Since the arrival of Frisco and Louise late last evening, all’s been quiet on the berthing front around IGY Rodney Bay Marina. It will remain so for the next twenty-four hours or so, until the last of the fleet makes their grand entrance late tomorrow night, and (hopefully) in plenty of time for Saturday’s prizegiving. So while the intensity of arrivals during the bulk of the fleet late last week has passed, participants around the marina are still reminding themselves what while they enjoy tropical sunshine and sundowners, still five boats remain at sea, getting closer now to that rum punch on the dock.
The big party today was at the pool. Children from most of the family boats in this year’s ARC descended on the marina pool for an afternoon of fun together. And only a day after the ARC Kid’s Club was hosted at the Saint Lucia Yacht Club on Reduit Beach.
Several youngsters were particularly excited about yesterday’s festivities. “I sure hope they’re going to have another Kid’s Club!” they exclaimed.
So today the kids made their own fun at the pool to celebrate not one but three birthdays. It was the big day (or week anyway) for the kids on Khujada 2, an Ovni 395. Daisy, the youngest, turned 8 today. Her brother Hugo just turned 12 four days ago and James turns 11 tomorrow.
Julian Smart, the dad, was tasked with organizing the pool party this afternoon.
“The plan is that they swim, and we don’t do much,” he joked with the other parents as they milled around the poolside, kids splashing away in the sun. “We’ll keep them safe and provide cake, sweets and lots of sugar!”
In between keeping a watchful eye on over a dozen kids, Julian gave some insight into what it was like making the crossing with three young ones on board.
“School is a challenge,” he admitted. “Homework took a backseat for the crossing. They did a little bit, but not enough. And keeping them entertained in week three was tough.”
Khujada 2 at sea.
Julian explained that on Khujada 2, the kids had some involvement in running the boat, but also added that they simply aren’t quiet big enough to do most of the work involved in sailing the boat. Khujada 2 is outfitted with a Hydrovane self-steering system eliminating that arduous task for all the crew, kids included.
“They do take a great interested in the navigation,” Julian mentioned. “They’ll do fenders and they’ll do moorings. But reefing is a little beyond them at the moment.”
Given that on an offshore crossing, reefing and unreefing is the majority of what goes on at sea in between meals, the kids really didn’t have much they could safely help out with.
As for the parental roles whilst on passage, Julian admits they are divided rather traditionally, with his wife Albane doing most of the cooking while he does a lot of the sailing.
“It’s not for the obvious reasons of sexism,” Julian emphasizes, “but more that my wife is a great cook and she doesn’t suffer from seasickness.”
Julian continued to explain that at the last minute – one month prior to departure in Las Palmas – they decided to add a third crewmember to the ‘family’ to help out on the crossing, despite the fact that they’d planned to essentially double-hand the boat themselves when they initially set out.
“We’d reasoned it’s only four times what we’ve done before,” Julian explained. “We thought we could do that. But the fatigue is quite a burden.”
The friend in question was one on a short list of…one. Julian explained that he was really the only person suited to the job that knew the kids, knew the family, was a friend, and importantly, knew the boat. He more than pulled his weight.
“It was a really good call,” Julian says. “Especially for the nights, when you want to feel safe. You’ve got your kids onboard, so you need someone you can have faith in. Plus, you all behave better don’t you, in front of strangers!”
We caught up with lots more family boat’s today – kids and their parents alike – to hear about their adventures at sea. Look for a more in-depth feature on what it’s like sailing with kids on the ARC website soon. In the meantime, check out Khujada 2's blog on family cruising here.
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The ARC parties continue tonight with the annual costume party at the Saint Lucia Yacht Club on Reduit Beach. For the past 5 years, the party had been held at Pigeon Island, so repeat participants are looking forward to the change in scenery. This year’s theme is ‘Naughty or Nice,’ the Saint Lucian’s take on Christmas, though it will be exciting to see how the participants interpret those guidelines!