Scenario 1: lunch on a small boat
21' boat, 4 people (2 kids under 10), 6 hours, a day at the lake for tubing, swimming, and beach play.
GEAR.....Let's talk about the gear you may need. According to Jay, we need bathing suits, towels, and money. According to me (and many other moms out there) we need
-beach toys (2 pails, 2 shovels, frisbee, 2 noodles)
-snacks (quick food for the kids to eat without making a mess)
-the meal
-drinks- water, caprisons, adult beverages
-sunscreen
-bug spray
-first aid kit (keep one on board permanently)
- 5 towels (need 1 sacrificial towel for sopping up water on board)
-life jackets for everyone on board (these stay in the boat)
-the tube- inflate it at home and secure it to the boat with bungee chords. If you have a battery operated pump, you can inflate it on the boat
Our boat had a cuddy cabin so everything went in there.
FOOD...We take a big cooler, pack it at home with ice packs, and then fill it with ice on the way to the marina. Once again, if it were up to Jay, he would bring money and probably beer.
-snacks- goldfish, tortilla chips, watermelon chunks, carrot and celery sticks
-the meal- I make sandwiches (turkey, ham, or bologna) with all the fixings (depends on who is eating which sandwich), wrap them in tinfoil, then put them all in a ziploc bag (keeps the water out). My girls also love egg salad sandwiches. They call these sandwiches "egg sandwiches on the boat". .
-drinks- bottled water, caprisons, beer, soda
If we are in the middle of a lake, we just eat on the bow or the back of the boat. Usually, we leave the marina close to lunch so we end up eating while the boat is in motion. Also, when in a small boat, the meals aren't like a picnic where you set everything out. We eat in stages so we don't have alot of things out at once.
TIPS...
1- If you must eat on the boat- do so before it gets wet. Crumbs on a wet carpet are really gross.
2- Make sure everyone keeps their sandwich wrapped in tin foil while eating- catches the crumbs.
3- Have a garbage bag handy before you start to eat.
4- Keep everything low and close to you if you are eating while in motion. Stuff will blow away.
5- Keep the cooler under a seat if you can. Easy access throughout the day.
6- Keep a small vacuum or dust broom on board. Keep the boat clean.
7- If you are having a picnic on land, think about where you are leaving the boat. If you have to walk through the water to get to land, you might be better off eating on the boat. If you can tie off at a doc, you can bring your cooler with you easily. Remember to bring your garbage bag as many places are carry in/carry out.
Scenario 2: lunch on a bigger boat
28' boat, 8 people, 4 kids under 10, 6 hours, a day at the lake for tubing, swimming, water skiing, and beach play.
GEAR.....
-beach toys (2 pails, 2 shovels, frisbee, 4 noodles)
-snacks (quick food for the kids to eat without making a mess)
-the meal
-drinks- water, caprisons, adult beverages
-sunscreen (keep this on the boat)
-bug spray (keep this on the boat)
-first aid kit (keep this on the boat)
- 9 towels (need 1 sacrificial towel for sopping up water on board)
-life jackets for everyone on board (these stay in the boat)
-the tube- inflate it at home and secure it to the boat with bungee chords. If you have a battery operated pump, you can inflate it on the boat
-skiis
FOOD...
Having a bigger boat with a refrigerator and small kitchen is much easier. We still bring a cooler, maybe 2. We also have staples on hand in the kitchen. The tough part about this is that the kids usually hang out in the cabin below deck while the boat is moving which is where all the food and drinks are. When they get hungry, they go foraging.
-snacks- goldfish, tortilla chips, watermelon chunks, carrot and celery sticks, salsa
-the meal- still sandwiches but I bring the lunch meat, bread, condiments and assemble everything in the kitchen
-drinks- bottled water, caprisons, beer, soda, wine, canned margaritas
If the boat is stopped when we decide to eat, we will set everything out like a picnic. If we are moving and people decide to eat, we prepare as needed and eat things in courses. Here are a couple of pictures from our current boat (28'). We have a couple of eating areas. In the 2nd picture, you can see an open area under our seat- that's where we keep the coolers.
TIPS....
1- all tips for the small boat still apply
2- It is much easier to go to a restaurant for a meal with 8 people. Bringing your own food saves time and money.
3- When travelling with children, always have at least a snack handy for them.
Scenario 3: dinner on a bigger boat, my favorite by far!!
28' boat, 2 people, dinner cruise to watch the sunset
GEAR...
-a couple of towels
-the meal
-drinks
-plus whatever you happen to already have on board (that will be covered in another post)
FOOD...
Without the kids on board, there are many more food options. I'm going to go with my favorite one. If we had a grill on board, there would be even more options. I make the meals at home and pack them in containers for the boat.
-pasta salad with chicken and roasted veggies (served cold), balsamic vinaigrette for the dressing
-white wine
-you could do an app of shrimp cocktail or something like that
-cheese cake or a tiramisu for dessert- something individually packaged (Wegmans!)
TIPS...
1- Its difficult to drive a boat at night. Obstacles are not always visible at night.
2- Make sure you know your route home really well. If there was an unmarked obstacle in the water on your way to your destination, it might still be there on the way back. You might have to miss out on our sunset.
3- If you can, stay over night on the boat. You can rent a slip space for the night at a marina or drop anchor somewhere.
4- Always leave a light on at night unless you are safely parked in a marina.
We have dinner in the back area of the boat. Then we sit on the bow of the boat and relax. I really want to get these chairs that fold up (expensive). We have these tinkerbell chairs that do the same thing and cost a fraction of the price.
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