only child

[lemonbelly]

hello, i have been searching for info on cruising with only one kid. i have seen many families with multiple kids living and sailing. but no one with one kid. if anyone has info to share please do.
thanks

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by lemonbelly

hello, i have been searching for info on cruising with only one kid. i have seen many families with multiple kids living and sailing. but no one with one kid. if anyone has info to share please do.

thanks

Well, you only need one extra berth and provisioning is easier.

I was an only child cruising with my parents at a time when there were very few kids cruising. We spent three years in the South Pacific and New Zealand in the early 1980s.

The vast majority of the time I spent alone or with my parents. Of your single kid is not already a reader or otherwise able to entertain themselves, they’ll become so.

We had a small pram-style dinghy that my dad had built and in the Marquesas I made a sailing rig for it - after that I sailed that thing everywhere once we arrived at an anchorage. Whenever we stayed someplace more than a couple of days I would make friends with local kids, go with them to school, meet their families, and basically hang out. It was about making my own space, away from my parents - I was going through puberty at the time too, though.

Otherwise I socialised with other cruisers (adults) and with my parents. When we returned home and I went back to junior high school it took me a couple of semesters to learn to relate to the school friends I left behind. I was certainly more used to speaking with adults - kids my age baffled me. That wore off after a few years.

[lemonbelly]

thanks for the reply

did you feel lonely or did you enjoy the adventure? would you rather have a normal childhood?

these days there are more resources for schooling and entertainment but i think personal contact is the most important

we only have one and i want to take her out but i worry she will have a hard time or miss out on the regular kid stuff ( dance class, sports, kid parties, family)

[JPA Cate]

Take her cruising. She will dance with kids she meets along the way, go to their parties, and you will be a family together with many foreign friends all over the world. It is a precious and very valuable experience. I wish I could have given it to my three.

Ann

[s/v Thea]

These people went cruising with one kid http://maiaaboard.blogspot.com

[wholybee]

I've met lots of cruisers with only one kid. They got along fine. Everywhere you go, the locals will have kids, and the kids will introduce each other. None ever seemed lonely, or alone.

[Cruisingmomma]

I am currently cruising with my only child. He's 6 years old and we've lived aboard since he was 3 1/2. There are aspects of this life style that he really loves (swimming, snorkeling, traveling, meeting new kids all the time, beaches, on and on and on). When we are aboard the boat for several days in a row waiting for a weather system to pass, he gets stir crazy but so do my husband and I. We spend longer in anchorages that have a beach or playground nearby so that he can get social time in. We have home schooled him from the start and it's gone well for us. Are there any specific questions you have?

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by lemonbelly

thanks for the reply



did you feel lonely or did you enjoy the adventure? would you rather have a normal childhood?



these days there are more resources for schooling and entertainment but i think personal contact is the most important



we only have one and i want to take her out but i worry she will have a hard time or miss out on the regular kid stuff ( dance class, sports, kid parties, family)

It was awesome and I am so thankful that my parents took a three year sabbatical. It did ruin me for normal land-bound life, but I chose the wrong wife to have kids with and fell into the bourgeoisie lifestyle of suburban life.

Fortunately I’ve come out the other side with a new wife who gets life like I do and we’re about to set sail. Maybe we’ll take future grandkids with us, as it’s too late for our kids.

Sure, boat life doesn’t have the organised
city activities you mention, but for most the opportunities from a boat make up for that. Unless your kid is really social and truly doesn’t like being on their own.

[Jebtrois]

Svmahi.com is a family of 3 already out doing it.

We intend to go with our early teens child when we get squared away.

JEB

[lemonbelly]

thank you everyone!

[cofc]

We’re cruising with our 9 year old daughter. Went out for about a year and a half when she was 3-4. Will be out for a couple of years this time. As far as social stuff for her, it’s basically the same as it was on land. If she wants to be alone, she just hunkers down. If she wants to hang out with kids, she’ll do why she can to find them.

[SY Kelpie]

Just stumbled upon this thread and found it very reassuring, so thanks to everyone who shared their experiences.
We are setting off this year with our 5yo boy, hopefully we can get across to the Caribbean (starting in the UK) but obviously covid travel restrictions are still in place.
We've already joined the Kids4Sail facebook group which is a fantastic resource. They do a location poll on the 1st of every month, that should make it much easier to hook up with other cruising families.

[wolfgal]

you can surely get info from Kim who sails full-time, world-wide with her hub and only child on Britican. Kim has website and does youtube and, now, it seems they take people on learn-as-you-go charters. (met her some years ago. she is a really nice person).

good luck!

[silkie]

Originally Posted by lemonbelly

thanks for the reply

did you feel lonely or did you enjoy the adventure? would you rather have a normal childhood?

these days there are more resources for schooling and entertainment but i think personal contact is the most important

we only have one and i want to take her out but i worry she will have a hard time or miss out on the regular kid stuff ( dance class, sports, kid parties, family)

How old is your daughter, & how long the cruise?
I took 2 daughters,4 & 6 yo, on a short cruise, few months.
They enjoyed it, & also missed normal life. It was short enough to not worry about schooling.
The response was long term. No "that was great" at the end of it. But years later things pop up in conversation that they learned on the cruise. Fully 10 yrs later the eldest came home from school & told me she now realised how marvellous & unusual the cruise was. She had been talking holidays with her friends, & everybody else's experience was boring compared to a cruise. They were jealous, my daughter was proud. 10 yrs later!

[Danigs_87]

Originally Posted by lemonbelly

hello, i have been searching for info on cruising with only one kid. i have seen many families with multiple kids living and sailing. but no one with one kid. if anyone has info to share please do.
thanks

Did you manage to leave to go cruising with your only child?
I'm in the same boat, we are deciding if it is the right thing to do.