Kids and parents

Feature: cruising with your family

Alice Hawkins, 11, who is 90 percent of the way through a world circumnavigation, talks about the highs and lows of life on the high seas and offers some advice for kids and parents following in her wake.

There you are, minding your own business when your parents suddenly announce: “We’re going to buy a boat and sail around the world!”. Leaping to your feet you cry, “We’re going to what?” Have your parents finally gone nuts? Don’t panic! They haven’t — yet. Or at least, not entirely.

For almost five years I have been sailing around the world with my family — Mum, Dad, brothers Edward (13) and Wil (9) — and it has been fantastic! Reflecting on some of my experiences may help you prepare for your own exciting adventure. Cruising is the ultimate lifestyle.

Getting started

We did several things to make it an easy transition for us all. Before setting off on our circumnavigation, we kept our yacht, Vagabond Heart, a Transpac 49, for two years, just pottering around our home waters of Pittwater, Sydney. We often stayed on her for weeks at a time and she became a second home for us all, so when we did finally set off on our “grand adventure,” I hardly noticed our moving from one home to another, and none of us
had any problem with it.

We had our first year cruising up and down the east coast of Australia, adapting to a very different permanent life on board. It was probably some of the best cruising we have had so far, and we’re very glad we have not missed that out in our trip around the world. Since the Barrier Reef we have not found better snorkelling. Since the Northern Territory we have not found crocodiles to match the power and size of those in Kakadu. The sunsets don’t get any better either: the glowing sun sinking into the blue depths of the ocean, turning the sky orange, red and salmon pink.

Adapting to cruising life

There was, naturally, schoolwork to be taken care of every morning of most days. This was sent to us by mail from Sydney Distance Education Primary School, and we had the
entire range of subjects: maths, English, science etc. After two years of life going to the local primary school, distance education was a very different experience. We had our
parents to teach us, but gradually we learned to work much more independently and can now finish twice the amount of schoolwork than we used to in half the time, despite
being plagued with the many distractions of life on the ocean — leaving more and more time for play!

There was also a very different form of transport to get used to. After all, there was scarcely space on the deck for a floating car and they’re rather hard to come by — but
there were dinghies, surfboards and canoes, which are much more fun.

Finding entertainment was no problem at all. Surfing, beach-combing, swimming, playing in the sand, exploring and making friends with other kids living aboard; there was always something to do on the boat. On passage we do schoolwork, read a lot, draw and I like to write, sometimes play electronic games, cards and other games and DVDs (there is no TV, of course). Being bored is an alien experience for us.

One of the most important things was learning to live permanently in close quarters with your family, 24/7.
To tell the truth, cruising has brought our family closer together in many ways, but it is still important to have your own space. My cabin is like a small retreat, the part of Vagabond Heart I can call my own. It is a priority to have your own space.

Where have we been?

So far we have been to 26 different countries. We travelled up the beautiful Australian coast to Darwin, and from there we travelled through Indonesia with the Darwin-Kupang
Rally. After, we sailed around Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand before continuing to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Oman, Yemen and up the Red Sea to Sudan and Egypt. Entering
the Mediterranean Sea we spent two seasons there, starting with Cyprus, mostly around Turkey and the Eastern Med in year one. We then left the boat over winter in Marmaris and
went to England for six months, where we lived on a farm in Devon. How different, meeting family, catching up with parents’ roots. Cold!

Next season we continued on to the Straits of Gibraltar and Morocco to the Canaries, going south to the Cape Verdes and across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. Making our way west to Panama via the gorgeous San Blas, and we went through the canal. We sailed to the incredible Galapagos Islands and then made the longest journey on the boat we have ever made at 3,100nm, to the Marquesas. At the moment we are in the Tuamotus making our way to Tahiti. We will continue the Coconut Milk Run back to Australia.

Highs of cruising life

In cruising it is good to be able to say that the highs far outnumber the lows. There are many wonderful aspects to cruising. Of course, in our near complete circumnavigation we have seen many things and have numerous stories to tell: swimming with the sealions in the Galapagos, exploring great mosques in Istanbul, hitting the reef in Lady Musgrave
and the destinations and our experiences (or at least most of them) were a definite high. Above all the people we met were amazing — their cultures and their friendliness made
them great to meet.

First, one of the highlights of cruising would be the destinations and the cultures we encounter and the experiences we have.

In Borneo we went up the Kumai River for two days, taken in a little river boat. It was beautiful pottering through the jungle, watching proboscis and spider monkeys leaping from tree to tree. We could hear the exotic birds of paradise and vividly coloured butterflies would flutter by our heads. Sleeping out on the roof of the boat in the heart of the rainforest was so special. The sounds at night were really eerie! Best of all were the red
furred orang-utans.

In Egypt we visited the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. It was true desert — sandy dunes and the occasional minor sand storm scratching at our legs and throwing sand in our eyes. Camels dressed in all their fancy blankets and great big saddles walked around the ancient pyramids, adding to the experience. We found shelter behind the giant sandstone blocks that slaves, thousands of years ago would have struggled carrying across the dunes. The Sphinx sat in the sand like King of the Desert, staring out over his domain. The sight was spectacular. Later on the same trip we sailed down the Nile in a felucca, passing cranes and buffalo drinking from the muddy, weedy water.

Another high point of cruising is the wildlife: Komodo dragons, giant tortoises, porcupines, Gibraltan monkeys, flamingos, iguanas, kangaroos, leopards, birds of paradise, orang-utans, elephants — the wildlife around the world is incredible.

Perhaps, though, the experiences at the top of the long, long list are our aquatic ones. We’ve swum with dolphins, played with sealions in the oceans of Galapagos, snorkelled with mantarays, the pussy cats of the sea, stroked the majestic green turtles and friendly
hump-headed maori wrasse, dived with steely grey sharks, watched migrating whales breach and swim under our boat, seen porpoises play at our bow wave and eagle rays leap into the air. I love the ocean.

Then there is also another key thing for kids cruising, other “kid boats,” ie other boats with families aboard.
When you’re cruising you often meet up with people who are going the same way as you, and if there’s kids, that’s all the better. We have become very good friends with some people we’ve met along the way and even when we go our separate ways, which is always sad, we keep in touch. It doesn’t take very long to become good friends, and we have a great time together. We now have special friends all over the world . . .

Also we become friends with adults living aboard, after all the world isn’t ruled by kids (yet!). Cruising has also taught me how to talk with adults and now I can talk and relate to them, just as well as with kids. Cruising has built up my self-confidence.

Lows of cruising

So, after that, what are the lows of cruising? Hmm, I’ll really have to think about that. The worst part is probably leaving home and my friends for a long time — but as we get closer to home I’m thinking more about leaving Vagabond Heart. Also, it takes a little while to get used to long passages and get over sea-sickness.

Freedom

An important message to parents: we kids need our freedom. When we go jumping off cliffs into the water, swinging in the halyards and doing other apparently risky activities, it is your natural instinct to worry. But don’t hold us back — help us find a way to do such exhilarating exercises safely. What’s life without its risks? Certainly no cruising life! And you will find that kids going cruising quickly become very responsible if given the chance.

A tip for everyone: don’t let yourselves become passengers aboard the boat. For the kids who may be reading this article: what  should you look forward to if you are going cruising? Believe me. There’s a lot. I could go on forever, if I had to, but I don’t, so I won’t. But enough blathering on my part — there are probably three main things you should really look forward to. First, the exotic experiences you are bound to have. Second, making new friends everywhere you go is fantastic and last, but not least, becoming part of the family team on the boat is something really special.

WHAT YOU WILL SEE AND WHERE

Indonesia Dancers, dragons, Hinduism, Islam and surfing
Singapore Bird Park, Raffles Marina and shopping
Malaysia Historic Melacca and Langkawi
Thailand Phi Phi Le, Phuket and the Similan Island perfection
Sri Lanka Elephants, Buddhism, tea and surfing
Oman and Aden Desert, camels, Islam and dates
Red Sea Anchoring in the desert, diving with dolphins, ancient cultures
Egypt Pharoahs, pyramids and the Suez Canal
Turkey Beautiful anchorages, history everywhere, Cappadocia,
Istanbul, Anzac Cove
England London, farm life, family and snow
Greece Islands everywhere, white and blue towns
Italy Pompeii, Rome, beautiful countryside, pasta and ice cream
Morocco Mountains, Marrakech and donkeys
Atlantic Canaries, Cape Verdes and long passages
Caribbean Rainforests and reefs
Panama San Blas, Spanish Galleons, pirates and the Canal
Galapagos Sealions, tortoises, finches, volcanoes and surf
Marquesas Garden of Eden
Tuamotus Atolls, sharks and beach bonfires

10 THINGS A KID SHOULD TAKE

1. Your parents!
2. Something special to remind you of home.
3. Your favourite games
4. Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of books!
5. Hobby materials – stitching, drawing, crafting boats.
6. An electronic game – Nintendo, gameboy etc.
7. Music – an ipod/MP3 Player etc.
8. Journal book or a diary as well as camera to record your adventures.
9. A good book to identify the wildlife of the sea.
10. A map to track your voyage.

Alice Hawkins

Alice was born in Sydney in April, 1998, and has spent the past five years circumnavigating
with her family on Vagabond Heart, a Transpac 49. At the time of writing she was in the
South Pacific, returning to Sydney, where she will start High School in 2010.

For more photos visit CH’s website, www.mysailing.com.au/galleries.