[ What About Sharks?]
[ Will I Get Sea Sick?]
[ Is Sailing Required?]
[ Travel Health Shots?]
[ What Should I Wear?]
[ How Is The Weather?]
[ What's To Eat?]
[ Are Drinks Included?]
[ Is It Safe?]
[ Is It Scary?]
[ Should We Tip?]
[ What About Allergies?]
[ Is Swimming Required?]
[ What Size Restrictions?]
This is not just another vacation--It is an adventure!
To make this adventure successful, you must be prepared and you must try to avoid situations you can not handle. If you make this adventure successful you will be talking about it for the rest of your life. But one man's adventure could be another man's nightmare which you could remember for just as long! This is simply not for everyone. In fact I think it is only appropriate for about 30% of the general population. So to make this successful for your family, your first line of defense is to decide whether your family is among the 30%? If not there are lots of less adventurous ways to experience the Caribbean.
If you are convinced that this is right for your family, the next step is to pick the level of difficulty that is appropriate for your whole family. So pick a week that has a passage that is best suited for the family. To help you select the right weeks to match your sailing enthusiasm, here is a breakdown by week according to the amount of sailing difficulty.
Short sails with no passage required: Weeks 2, 8, 11, 19, 21, 24, 27, 28, 30, 32, 34, 35, 40, 46, 49.
Little sailing with a short passage: Weeks 4, 5, 7, 10, 14, 29, 30, 41, 42, 43, 45, 47, 48, 52.
Typical sailing with a typical passage: Weeks 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 26, 44.
Longer sails with a longer passage: Weeks 1, 3, 9, 12, 16, 17, 23, 37, 38, 50, 51.
Overnight sailing required for a long passage: Weeks 6, 13, 31, 33, 36, 39, 42.
Then review the whole week's itinerary. Some weeks that have easy passages do have a lot of sailing during the week.
Once you have chosen your target weeks, you can plan how you will customize the adventure for each family member. Maybe not everyone should attempt the passage as explained in Customize. So plan ahead and discuss this with each family member. Usually one sub-group decides they would rather go shopping or take a land based excursion and fly to meet us. In fact no one of your family needs to make passage with us. Your whole family could get a hotel room for your last day while we sail on?
Once you choose the best week and you plan the best itinerary for each member, you still must be prepared for the unknown. I will try to describe some examples, but of course the unknown is -- unknown. Remember we do not control the weather, the wind, the rain, the waves, engine trouble, electrical trouble, plumbing trouble, and so on... During an adventure you simply deal with these as best you can and move on. I think most anxiety comes from the unknown. So if you are prone to anxiety you should bring your anxiety medication just in case. For example some situation occurs that is so outside your previous experience, you have no idea what to expect. You do not know whether the situation will pass with a laugh or everyone will die! Both outcomes seem equally possible to you and the fear for yourself and your family becomes overwhelming. To make matters worse the crew is very preoccupied dealing with the situation and they cannot help you with your feelings. If this situation only lasted for 5 minutes like a bad roller coaster ride, you could probably tolerate it but some of these situations could last for hours. A difficuilt passage could last for most of a day or night. Furthermore there is no magic exit bubble that will extricate you from the situation. The Coast Guard is not there, will not come and they will never rescue you form fear unless your life is truly in immediate danger anyway.
Here is an example of one possible, mild experience. We are anchored in a peaceful cove in paradise. In the middle of the night, a thunder storm rolls in with wind and rain. The crew scrambles to get the hatches closed before the bedding and you are soaked to no avail. Maybe you have been in thunder storms before but never in a boat so everything is amplified. It is dark, the wind is howling, and the vertical rain comes from all directions. The thunder and lightning are loud and bright. The crew who are soaked are running around fixing the anchor, tying up lines, tying down the sails, starting the engine, adjusting the wheel, checking to see if other boats will hit us and you are wondering whether this will pass with a laugh or everyone will die?
Well take lots of pictures because it passes with the hardiest laugh you will ever have. A laugh that says that you are relieved that you and your family can face the unknown and prevail! That fear can be exhilarating and empowering. That this is indeed an adventure with a happy ending you will never forget!
I keep this poem in mind:
The sails luff and then snap taught
As wind lifts and moves this graceful yacht.
Lifting its bow over the swells
With sea foam spraying and joyful yells.
“Ready about!” and “Hard a’lee!”
The Captain and crew call over the boistrous sea.
This course is for the unknown, in a way.
Though the course is planned, they’ve never seen this bay.
May their port call be welcome and restful
And on anchors drop the wind be gentle.
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