I may suffer some grief for this, but I'm going to say it anyway: I also consider a television and DVD player a must-have piece of child gear, whether it is mounted or portable. The ability to punch up Bob the Builder and Thomas the Tank Engine has enabled many hours of maintenance and cleaning on the boat. Toys that stay on the boat – and are therefore "new" each weekend – are another key ingredient.

One pleasant surprise was that traditional childproofing gear, those latches we all install at home, were largely unnecessary on the boat. The mechanisms in place to keep doors and drawers secure in rough seas do a pretty good job of keeping kiddies out as well. We simply added a pair of plastic covers to our AC and DC electrical panels, both of which were exposed, and put plastic inserts in all of the outlets.

Of course, there are many things still on my list. The panel covers need latches, and so do the folding boarding steps in the cockpit. I have my eye on a life raft. And I'm thinking about jack lines.

As a daddy and as captain, the work is really never done.

GLEN JUSTICEThe Anonymous Source has undergone many modifications in the interest of childproofing. Note the upper deck is webbed in to prevent falls.