World Arc with 2 toddlers... Crazy?

[Olivergm]

Hi, my wife and I considering buying a 40-47ft catamaran and taking our two kids on the 2014 World Arc. We currently have zero experience but intend buying a few months before the event and doing a live aboard course for the first few weeks. Will also do a 1 week cat course over the next year and associated Diesel engine, radar courses offered by my local marina.

So the questions is... Are we crazy doing this with a 3yr old and 2yr old? I intend taking 1.5yrs off work so think the fast pace of the ARC suites but am told it is very tiring and that I should just consider some cruising in the Pacific. We intend to sail to Aus in the Arc and then continue up home to SE Asia on our own. Any views? I know there is no correct answer but am
Interested in view from people in the know... Thanks

[Hud3]

Hello, Olivergm, and welcome to CF.

Others may have different opinions, but I would think that the fast pace of the World ARC would be a disadvantage in your situation. It really takes quite a bit of sailing to gain the judgement needed to sail safely in challenging conditions, and experienced sailors will advise you to not sail to a schedule.

You might get lucky and not run into any problems, but with very little experience and with such precious cargo on board, I'd really hesitate to make a passage like that under pressure of a schedule that someone else sets. And readying yourself, your spouse, and a new-to-you boat for such a voyage in "a few months" could be deemed a bit optimistic, as well.

I think you'd be wise to set your own schedule based on your readiness, not the World ARC's.

[atoll]

with your current level of experiance,and the courses you intend doing it will just about qualify you to go for a day sail!! on your own!!!

preparing a vessel for a rtw by an experianced person properly takes 3-6 months...........dream on........in the mean time go do a trans atlantic on somebody elses boat!

[Olivergm]

Thanks, I suspected this to be the case. Now all I need to do is find a bargain cat in the Australasia / Asia or more time off work! Don't think Caribbean to SE Asia at a slow pace is doable in 18mnths... and unfortunately no post 2008 bargain cats in Asia...

[atoll]

by all means take a sabatical,but base yourself in one area,say fiji,aus,nz triangle.
or carribean basin.
or phuket,singapore,koh samui
learn to sail the boat in sheltered waters before heading off on long distance stuff.
take an experianced skipper on you first long distance offshore passage.

when you buy the boat think about where you are going to sell it after 18 months.
finding a suitable boat can take 6 months and getting registration another 3months.

cruising with kids is fun where ever you are,but not really on long passages.
day sails and trips to the beach are far more rewarding with small kids.
interaction with the locals is priceless.

i know i inflicted 2 circumnavigations on my kids!

[colemj]

Only you can answer that question, but you should be armed with some perspective.

First, you have no experience and plan to have a new to you boat for only a few months before leaving. I can guarantee that that is a recipe for failure, if not downright dangerous. Get the boat much earlier (now!) and learn its systems, quirks, needs and operation. There is no way at all you will be prepared for the type of trip the WARC is with a couple month old boat and only basic generic education and no real experience.

Second, the World ARC is no picnic. It sets a pace around the world that no reasonable person would push. They spend only a day or two in each stop and many of the stops have few marine services available. It is extremely hard on the boats. We were in the marina in Panama when the boats came in. EVERYONE was running around trying to get engines fixed, sails repaired, boats hauled for emergency work on the bottoms/running gear, finding replacement parts, etc. And this was only after the FIRST leg of the rally. Not to mention basic reprovisioning. All in the two days they were allotted in the marina before pushing off again. Needless to say, nothing gets done in Panama in two days and most left with damaged boats unrepaired hoping things will be better in the next port - which was several thousand miles away.

And to make sure you don't have a false sense of security in numbers regarding doing rally passages in convoy, please be aware that when the WARC leaves a port, you will quickly be all alone until the next port of call. We watched boats enter Panama many days apart after leaving at the same time from St. Lucia. None of them came in to port within 4 hours of each other.

Third - young kids. Nothing wrong about going cruising with young kids, but they drive a schedule much different than the WARC will. To participate in the WARC, you will be beholden to a preplanned schedule. And a very aggressive one at that. This may not coincide with the scheduling needs of two very young children. The passages are long and I imagine one parent will always be occupied with the kids. This will make passage making difficult and tiring and, excuse me for this, but dangerous for someone with little to no passage making experience. Getting any provisioning or repairs done in ports of call will be much more difficult with two toddlers and an unreasonably contracted timeline.

Good luck with your decision.

Mark

[foolishsailor]

As a wake up call with the kids and travel..

I sail with a wife and two kids both under 5. It is harder than single handing as I have all the responsibilities as I would have and more as the wife watches the kids and needs energy in the day to do so and to tend themat night if they are awake due to weather etc. I am lucky if I get three hours of sleep in a day on passage. But the oldest is finally getting old enough to let daddy nap during the day and not pester him...

I wouldn't trade it for the world, but no way in hell should you consider doing the ARC. Sail around the world on your own? Sure why not,do it with your experience and two small children? No way. It is very easy to hurt chilldren that size if you and your boat are not prepared to sail with them.

Buy a boat and as atoll said base yourself somewhere. The west side of the Thai peninsula near Langkawi, Phuket, phong na bay,and all those islands is a great place as there are so many different levels of sailing you can do from novice to experienced without leaving the area, and it is beautiful to boot.

Build your experience by increasing your sailing distances gradually, eventually you are in a great launching point for a world cruise....andaman island, India, chagos, Madagascar.....

[deckofficer]

Sailing on someone else's schedule and destinations is just the opposite of cruising to me. I did that in the Merchant Marine, and I call that work. Sailing on your own schedule and choice of destinations, now that is cruising. Don't make what is fun and relaxing a job.

[barnakiel]

My friends did just that. They set off with one but closed the loop with two onboard.

They hired people, usually 2, to help with kids and with sailing the boat.

Doable and fun (well, to them anyway).

b.

[foolishsailor]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

My friends did just that. They set off with one but closed the loop with two onboard.

They hired people, usually 2, to help with kids and with sailing the boat.

Doable and fun (well, to them anyway).

b.

Yea for those who can afford to hire two people. Hell, wouldn't it be great fun and easy for anyone who could afford to hire two people and afford a boat to keep them?

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by foolishsailor

Yea for those who can afford to hire two people. Hell, wouldn't it be great fun and easy for anyone who could afford to hire two people and afford a boat to keep them?

Please note OP are planning on 40-47 cat, world ARC, 1.5 year off work. Given these , we have every right to think they may afford the crew of two.

I bet care and feeding of two toddlers is a full time job for one. The driver will want to be fed too ... and the care taker / giver will have zero fun if he/she is reduced to the role of care taker / giver.

Sailing should be fun. FOR ALL FAMILY.

I cannot say if sailing without crew support will be fun or not. I can only tell you how my friends did it and assure you that it worked for them.

b.

[sy_gilana]

YES to the trip
YES to the kids
NO to the rally, its waaaay too much pressure.

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by sy_gilana

YES to the trip
YES to the kids
NO to the rally, its waaaay too much pressure.

I agree, too much like work, sailing to a tight schedule with little time in ports that weren't even your choice.

[rebel heart]

We have our 2 year old(ish) daughter onboard and are heading out to central america later this year from San Diego. We've done coastal stuff and the local islands before that, and have lived onboard for a little over five years.

The passages are kind of cruel to the kids unless they're super into them which you won't really know but the chances are small. It's one thing if the passages are part of an overall fun trip, but it's another if 50% of your time is spent beating through waves.

My $0.02.

Spend your time having fun. Kicking the crap out of yourselves and the boat isn't fun.

[deckofficer]

Hey rebel heart, long time, no chat. You keeping too busy with those shapely clientele?