Voyaging With Kids - A Guide to Family Life Afloat

“A treasure-trove of useful, well-organized information on sea-going parenting.”

—Gary “Cap’n Fatty” Goodlander, Author of Buy, Outfit and Sail

 Choosing a boat that is right for your family; handling the naysayers; keeping your children safe, healthy and entertained afloat—this inspirational and comprehensive guide may be just what you need to turn your dream into a reality. The three authors, who have each voyaged thousands of miles with children on board, provide a factual and balanced look at the realities of life on the sea. From their own experience and with information from  interviews with dozens of other voyaging parents, they discuss caring for an infant on board, handling the changing needs of children as they grow, education options, ensuring parents find the private time to keep their relationships in tune, and helping children make the eventual transition back to shore life. Added to the authors’ voices are sidebars from other cruising parents with specialized information on subjects as diverse as handling special diets and how your children can keep in touch with friends around the world. A unique bonus chapter, written by a dozen former cruising kids looks at the long-term effects of breaking away from shoreside normalcy. A substantial appendix of resources provides invaluable further information on every subject covered in this book.

It is said that every parent inflicts their lifestyle choices on their children. Read this book to find why heading out to sea with your children may be the most rewarding infliction of all.

from the back cover...

Passion, resilience, perseverance, humility are just some of the words you can learn when at school. Or you can give your child (and yourselves!) the most amazing education this planet can provide. Taking a child long-distance sailing requires another useful word: planning; 'Voyaging with kids' delivers with this comprehensive guide. Take the plunge and we will see you out there.--  Phillip Ross, Editor Cruising Helmsman (Australia)

This is the book that my wife and I wished existed when we were starting out.  Voyaging with Kids does a wonderful job of providing authoritative answers to every question that parents face when they dream of taking their families cruising.  It will help you make the leap from "wouldn't it be nice?" to "this is great!" -- Mike Litzow, author of South From Alaska: Sailing to Australia with a baby for crew

For far too long there has been a gaping hole in the cruising bookshelf - a comprehensive resource on taking your children along. Voyaging with Kids more than ably fills that hole by sharing the hard-won lessons from the book's three authors, all of whom have done it, and by drawing on the experiences of other cruising parents and cruising kids. Voyaging with Kids guides you through every aspect of managing family life afloat and addresses, among other topics, home schooling, passagemaking, health concerns, and childproofing the boat. Whether you're on a powerboat or a sailboat, whether you're a parent or a grandparent, whether the kids will be coming along for a few weeks or for a few years - Voyaging with Kids will give you the tools you need to make the experience everything you dream it will be for you and for your children.—Beth Leonard, Author, Voyagers Handbook

Sell the house, buy a sailboat, see the world: Simple, right? Except for, gulp, your family. Well, few things worthwhile in life are ever easy, but in the smart, authoritative, inspirational Voyaging with Kids, the case is made that such lofty dreams of sailing over the horizon aren't only imaginable, they're attainable. From purchasing the vessel, to homeschooling, to safety and seamanship, this informative, well-written guide, sprinkled with personal success stories from cruising sailors who made the break, covers every base an adventuresome clan needs to set sail for distant shores. The only question that will ultimately remain is: Why didn't we do this sooner? –Herb McCormick, Editor, Cruising World Magazine

Reviews for Voyaging with Kids

Here are a few excerpts from these reviews, the full review is available here:

“A beautifully designed and very comprehensive reference…What these authors have done is extraordinarily valuable. They’ve done enormous research to provide access to the kind of information every parent needs before taking off, and they share real life assessment of how everything actually translates into practice.  This is destined to be a bestseller in the sailing books category…the parenting bible for the cruising family.  I believe it’s the first book of its kind, and that is an accomplishment in itself.”  Daria Blackwell --- CoastalBoating.com

“A few days ago, I was given a pre-release PDF of Voyaging with Kids as a review copy. I read it over the last two evenings and I was just blown away by the wealth of information that it contains. And not just for those who are planning to cruise with kids!”  Carolyn Shearlock – theboatgalley.com

“This is a gorgeous book with additional interviews with and input from many other cruising families. If you know of a sailing family with the dream of cruising, buy them the book and then watch their children blossom — far from the maddening crowd — into very capable, independent, and special people.”  Karen Larson –Editor, Good Old Boat