Yacht people

One of the most interesting groups of travelers I have met are the New Boat people. These are typically westerners who have bought a small boat or yacht and take their family on a round the world tour.

This is surprisingly much cheaper since travel, lodging and food are all taken care of and in the long term may e one of the cheapest ways of seeing the world.

One family from Sakatchawan came in after selling their house to devote the next few years with their children around the Caribbean. Dad was to become Captain /navigator and Mom would be teacher/ nurse for their 2 children aged 6 and 8.

Boat kids can receive a real intense world education with some of the best life experiences being  home schooled and meeting children from other cultures. However pre-teens and adolescents have problems when moving constantly (similar to children of military personnel or “arm brats”) and may have problems with changing groups of friends.

Groups of similar families gather in marinas and travel as flotillas. They spend a significantly longer time in destinations than the average tourists.

Usually the longer you live in a foreign country the greater is your chance of acquiring illnesses similar to the local people. Boat people have their own accommodations and clean water so are usually better off yet must realize they may be more likely to acquire some tropical problems.

Traveling with groups of ships minimizes problems like communication and mechanical breakdowns. I met one British couple that traveled across the Pacific with their 2 children alone with out a satalite phone. They were marooned on Easter Island awaiting a new mast which had broke down just as they were arriving.  Satellite phones are not always reliable as there are some areas of the ocean with poor signals.

Waters are also more turbulent  near land masses (as swells become waves) so that there is actually more risk associated being closer to land!

When approaching unknown harbor knowledge of tides and local current is essential.

When I worked on a cruise ship none of the Command Staff could actually steer the ship into harbor and depended on local pilots who knew their harbor made the fine adjustments for our Ocean liner to find its berth.

Modern pirates (or simply people who like to rob boats) do exist and pose threats in certain waters so going alone without at least the company of other ships is risky in some waters.

Before selling your house and getting a yacht, consider the challenges involved with a maritime family and make sure no one in your family is seasick!