There's a scene that repeats itself every summer at Botafoc Ibiza: a family arrives at the pontoon, the children run ahead towards the boat, and the parents follow behind with a question in mind that they don't always dare to ask out loud. Is this safe? The short answer is yes. Here's the long one.
At Coral Yachting we know that a day at sea with children is not something you improvise. Planning is everything: and when every detail has been thought through in advance, the day becomes the kind of memory a family comes back to for years.
Child safety on board shapes the choice of boat. Before every family charter we check that the vessel carries certified life jackets in children's sizes (an adult one pulled tight simply won't do), that the guard rails and lifelines are in perfect condition and, where the type of boat allows, that safety netting is fitted along the sides and around the bow.
That netting is the difference between parents who spend the day watching and parents who spend the day enjoying it. It lets the little ones move around the deck without every step setting off an alarm bell.
Then there's everything you don't see: wide, stable bathing ladders, shaded areas for the middle of the day, and a safety briefing at the start, given to the children too, in their own language and at their own level.
A professional skipper handles a boat. A kid-friendly skipper handles the whole day as well. They know to drop anchor before hunger strikes, that the first swim is taken slowly and with the engine off, that a five-year-old needs the anchor explained as though it were buried treasure, and that a teenager needs five minutes at the helm to put the phone down.
Our crew adapts the rhythm of the day to the family, not the other way round. And that includes something as unglamorous as it is essential: choosing the timing and the route so that nobody feels seasick and everybody gets the most out of the experience.
The most common mistake when chartering a boat with children in Ibiza is wanting to see it all. With children on board, less is more.
The coves on the west of the island (Cala Bassa, Cala Comte, Cala Salada) offer calm water, sand and short passages. To the south, Cala Jondal and Es Cavallet let you combine a swim and lunch without long stretches under way.
And then there's Formentera. A family holiday in Formentera from Ibiza doesn't mean packing up and moving: a single day's sailing is enough to anchor off Ses Illetes, where the water is crystal clear and shallow enough to stand in for metres on end. It is, quite possibly, the finest natural swimming pool in the Mediterranean for children. Short passages, long anchorages. That's the formula.
How old does a child have to be to come on board? There's no legal minimum age. With babies, short trips in calm seas are perfectly possible, always with a properly fitted life jacket and permanent shade.
Is there anything special we need to bring? High-factor sun cream, a hat, a change of clothes and a towel. We provide the rest.
What if my child gets seasick? We choose sheltered routes and anchor early. And if it happens anyway, the crew knows exactly what to do.
Tell us your children's ages and the kind of day you have in mind, and we'll suggest the boat and the route that suit your family best.
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