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!
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