It is a nine-hour passage, the sea state is building, the children cannot go on deck, and you have a three-year-old, a nine-year-old and a bag of colouring pencils that are currently rolling around the sole. The charter has paid an enormous amount of money to be happy. This is where a good yacht nanny is worth every cent.
The activity kit you bring yourself
Never rely on the boat having anything. Bring a bag: card games, sticker books, colouring, craft materials, story books, a laminated treasure-hunt sheet, small figures, and something quiet for the bad hour before dinner.
| Setting | Activities that work |
|---|---|
| Under way / rough passage | Quiet, seated, low: audiobooks, drawing, card games, films, a nap. Nothing with small parts that roll |
| At anchor, calm | Snorkelling with crew, paddleboards, swim games, deck treasure hunt, fishing |
| Beach day | Sandcastles, rock pools, shells, races - and a head count on and off the tender, every time |
| Ashore / port | Markets, an aquarium, a walk, an ice cream. Hand-holding rules agreed before you land |
| Wet or rest day | Crafts, baking with the chef by arrangement, den in the cabin, a film |
| Birthday onboard | Coordinate with the chef and chief stew days ahead: cake, decorations, a scavenger hunt, a themed dinner |
Rules that do not bend for fun
- Every water activity has a crew member in the water and a watcher on deck.
- Beach days: count heads at every transition, and re-brief the swim boundary at every new beach.
- Ashore: agree the meeting point, and give each child your yacht contact and a rule about what to do if lost - stay put, find a parent with children, do not go to the car park.
- Crafts and games: no small parts near infants, and everything comes back on board - nothing goes in the sea.
Education and holiday schoolwork
Many families expect holiday schoolwork, and some children are travelling in term time. Agree with the parents: how long, when, where, and who marks it. Morning, before the water, in a fixed place works best - once the children have swum, the day is gone. Keep it short, keep it visible, and report progress honestly.
Packing and travelling with children
Travel days are when children get lost, overheat and melt down. Carry: passports and documents (with the parents), medication and the auto-injector, spare clothes, nappies, snacks, water, a comforter, sun protection, life jackets if they are yours. Keep the children in sight and in hand through every airport, dock and transfer, and count them at every single change of vehicle, gate or gangway.
Onboard Notes
The best day you will run is not the most expensive one. Children remember the treasure hunt on the flybridge, not the helicopter. Plan for the weather turning, and always have a passage bag ready and packed.
Preparatory study only. These lessons are not a childcare qualification and are not first aid training. Caring for children at sea requires a recognised childcare qualification and a current, practically assessed paediatric first aid certificate from an approved provider.