12 Reasons Home School families should think about a crewed yacht.
A Home school family looks to incorporate learning in everyday life. Education doesn’t have to come from a book. Onboard a crewed yacht charter you’ll be immersed in new experiences. Fun for everyone, and memories that last a lifetime. These are our top 12 reasons we think a homeschool family should consider a Caribbean sailing vacation.
1. LEARN TO SAIL
Sailing is a lifelong skill. I often wish I had learned to sail at a younger age. Over several years of chartering, I have sat and listened as families talk about their time together on the water. What I’ve noticed about these stories have created such strong bonding moments that kids have grown up to teach their kids to sail.
On a crewed yacht you have the opportunity to learn some sailing basics. The crew will find ways of letting you join in as much or as little as you like.
2. PIRATE HISTORY
Children and adults alike are captivated by ‘Captain’ Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean”. In fact, if you’ve been to Disney and spent time on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride you will remember a line that goes, “sixteen men on a deadman’s chest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.” Dead Chest is a small uninhabited island that Black Beard was rumored to have marooned 15 men on with only a bottle of rum. Pirate stories abound throughout the Caribbean and a sailing trip through the islands is the best way to be part of the story.
3. A GREAT REASON TO READ TREASURE ISLAND, ESSEX, MOBEY DICK, ROBINSON CRUSOE, and more (The Cay)
Robert Louis Stevenson’s father was a merchant mariner and brought home stories from his trips to the Caribbean. Norman Island is reputed to be the inspiration for the book “Treasure Island”. This is a great book to set the scene for your Caribbean vacation but there are so many books that write about time on the water, pirate lore and fantastic island adventures. AND no, there are no more Pirates of the Caribbean. The islands are safe for your sailing adventure.
4. NO COOKING
This one speaks more to the adults. Crewed yacht charters are All-inclusive so you don’t have to decide what to eat or where to eat, or do any dishes, The best part is you can even have dinner in your bathing suit if you’d like. You can also have an adult meal while your kids dine on what they prefer at no extra cost.
5. COOKING LESSONS
Wait, but cooking makes for a great lesson!! Yes, it does, so you can speak with your chef about how to incorporate a lesson or two. Keep in mind your chef might also your marine biologist, sailing tutor, tour guide and bed maker for the day so sometimes they get pinched for time. Talk to them ahead of time so they can make lessons work on a less busy day.
6. MARINE BIOLOGY LESSONS
Just a step off your back deck is a large aquarium. Each day your crew will be able to take you out for a snorkeling or diving trip. They are very well versed in the underwater creatures and can find you all sorts of sea creatures for a quick biology lesson.
7. LEARN YOUR CONSTELLATIONS
Since you’ll be anchored off islands with very few lights you’ll see the stars like never before. Open your star app and see how many constellations you can find. Our favorite star memory was seeing the Leonid Meteor shower while sitting in the hammocks on the bow of the boat. The Leonid Meteor shower is in November which leads to reason number 8.
8. THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER HAS LOTS OF DISCOUNTS!
Most boats haul out over the summer but are back in the water for the November boat show. Since the season doesn’t pick up until Thanksgiving a lot of boats advertise discounts for this time of year. Most people can’t travel during this time because of school holidays etc….but a homeschool family can!! If the November time frame still doesn’t work for your family we have several other great time slots that are offseason. If you’d like to have us put you on a list of announced discounts please let us know.
9. TOYS & EXPLORATION
I’ve already mentioned snorkeling and sailing, but you can tube behind the yachts tender, fish, hike, rope swing off the boat, read a book in the hammocks, paddleboard, float behind the boat….the list is long.
10. LEARN TO TIE KNOTS
Everyone should know a knot or two right? Sailors know a lot of knots but there are three that come in really handy. Make sure you know three before you leave the boat! Hint, Bowline, clove hitch and cleat hitch come in very handy even when you’re not on a boat.
11. LEARN TO SCUBA
Kids do need to be 10 to learn to SCUBA but this is another life long skill that bonds families. Learning to dive on a charter boat means you get individual attention just for you
and your family. Not to mention the shallow gin-clear waters of the Caribbean make for a spectacular place to learn.
12. GREAT PLACE FOR GEOCACHING
If you are not yet familiar with Geocaching then you soon will find a new way to add adventure to any vacation. It’s basically a treasure hunt for all ages. Locations are roughly given via GPS coordinates can be found on a geocaching website. You can get close but then you have to do a little searching to find the cache which has a surprise hidden inside! You then add your own prize for the next person to find.
Is chartering a boat expensive? How much to charter a crewed yacht?
Crewed yachts can be found for as little as $12,000-$20,000 for an all-inclusive week. Of course, it can go up from there and we have boats in all price ranges. See our what’s included and pricing sections for more info.