Cruising with 2 kids AND 2 dogs...

[Kacey]

My husband and I are in the early stages of planning our adventure. Lots of research and learning right now! We bought voyaging with kids, which is an amazing book and very helpful!
I’m looking for any and all advice, tips or tricks you can share! I’m not sure if there is anyone else in our situation but we are a family of 4, 2 adults, 2 kids, ages 6 and 2 at the moment. We also have 2 dogs, one 75lb mixed pup (he’s a short chubby guy) and a 40lb pit.
My husband actually grew up living on a sailboat. This is actually his Dad’s dream and we have finally decided we are 100% on board and want to make this happen. We were both born and raised in Florida and are no stranger to the ocean. But we are currently living in TN. We are currently saving and planning to make the move back home next summer where we will start hunting for our new home/boat! 😊
If there is anyone that is remotely close to our situation I would love to hear about your experience! What boat has been most comfortable for you? What has been your favorite destinations? Know any blogs/Vlogs that are similar? I want to soak up all the information I possibly can while we are in the saving stage.

[rbk]

We were in the same situation until this winter when we lost both our dogs. They enjoyed seasonal coastal cruising but required frequent trips to shore for exercise and bathroom breaks. That said we are somewhat relieved we are currently dogless and if and when we get another it will be a small lap dog if anything. Certain areas are very restrictive to pets (some outright refuse) and I always felt bad for them being stuck onboard especially in heavy weather. If at all possibly I would recommend leaving them with someone unless just doing short coastal hops, any plans to visit the islands or beyond will be hard on them especially with their size and not having grown up with it. Ideally if you bring them you should half your transit times (4-6 hours max) and leave ample time in the day to get ashore with them and a good hour or two if exercise (this will be 2-3 hours by the time you’re done), that way they’ll be more likely to relax and rest when onboard.

[Kacey]

I’m sorry you lost them both! �� Our pups are basically like our children, I couldn’t imagine.
As of right now we plan to do a lot of coastal cruising. Keys/Bahamas, leaving from the west coast of FL. Surprisingly our larger dog is quite the lazy bum and I honestly don’t think he would have a care in the world on a boat. He’s basically a large cat and sleeps 90% of the day. I usually have to wake him up to go out. Our other one is definitely more active so she will definitely require more trips ashore. Thanks for your input! It’s good to know someone else was crazy enough to do this ��

[UFO]

Originally Posted by Kacey

If there is anyone that is remotely close to our situation I would love to hear about your experience! What boat has been most comfortable for you? What has been your favorite destinations? Know any blogs/Vlogs that are similar? I want to soak up all the information I possibly can while we are in the saving stage.

I am in the same situation - 7 & 3 Year Old - Just waiting to sell a house before pulling the plug.

I have been a Monohull sailor for a long time, but will definitely be getting a Cat, not only for the space and comfort with a family, but to avoid the issue of heeling - I have taken the family out for day sails on my current boat and they really do not enjoy heeling over. Not only is it physically tiring over distance due to continually bracing, the little one struggles to get around easily and everything is so much harder to do with day to day life - I could not imagine trying to do it over a longer period of time.

So from my experience I say go for a Cat

[Kacey]

A cat would definitely be amazing but I’m not sure our budget will allow for one big enough. So far the only one that has consistently popped up under 100k is the Gemini. We are definitely going to look at them though! I think all around the kids and pups will be happier. Just means we need to save more.

[fatherchronica]

I cannot speak too much about cruising with kids, as we didn't go cruising until our kids were gone. I wish I had taken them and left earlier, as all the kids we met cruising, and young adults we met who were raised cruising were all very centered and self confidant. But we did have a 80 lb. Lab and a 15 lb. Feist terrier, and a 18 year old cat. We taught the dogs to relieve themselves on a piece of astroturf we would put on the fore deck. They both went 3 days without pooping the first time they were offshore. But once that fence was crossed it was only a problem in weather. We found we had to heave to and put their collars and leashes on and go for a walk, which was 2 or 3 laps around the boat. When at anchor we took them ashore at least 3 times a day. Some folks thought we were nuts when they saw us going ashore in the rain or when it was really hot. But, we found homes for 3 strays among cruisers who wanted what we had, which was all the love a dog can give, and a few other friends who had been cruising farther and longer than us got dogs on their own because they got to know our dogs and could see the upside was way bigger than the downside.

[dbaoter]

Having an active standard poodle on board, be careful. The poodle is smart, good swimmer, and has his places for bathroom breaks. Stormy weather was and is no bother, anchored close to a beach, the poodle was seen swimming to shore. By the time we arrived at the beach, the poodle was running up and down the beach, having a grand time. Wouldn't think about leaving the poodle behind.

[ArmyDaveNY]

I don't have children however my friend had two toddlers and he told me that they don't throw anything overboard, including food. One day he threw some bread crumbs overboard and the next thing he knew, his one daughter saw him and then threw a fork into the water. The rule was that nothing went in until they were old enough to know the difference between things like food and stuff to keep!

Good luck with your boat shopping and cruising.

[getyourbone]

Kid4sail on Facebook I believe is what my wife joined

[Kacey]

Thanks for the tip! I could definitely see my 2 year old throwing all the silverware over! Hopefully he will be able to understand by the time we move!

[Kacey]

Originally Posted by getyourbone

Kid4sail on Facebook I believe is what my wife joined

Awesome! I’ll look that up! 😊 Thank you.

[bjymd]

My friend, Brittany Myers, writes a blog called Windtraveler. They have an excellent handle on living on a sailboat. Best of luck. Fair winds.

[iseadreamer]

Children do great onboard. Dogs not so much.

[MIRELOS]

My two sons grew up with us on a LN35 and we had a Spanish Water Dog that loved the water, we decided to get a bigger boat, room for the children their girlfriends and their pets.......long story short; sons grew up, got jobs moved away, our beloved dog grew old and passed away. We now have a big boat and it's a pain to clean, but we love sailing, and the memories are the best.
Just figure out how big a boat you need to give everyone space, but it's very doable, enjoy watching your children grow on the water, it's incomparable.

[Kacey]

Originally Posted by fatherchronica

I cannot speak too much about cruising with kids, as we didn't go cruising until our kids were gone. I wish I had taken them and left earlier, as all the kids we met cruising, and young adults we met who were raised cruising were all very centered and self confidant. But we did have a 80 lb. Lab and a 15 lb. Feist terrier, and a 18 year old cat. We taught the dogs to relieve themselves on a piece of astroturf we would put on the fore deck. They both went 3 days without pooping the first time they were offshore. But once that fence was crossed it was only a problem in weather. We found we had to heave to and put their collars and leashes on and go for a walk, which was 2 or 3 laps around the boat. When at anchor we took them ashore at least 3 times a day. Some folks thought we were nuts when they saw us going ashore in the rain or when it was really hot. But, we found homes for 3 strays among cruisers who wanted what we had, which was all the love a dog can give, and a few other friends who had been cruising farther and longer than us got dogs on their own because they got to know our dogs and could see the upside was way bigger than the downside.

I love this! And we are definitely willing to put in the work to make it work with dogs because they are a part of the family! It’s nice to hear a success story with a large dog! Our 75lb pup is a short chubby little guy, he’s just happy sitting on someone’s lap lol he clearly has no idea of his size. Thanks for sharing!