The year is moving fast. If you have not done so already. It is time to hook up the boat, grab the family and head out onto the water to enjoy endless sun. Feel the sand between your toes and of course to have an adventure or three. My family and I are truly grateful for the opportunities that the Fraser Coast offers us in terms of an outdoors lifestyle. Much of it spent on the water enjoying the pristine wonders of the Great Sandy Strait, Platypus Bay. And of course, the world heritage listed and truly amazing Fraser Island.
New to Boating with Family?
If you are new to boating. Or, someone who has yet to take the leap into packing the family up. And heading away for the day in a smaller trailer boat. Then this article will hopefully be of some help to you.
My gorgeous wife Genevieve and I have sat down and created a list of the lessons we have learnt over the years. Things that we believe can help you and your family to have a relaxing and spectacular day on the water. We follow a simple formula for our trip planning. To ensure we all get to enjoy aspects of fishing, boating and playing equally. And, which seems to have helped in cementing our addiction for an outdoors lifestyle.
The formula is as follows – Plan, pack, launch, fish, beach, play, eat, change, home.
Where to Start
Always check the weather forecast and always play it safe. Consider distance and travel time, our recommendation at first is to reduce the distance and time to help reduce your own level of stress. Once you are all well versed and comfortable, gradually increase distance and travel time. This is where we on the Fraser Coast are incredibly lucky as we have dozens of isolated little white sandy beaches within 10 to 15 minutes from most boat ramps.
Before you even get the boat to the ramp you will be faced with a couple of significant challenges. Packing and safety preparation are two topics which over the years we as a family have refined significantly. I admit that I am extremely cautious these days, especially when it comes to heading out on the boat with my 6 and 9-year-old boys. So cautious, that I am yet to take them out on my own. I prefer a second adult with me for the simple fact, that I can not be in two places at once.
Safety
For some the mere mention of the word safety produces blank stares and boredom. For that reason, we have approached safety from the ‘get go’ as a family and have made it as fun as possible. Get the family involved in boat and trailer checks before you leave home. It is a great way for them to become familiar with the layout of the boat but also helps develop a great level of familiarisation on where things are in the unfortunate event of an emergency.
Let them practice on the radio, get them familiar with the boats grab bag, epirb, flares etc but of course do it under close supervision as sometimes little hands forget to turn things off. Ask them ‘what will you do if daddy falls overboard?’ or ‘what will you do if daddy has a heart attack?’. Maybe have a few checklists to follow and work through a rehearsal or two. The most important thing we feel, is not to scare them, but to grow their confidence.
Packing
Next up is packing, this is very easy for us now, but trust me it has taken many trips to refine and of course is very dependant on your own family situation. Our advice is to go as light as you are comfortable with. No one wants to spend all day trudging up and down a beach unloading and then loading item upon item. However, to start with you will probably want to take a few creature comforts and as time goes on you will refine the load more to just the basics.
Fishing
Go fishing, but forget about long, hour upon hour sessions chasing the giants of the deep. Keep the fishing session short, sharp and sweet and above all remember any fish landed will be a huge win for the family. The trick here is to concentrate on skills and technique, but land something!
The family will fish while you watch, at least until their confidence grows. It is amazing how quickly the kids will pick things up. If you keep them interested with small wins over a couple of trips they will strive to do better and better. Before you know it, they will be out fishing you!
Shade
We recommend a source of shade as a must, if we are going out for the entire day we pack our 3×3 metre gazebo. If it a half day trip or less we generally use whatever nature provides for shade. The key thing here is to pack and use something which is easy to set up. The same can be said for seating, if it is an all-day trip we might take a couple of fold up camp chairs or a large picnic rug and an esky to keep things cool, but for half day trips or less we ditch the chairs and simply look for fallen logs, grass patches etc. We use our 40-litre esky to pack all our food and find that this sized esky is quite easy to move from and to the boat.
Clothing
Regardless of having young boys or girls, you will be amazed at how many times they get wet and dirty, so packing a change of clothes for the kids is a must. We generally have them dressed in swimmers and sun shirts for the trip out and they spend most of the time in these. We then get them to change when on the boat for the return journey as it can get quite cool later in the day, especially moving at speed in a small open boat. Remember to pack towels, and we keep a jumper or jacket for each person in a dry bag for use on the return journey.
Food
When it comes to food and water, take more than you expect to consume. Fill the esky, if your kids are anything like ours, the minute they stop playing and get on the boat they will want food. Don’t think you have to pack mountains of kid’s toys, we generally only pack the boys boogie boards and maybe a small bucket and hand net. Encourage them to use their imagination and nature to play. You will be amazed at what they will find while exploring the shallows and how long they will spend swimming and charging around in the water and up and down sand dunes.
Forget The Tech
Our tip here is to not get distracted, put the tech away and join in, let them push their boundaries and grow but always keep an eye on them. This is especially important around water, as it only takes a few moments for tragedy to strike. Watch the currents and tide, not only can lack of attention here end up in an unplanned extended trip but strong currents can be a risk for kids while swimming. Also practice anchoring before you take the family out, have a well-rehearsed system in place, that provides you with confidence to anchor your boat and not be looking over your shoulder every few seconds as you worry about where your boat is.
Amenities
Let’s not avoid the topic of amenities, specifically toilets. Everyone will have their own requirements on this front, and for some people this will be a deal breaker. However, there are many options, just go and visit your local camping store and ask for some advice. Keep it simple but accommodate people’s needs. Regardless don’t forget to pack toilet paper and hand wipes.
Final Thoughts
In closing, keep things simple to reduce the stress. Make sure you capture the memories, create an addiction. Your health and the health of your family will improve and before you know it any favourable window in the weather, will earn a sidewards glance from your family. Who will be packed and ready to go within moments. Leaving you scratching your head wondering why you didn’t embark of this adventure sooner.
All the best folks and as always, we look forward to meeting you out on the water.