Veni Vidi Vixi - fourth blog - keeping kids entertained onboard

Hello Sunshine
A poem by Scarlett Lemmens - age 7

I feel the sea splashing on the boat.
I hear the wind blowing over me.
I see the rainbow behind the cloud.
I think it’s wonderful to be on a boat

Atlantic Morning
A poem by Vasare Lemmens - age 8

I hear the waves splashing side to side.
I hear the sail flapping.
I think it is spectacular on a boat.
I feel the sun shining shining down on my face.
I feel grateful to be on my boat.

My Morning on the Atlantic Crossing
A poem by Coen Lemmens - age 7

Cozy bed,
Lego getting smashed by the the boat heeling over.
I see the sun coming up.
I think...what should I build with my Lego today?

Writing poems on deck whist the sun rises occupied part of our morning but how, oh how will the children fill the rest of their day?

Like many other boats in the ARC this year, we have children along for the ride across the Atlantic. Children who will be contained in small spaces for a long time without much room for physical activity or to get away from each other. Best to keep these children busy or else risk them turning into full on wild things!

Luckily (and sometimes unluckily for me) I have three children who are all very close in age and can therefore enjoy similar activities suitable for their age range. Except when they don’t - usually during moments of full on sibling rivalry. Excellent social development training for the real world, I say.

From a young age we’ve cultivated a love of books in our family and this has proven invaluable on this journey. Hours upon hours have been spent reading everything from the Children’s Encyclopedia to the manual that came with our new life raft. Countless hours have also been spent pouring over Christmas catalogues pilfered from several large toy stores before departing Las Palmas. The accompanying Christmas lists are both refined and grow longer each day. Unbeknownst to the children, their gifts have already been purchased, wrapped and safely stowed on one of the larger yachts in our fleet - thank you Fenice.

After school work has been completed in the morning, afternoons are filled with more creative or unstructured play. My girls have a real passion for illustrating and crew-mate Jason has even given them lessons in order to develop their craft. Coen is our true Lego master and each day he builds, rebuilds and redevelops his creations, only showing minor disappointment when the boat destroys a perfected masterpiece. What once was a pirate ship with 2 sails became one with three then turned into a model of our own yacht, the following day becoming an airplane then a helicopter complete with rotating blades.

With seven people onboard there are lots of food preparation tasks for the children to be involved in and although we’ve vetoed the use of knives while at sea, they still love to be involved in kitchen tasks - more so in the baking of muffins and less so in the washing of dishes.

A newly purchased magnetic chess and checkers board sees the competitive nature in each crew member come to life as the children find new opponents to challenge to a game each day. Uno, Guess Who, Connect Four and puzzle building also come out in times when the boat isn’t pitching this way and that. Scavenger hunts for various objects also provide excitement but should only be played when other crew members are not trying to rest!

Lastly, emergency preparation has also filled in our time as I’m a big believer in the old adage - hope for the best but prepare for the worst. We’ve discussed the importance of staying calm, wearing life jackets, location of fire extinguishers and blankets, what to do if something goes wrong in the middle of the night (put on life jackets and wait together in their room - do not come up on deck until given further instructions) and what will happen if we have to abandon our yacht and get into the life raft. Let us hope that none of these situations ever occur but if they do, I hope that my children will be even just slightly prepared for what happens next.

Finally, like all children in the Information Age, my kids love devices and want to play games or watch movies each day and as each parent does, I try to keep this time to a minimum - at least in calm seas when more creative activities are possible. Yesterday we had an excellent salon onboard where all soft toys were cleaned, groomed and clipped to the highest of beauty standards. So much more fun than screen time.

Bring on calm sea states and just plentiful enough wind to help us arrive in the Caribbean swiftly and if you have any stuffed toys who may need a session at the ‘Animal Salon’ then send them on over to Veni Vidi Vixi on arrival in St Lucia.