Baby on Board

[timb]

We realised a small dream last November by finally purchasing our first yacht at the age of 38 - a cosy but lovely Sadler 26. Soon after though we discovered that my wife was pregnant with our first child.

What happens now with our sailing plans and boat ownership?
I can not see us being able to have our child on board until he/she is at least 4 - 5.
Do we sell the boat and buy anoyther one in a few years? - If we can afford to do it again.
Do we keep the boat and use it only on very calm days to motor about - we keep the boat in a marina on the west coast of Scotland.
Do we sell the Sadler and buy a motor boat? - And then change back to a Sailing yacht at a later date.

 

[Lakesailor]

You could always have a "Baby on Board" sign like motorists do. It may help in the Col Regs in a channel situation?

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Timb,

Lots of people sail with babies on board.......

 

[DJE]

Our first born went sailing at the age of 3 months in a Wayfarer dinghy; so anything is possible. Don't rush to sell the Sadler. Pick your weather and stick to short trips to start with. A saloon berth with a lee cloth shoud be a secure spot for a moses basket. I know several boats who have arranged fixing points for child car seats. It's when they start walking that things really get interesting.

 

[Talbot]

Ah - the pitter patta of tiny deck shoes.

Buy a multihull and continue to sail!

seriously, when mine were small, the first thing that they learnt was that they were not allowed into the cockpit until they were attached . I used a lighter weight rope to the strong points and if they wanted to move elsewhere they soon learnt to ask for the connector to be attached elsewhere. IMHO, they were safer onboard than at home.

 

[Roberto]

Tim,

run a search through the forum and you will find quite a few interesting posts about babies on board, one of them (putting a spinnaker sail bag on the floor near the berth -.<) saved my daughter's life -.<)

Easiest moments are 3month till 1 year: they basically sleep and eat, so it is not difficult to sail. You can leave them in the cradle, with straps to keep it from moving.

Around 1yr of age they begin moving, crawling and trying to walk like drunken sailors, that is rather more difficult to take care of, basically one person needs to be near them all the time (except when they sleep perhaps); if you are just the three of you, try to arrange your boat for singlehanded sailing, and keep longer passages for the night if needed. A bit of netting around the dining table will help to keep the baby safe and let him/her see you outside.

Personally, I do not see any need of selling the boat, on the contrary it will be a lot of fun: plug the cockpit scuppers and he/she will take the bath there, baby will have a choice of becoming a circus acrobat after having learnt to walk on a heeling rolling boat, baby little arms and hands will be invaluable for every small item you let fall inside the winch handle plastic holder, etc

honestly, a bit of organisation and it will be a very nice period for the whole family /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Salty]

From personal experience: sailing with a baby is actually quite easy. We rigged a very comfortable sleeping arrangement below, as well as a way of securing the car seat in the cockpit. The problems started at about 18 months when she started to want to 'toddle'. Having just about mastered a few steps on dry land, to have to go back to all fours on a wobbly boat was more than her dignity could stand, and the screaming started. Once, coming back into the pontoon after an afternoon's sailing to the accompaniment of a hysterical toddler, a neighbouring boat asked if she always screamed when casting off and coming back alongside? Oh no, we said, it's all the time we're out there as well....

In our case we sold the boat when at this stage (having enjoyed some great sailing during the baby years) and will buy again when her little sister is four or five in a couple of years time. Having said that, we've several friends who carried on sailing right through, so I think the best advice would be keep going until it becomes a problem and then sell the boat if necessary rather than anticipate the problem as all kids are different.

 

[drawp]

My 19 year old daughter first went sailing with us at 3 weeks old. And she still sails with us. We rigged up the forecastle like a cot and attached a car seat in the cockpit under the sprayhood. Some of my fondest memories of her as a child is of her sitting in the cockpit showing great interest in what was going on around her. In my opinion it would be a mistake to sell your boat.

 

[Das_Boot]

I bought my boat from a guy whose wife gave birth to two children on board. They only sold the boat when the first reached school going age. It was quite a pain removing all of the netting from the guard rails and the other child proof items.

 

[Salty]

As a follow up, you might consider buying 'Cruising with Children' by Gwenda Cornell. A lot of it is just common sense, and it is aimed at longer distance voyages, but it does give you 'people have done this before' re-assurance.

 

[temptress]

A very close friend of mine and his partner (now wife) had a baby late in life. By the time she was 6 weeks old she had done 2 channell crossings and spent more of her life at sea than ashore.

The sailing problems started when Katie got to about 8 years - she discovered Horses and now at 13 she refuses to go sailing and insists on going riding but Mum & Dad still have the boat.

I had had problems wiht teenagers - ..."Do we have to go sailing again? we went last month". Before that it was all exciting and good fun. Now the eldest has a boyfriend into sailing she has rediscovered everything and is taking her Yachmaster this summer.....

Do whatever you AND your wife feel confortable with. I hope you keep the boat and continue to sail.

 

[Mirelle]

Just one point

Be sure that you can sail the boat singlehanded (you certainly can, but get some practice in by yourself so that you are confident of it).

This is because your wife will be 100% preoccupied with the new arrival.

We've done it twice; no big deal. By the way, the story that babies are never
seasick is a modern myth. They can go from "suck" to "blow" in seconds!

 

[homa]

Hello timb,
Don't sell the boat....!
Took my first born on the boat at 6 weeks old and never looked back. As mentioned up to 1 year it's a doddle, baby lays in bunk or on cockpit floor and plays, gets interesting when they start to crawl, but it's all a matter of common sense.
Both boys now 2 and 4 love the boat. Just need to be sensible and not go out with the family when it's blowing a hooly.
We have stayed on the boat overnight as a family every year. There is more paraphanalia to take when baby is still in nappies and not on solid food, but can be done.
Buy a good lifejacket with crotch strap.
I fitted netting round the guardwires (available from all good swindleries) when todler started walking. Am only selling my boat now so that I can purchase larger to go foreign with the family next year.
Enjoy, sailing with the family

 

[timb]

Re: timb

My main concerns are the pitching and rolling of the boat in anything other than smooth to slight sea state. And single handed reefing and marina manouvers.

I will have to set the boat up better for single handed
I do not yet have lazy jacks or any reefing lines coming to the cockpit. What else would make single handed easier.
How easy is it to berth, anchor etc single handed?

 

[KevB]

No need to sell the boat, just be a bit more aware of the forecasts and take the baby with you. Our youngest started at only 3 weeks. It's amazing how much the sleep and the clean air does them good. Our youngest is now 3 and fairly aware of what he can and can't do on the boat.

 

[T_C]

Re: timb

We have a Sadler 25 and have sailed with our 2 daughters, now aged 4 and nearly 2, ever since the eldest was 3 weeks old.

For most of our trips, the boat can be easily be handled by one person. When a second adult is required (reefing or berthing for example) we found that an old child car seat, lashed to the saloon table, was ideal. The child can be strapped into the seat and left perfectly safely whilst whatever needs to be done is done. Face the seat backwards so that the child can see its parents in the cockpit, and ignore any protests!
Works for a short time at least.....

Having said that, since we've had the two of them on board we haven't made any long pasages, and a trip down the Tamar to the Yealm (not far) is the equivalent of a cross channel jaunt.

 

[absit_omen]

The same thing happened to us - except that I am 51 and my wife 43! We were in Menorca about to go to Turkey when we realised our plans had to change a little. We have a much larger boat (46ft) but the principles are the same.

We brought Fred on board at the age of 5 weeks and can only say that we have enjoyed every minute with him - he is now 14 months. Although we have been static in Spain for this period we are leaving next week to head to Portugal to winter, eventually, in Lagos. We have picked the brains of other families we have met and can only say that we agree with the comments Roberto makes and are prepared to make the necessary adjustments to our sailing (assume you are singlehanded, try to carry out more night passages etc).

I guess we get the greatest inspiration from a couple we met in Malta - four kids all under eight. They are now in the Pacific.

26 ft is a little bit of a squeeze but the massive upside is that you will spend more time with the babe instead of tackling the constant maintenance chores of a larger boat.

In my opinion you should stick with it. You could make life a little more pleasant by getting through the French canals to the Med. The joy of the nipper playing arround in the buff on a warm, sunny day has to be experienced to be believed! The positives far outweigh the negatives.

Good luck whatever your decision.

 

[davidfox]

we have 3 kids 4-3-&2 they all started sailing at 2 weeks old except the last who sailed at 1 week as she was 1 week late. car seats rigged up in the cockpit, car seats rigged up in the lee cloths, push chairs wedged below it all works. best time is 0 - 12months they sleep really well with the motion, it gets tougher as they get more mobile, but we are away most weekends in the summer and are sailing to Holland for 2weeks in July - kids go by ferry as it is too boring for them 18-20 hrs. stick with it.

 

[Mirelle]

Re: timb

Actually, I would not bother with lazy jacks, leading lines back to cockpit, etc. at least to begin with. These are optional refinements. You can singlehand OK without these gadgets - just practice is all that is needed. A tiller pilot can be handy though.

Anchoring and berthing are not so hard to do singlehanded - keep the sail tyers handy and remember to have lines and fenders out well in advance or have the anchor ready to drop with some chain or warp flaked on deck as the case may be.