Great Idea for Kids on Charter
One of the motoryachts I saw last week at the industry-only Newport charter show was the 55-foot Fabiola II. She had a smart, kid-friendly feature onboard that I’ve never seen anywhere else, even on yachts three times her size.
It’s called a Raymarine LifeTag Wireless MOB System (the MOB stands for man overboard). As you can see in the photo above, it’s small enough to attach to a child’s life jacket, or to stuff into a child’s pocket. The LifeTag operates on the same wavelength as a master unit that is mounted in the center of the boat, so that any time the LifeTag–or the child carrying it–gets more than about 30 feet from the center of the boat, a loud beep sounds onboard.
Thus, should you be docked at a marina, a child could not wander off without you knowing it. Perhaps more seriously, should a child fall off the boat while it’s under way, you would know within seconds so that the captain could stop the boat and get the child back onboard immediately (that would be a rarity on this boat, I think, as it is well-outfitted with a child gate on the top deck, but it’s nice to know the system is in place nonetheless).
What a nifty feature, especially onboard a charter yacht whose weekly base rate is just $11,000 for four guests. The $600 price tag for this unit at West Marine is less than most larger, crewed charter yachts spend on champagne for the week. There’s absolutely nothing, to my thinking, that should prevent this device from becoming standard equipment onboard all charter yachts that welcome families with young children.
Kudos to Fabiola II for leading the way. She’s part of the fleet at Neptune Group Yachting. Learn more about the boat, or about how to book a week onboard, from any reputable charter broker.