Rain, Rain, Go Away

Another quick turnaround in the middle of a busy charter season, but the crew is ready to go for another non-stop week of fun…until they hear the weather forecast. One of the key elements of chartering is sunshine — diving, fishing, lounging on the sundeck drinking cocktails or riding Jet Skis around a tropical paradise. But when the weather literally dampens plans, crew have to think fast in order to keep guests feeling bright and sunny… even though the weather is not.

The first step to planning rainy day fun is to figure out what your guests will enjoy. Who’s on board will greatly affect the kind of rainy day activities you’ll want to plan.

Rainy Day for Foodies
If you have a troupe of food-loving guests on board, perhaps a wine tasting is in order. Depending on your location, take advantage of local food and wines. Although your guests may not want to step off the vessel into the bad weather, they can still take a food and wine tour of the area, just aboard the yacht — much to the dismay of the chef and interior crew, however, who no doubt will be running ashore in search of the perfect ingredients and doing lots of prep work in the galley.

Rainy Day for Twenty-somethings
These guests likely are looking for a party, but traipsing to the most fabulous beach bars in the rain isn’t on their agenda. So turn the yacht into their own personal bar, complete with a local beer tasting and tasty bar food like chicken wings, nachos and all the trimmings. Add in some boat-friendly drinking games — card games are the way to go, such as King’s Cup and Up and Down the River. A quick Google search and you’ll have more information than you need at your fingertips.

Rainy Day for Wild Guests
If your guests have a wild streak and don’t mind making fun of themselves, perhaps get them into some rowdy relay games, such as drag races — teams of two, one man, one woman, who must accomplish relay races in one another’s clothing. This rainy day activity will require a large group of guests — and maybe crew, too — as willing participants. Be sure a crewmember is on hand to take photos for the scrapbook.

Rainy Day for Families
Movie days are always a go-to for families when it’s raining, but rather than allowing your guests to sit in silence, get them to engage with one another during their rainy day activities by introducing interactive games. Pictionary, Scrabble and Charades are perfect games for getting some laughs. Get everyone, including the crew, involved in the fun.

Rainy Day for Children
While the adults enjoy their rainy day wine tasting on one deck, get the kiddies excited about an activity elsewhere. Send the kids into the galley with the chef to help them make dessert. First, have them craft their own chef hats with paper, markers and crayons — this will give the chef time to concoct delicious canapés for the adults and get cupcakes ready for the kiddies. Then the little ones can decorate their own personal cupcakes for their dessert. Another idea: print digital photos taken during the trip and have the kids create their own scrapbooks — break out those crayons, markers and paper again. This will keep kids busy for hours, cutting, pasting and drawing.

Rainy Day Casino
Turn the main salon into a Monaco-esque casino complete with card tables, dice games and cocktails. Guests can opt to play with real cash or treats like chocolate — especially good if kids are involved. Have crew wear their epaulettes and encourage guests to get dressed up in their finest for the occasion.

Rainy Day Murder Mystery
This idea is best suited for groups of eight or less. There are lots of murder mystery kits you can buy online, so keep one on hand and break it out when the weather gets gloomy. Encourage guests to get into character. Use props and get dressed up for the occasion. The fun will continue long after they discovered the murderer. Tip: before hosting a murder mystery party, play with the crew to get a feel for the game to keep things running smoothly.

Although half the fun of a charter vacation is being on the water, there are plenty of indoor activities than don’t include setting up shop in front of the TV or computer. Get guests active and encourage them to play — they’re on vacation, after all.