Kids on boats

[Jimlad]

Hi all, anyone got any hints and tips, views or experiences, on taking young children on board?

[Gary]

Hi Dave,  We have always sailed with our three boys and started the youngest when he was two days old.  The boys are now young men that are 19, 25, and 27...and we still sail together as all of our days and schedules permit.  In the early days we did frequent day and weekends as well as loading for two weeks of coastal Maine sailing in a C25. In a C34 we have the space and privacy to accommodate them as they have gotten bigger and the 34 (new to us three years ago) has re-excited us all!  We have found sailing an important and shared family tradition.

The following are offered as helpful hints:

1.  No matter how difficult the days start, sailing has a way of enfolding everyone in its rhythm.  Never give up after a difficult day or moment or think they are too young.  Whatever crap has been brewing at home will become obvious in the first few hours.  It will work itself out and at the end of the day everyone will be the better for the experience...and happier!

2. Sail in company of others who enjoy kids. Ours recount the days invited aboard other boats to help sail.  Recently we were with old sailing friends that have now started their families and our kids told them of remembering their practicing parenting skills.

3. Cook nice meals and favorite foods that kids like and make a big deal about the process. Involve them in all of that.

4.  Dine out with other boaters and have a fun time with big tables and lots of people.

5.  Carry games, books, musical instruments, and yes ipods and other digital toys.  Kids will find inventive ways to amuse themselves on their own below decks.  Ours loved to barricade themselves in forts with sails and backpacks.

6. Make time for swimming, exploring and hiking new places.  Generally a short day for that now and then is a good idea.  Coastal estuaries have great tidal flats and rocks for exploring sealife.

7.  Fishing aboard is always exciting.  We troll for mackerel, bluefish, and stripped bass.  Even under a single sail at 3.2 knots we often had two rods over the side.  And we caught a lot of fish.

8.  I could keep going forever here but the best thing I can say to be helpful is to go back and reread number one !!

[Jimlad]

Gary, that's great information and really appreciated. We're getting a few raised eyebrows here when we say we're taking our little one sailing.  Comments such as "isn't that too dangerous, are you sure that's wise, etc, etc"  Wowsers we call 'em here in Oz!!!

[Tom Soko]

Dave,
Both of our girls grew up on our sailboats.  My oldest was only two weeks old when she spent her first weekend on the boat.  My wife and I decided we wanted to promote safety and good habits when on the boat, so we did not install any netting around the lifelines.  I have seen it on some boats, but there is always SOME spot where a small person could get thru the lifelines.  The rule that we made from day one, and enforced it firmly, was that when the girls came out of the cabin, their life jackets had to be worn.  No ifs, ands, or buts.  No lifejacket, no boat.  It also had to be worn on the dock, and in the dinghy.  That's easy for me to say (I've been thru the hissy fits, too!), but after a few tantrums, and if you are firm, they'll accept it.  One thing we did to ease the pain was to take the girls shopping and let them pick out their own life jackets.  Snoopy and The Little Mermaid were the choices if I remember correctly.  Another trick someone told us was to practice with the life jackets at home.  Small time periods at first, then longer.  For Christmas one year we bought our girls "their own" boat, a small $20 inflatable.  They spent hours in the basement playing with it and their "boat jackets".  The age of 1-2 will probably be the toughest for your child.  He/She has just learned to walk, and probably has a tough time of it on level ground.  Add a few degrees of heel, cleats and blocks to stumble on, and he/she will fall down a few times.  The rewards of seeing the self-confidence in your child are amazing.  I suppose it goes without saying that things like cleaning supplies and other dangerous items should be securely stored away.  I'd also suggest swimming lessons.  I've heard they can start very young and are worthwhile. Hope this helps.

[Jack Hutteball]

Dave,
both of our kids were on our 22 foot boat from the time they were 2 weeks old.  This included weekends on San Francisco bay and out under the gate.  They loved the motion.  They stayed in the quarter berth most of the time while real young and moved to the forward birth as they got older.  In those places they could never roll out.  We had no lifelines so as they started to walk they were continually in life jackets and sometimes on a short teather.  They both loved the boat and wanted to go.  We moved up to a 27 boat as they got older so we had more room.  One of the things we did as we cruised is made sure they had plenty of shore time to explore and enjoy the beach at each new destination.  As they got older trips included their friends which was a real plus for all of them.  that way they never complained they wanted to stay home alone.  It was a treat for their friends as well.  Now we are having the joy of taking grandchildren on the 34 and they love it.  Helping grandpaw steer the boat and rowing around in the dingy are a real treat.  They can't wait to come for a visit.  yes, and they are 2 and 4 and in two weeks we get to initiate the 6 week old on his first sailing trip.  I would have to say it has been a great experience, and a real family thin for us.  Go for it.
Jack

[Rick McCall]

Hi, we have 2 daughters currently 6 and 4. We have been cruising the last 3 summers on the 34, about 3 weekends out of 4 are spent away on the boat. The kids love it, especially the trips to the beach in the dinghy with their buckets and shoves. We stress saftey (as in the previous notes), the kids wear their lifejackets on the dock and in the dinghy. When underway they wear harnesses which we clip in the cockpit. At their age we don't allow them to leave the cockpit when underway unless it is to go below. Since they've been sailing since they were young they don't mind the heel angle or the waves. In fact they like sailing better than motoring because it is a lot quieter. We find they spend half the time we are underway down below playing and the other half in the cockpit. They have 'boat' toys and books that they look forward to playing with each trip. We do find that 4 hours is about the limit for being underway before they start getting restless, we just plan our trips accordingly.

[Rick McCall]

I forgot a couple of points on my previous post. The kids don't enjoy it when it is cold so winter cruising is still out. We find the key is to keep the trip short, 4 hours max if possible, and spend lots of time off the boat during the day. We also have an anchorage that is close (Bedwell Harbour on Pender Island) that has access to a pool. With kids on board we find you have to be flexible, about both routine and boat cleanliness, and make it fun for them.

[Mark G]

Tow them in the dinghy (with PFDs on).
Motor when the sailing is slow to get there faster.
Run a cord from an inverter to a small TV and watch movies in the cockpit while underway at night or on a cloudy day.
Tow a little boat. (Our "Tugsy" logged hundreds of miles.)
Fish.
Bring your dog along.
Throw out a man overboard pole and let them motor up to it backwards and forwards. Give a prize to the one who gets closest.
Stay in each port two days so the kids can do other stuff.
Anchor out and swim.
Fly kites on light days.
Make room for remote control boats. (They recharge with very little power.)
Accept that you will go into town to shop.
It took a near mutiny years ago for this dad to realize I could compromise and sail WITH the family or be hardcore and sail alone.

Cheers!
--Mark

[Hans Troemel]

Hey

Don't know how young your kids are - ours are almost 5 and just turned 1 - and age makes a difference.  We're on a lake, so we're limited when it comes to distance and docking at night is always an option.  So is the promise of ice cream at the local DQ    The PO left a TV with a VCR onboard which motivates the older kid to be good during the day (I knew there was a reason to collect all those Disney movies!).  We always bring a big box full of toys.  The older one likes LeapPad and that can occupy him for hours.  Also, we invested in some good water guns - they are both entertaining and refreshing.  The baby is much harder.  He's only just now getting big enough to fit in the smallest infant life vest we could find.  I have strapped him to me with a Mei Tai in the past, but I have to have a life vest on underneath to past muster with the GA DNR.  Previously, we could gate him in the V-Berth or aft cabin with a bed net, but now he's just too good at climbing.  We have a portable high chair that we strap in the cockpit to put him in during "high stress" times like leaving and returning to dock - he may be screaming, but at least he can't go anywhere. 

Wow - this was my first post!  We've only had our 34 since April.  I'd love to take this chance to tell yall how much we've learned from these boards.  We're looking forward to many years of family memories.  Now, all you that have raised kids while actively sailing - what happens when they outnumber you?

Wendy

[HydroTherapy]

Hello David...

I sail with a 2 and 4 year old.  Of course we have netting around the life lines.  Something else we did was add another handrail lower down on the stairs from the cabin to the cockpit.  It has helped my 4 year old be more independent.  If you do this make sure you do not block the bottom step from coming out to check the engine.

David

[Tom Soko]

Wendy,
You have to switch from man-to-man to a zone defense!!!   :-)

[Michael Algase]

Wendy -

We welcome the extra kids (but it is a "zone defense".  We live far enough from the boat that when we go, we are "at the cottage" for the weekend.  We have two kids, 11 & 7.  We'd much rather have the kids asking to bring a friend for the weekend, and staying with us, than asking to stay at a friends house for the weekend.  As was already mentioned, this tends to be a new expereince for the guest kids, and our family time stays intact.  I'd expect to see some change as the mid-teen years move in, but we'll take what we can get while we can get it.

We started when the oldest was 2.  We added the netting right away, but lifejackets are mandatory whenever out of the cockpit at the dock, and whenver we are not at the dock (even if they are down below).  The netting is still on the lifelines, but that is for the dog now, not the kids.

Michael

[reedbr]

I've got two girls and a boy currently ages 11, 9, and 8 that have been sailing since each was born.  I've been through a Catalina 22, 27 and now the 34.  We did the "pick your own lifejacket" game, used the lifeline netting for awhile, and involved them in the boat operations (steering/sail handling/docking/meal prep+planning) as early as possible.  We have an extensive game box too.  When they were very young, a pack-and-play in the cabin was a safe zone to give time to focus on things like docking when needed.  We've also tied a car-seat in the cockpit so they could sit safely during the toddler years and look around.  Additionally, on really hot days I used to use child-size harnesses in the cockpit to avoid cooking them in their lifejackets.  Now they are required to pass the "5-minute test" each spring (tread water for 5 minutes) to get eased restrictions on lifejackets at anchor, on the dock, in the cockpit or even on deck on light-air days.  When the wind kicks up, everybody above deck gets lifejackets on including inflatables for mom and dad.  I get very little complaining since everybody knows the rules.   

In retrospect, the early years were easier.  Now I'm fighting the boredom issue.  As we haven't located any sailing friends in our area, raft-ups are a rare treat.  We bring their friends when we can, but it seems like kid's schedules are booked solid year-round.  A dinghy is a good activity and they have all learned to row.  We also purchased a boat-pool (netted swimming area) so swimming is possible in the jellyfish months.  I'm inclined to gear up for fishing next, and I like the remote controlled boat idea.  I'm also like the idea of turning the boat over to the kids for a MOB drill using a fender.  I've avoided the TV but we do have a DVD player we've used from time-to-time.  What would be nice is to find another sailing family but until then I'm working with what I've got.  I'm contemplating a kayak too if I can figure out how to carry it unobtrusively.

I'm all ears if anybody has suggestions for 'tweeners and sailing.  We did quite well through the infant and toddler years so I think it is the captain that needs to make some adjustments here so everybody is happy! :)

Good luck.

[Jeff_McKinney]

To all,

Thanks for the good advice, handy hints, etc. The Admiral & I are expecting twins (ETA end of November), so the timing for the post is good. Herself is a bit concerned about having little ones rolling around in the quarter-berth next year if stink-pot goes roaring by or we hit a lumpy bit of water. I figure some good padding with pillows and towels will work. Engine noise & heat might be a bit much though. 

There are always the car seats, but those would be a bear to haul. Has anyone heard of successfully rigging small hammocks in the main cabin? 

Thanks

[captran]

We sail 2 months every summer so that was a part of life as our youngest has grown up.  I echo what others have said but would add a few things.  When Ross was three months we found a folding screen type arrangement (probably made for a couch?) that fit under the cushion on the setee and folded up to keep him from rolling off.  went up about 10 ", had stainless tubing.
When he was little we had little gifts that he could open up every week- super heroes, boats, cars, etc.  9 weeks= nine small gifts.  When cruising the Bahamas had big umbrella, pleanty of sun screen, and always a 12V fan to keep him cool.  A bucket of water, a hanging "johnny jump up" seat that we hung from the boom while at anchor.  Lifeline netting one our first 2 boats.  And lots of sea life to entertain. He loved hanging from the bosuns chair and swinging around, ecploring beaches in the Bahamas, and snorkeling, spear fishing, and when in the NW from 4 to11, tidepools, fishing... Sigh- I miss those days.  As he got bigger, 7 years ago we added an inverter and TV for movies and video games and always kept a look out for other boats with kids, so that we could sail in company-sometimes spending the night on eachothers boats...but alas, he is 17 1/2 and this summer, after 8 days with a friend along, opted to get a ride when his friends dad picked him up and spent the summer with grandma.  We hope someday that he'll remember the adventures with good thoughts, but as an older teen, when we returned to the NW 2 years ago, he found it "boring".