions ahead of time." I realize I am far from a professional athlete, but this visualization process is something I remember from my days as a varsity runner and has helped us tremendously in our cruising life. Sure, my nighttime sleep might be compromised (these scenarios often play out when I am lying in bed) but things like infant dinghy seats and awesome twin v-berth bunks result from these sessions.

This awesome and innovative dinghy seat (we're patenting it!) was the result of LOTS of visualizing and planning

Take now, for example. Our girls are more mobile, curious and rambunctious than ever. Because of work commitments (more on this later), we are going to be based in a marina when we return down island (with weekly excursions to sail and anchor out). Docks frighten me WAY more than being at anchor or at sea with our girls and I know that I am going to have to be super vigilant about making sure they are safe. Which brings me to the current conundrum I am tirelessly thinking about and researching (aside from the wagon): what is the best and most practical floatation device that can keep our girls safe while running around a marina, but not so cumbersome that it makes them miserable and inhibits their ability to climb and play? While I think I may have found a solution (it's in the mail), I am open to suggestions. Either way, I have faith I that I will figure something out. Necessity is the mother of invention, which is yet another lesson brought to you by both boating and parenting.

If you are dreaming of doing something, anything, I say: start visualizing. Read books, blogs and articles that can help shape the accuracy of your mental picture. It's this imaginative blueprint that is the first step in making things happen; from the great ("Let's cross the Pacific!") to the mundane ("Let's get a collapsible wagon!"). Hopefully, for us, we start leaning more toward the "great" again...when our kids are a little older, that is. Visualizing crossing an ocean with three toddlers looks a lot like hell in my mind!

To accomplish great things we must first dream, then visualize, then plan... believe... act!

- Alfred A. Montapert