Jobs for the boys

[NFCN]

I was reflecting at the weekend on the 2007 season which saw my young crew pick up a list of crew jobs, formally incorporated into the ‘Ship’s Papers’ (Swallows and Amazons-style) and sellotaped to a bulkhead by the eldest as a reminder. They seem to relish the responsibility and although we get the occasional strike action and general refusal SWMBO and myself are beginning to think they are becoming a net asset on board.

As it’s always useful to grow your own crew, I wonder if any other family sailors might wish to add to the current list, so I can work them harder next year…

Son No 1 (aged 7), responsible for:

Turning seacocks on and off
Putting up and taking down the Ensign
Turning on and off all instrumentation & lights
Putting up and taking down Danbuoy, horseshoe lifebelt & strobe light
Coiling warps and sheets (v useful that)
Tying fenders on and taking them off
Getting bow lines, stern lines & springs ready
Other reef knots, clove hitches, bowlines, running hitches, sheet bends & RT & 2 HHs as required
Going half way up in the bosun’s chair before screaming ‘no more!

(Next year – basic helming, winching and buoyage/lights/sounds/rules of the road recognition, whipping (of sheets and halyards, not discipline) & reaching the spreaders aloft…

Son No 2 (aged 5), responsible for

Taking canvas covers on and off
Taking instrument covers on and off
Placing winches in their pockets
Throwing fenders overboard when son no 1 has tied them on & pulling them in

(next year – as much of Son no 1’s list as he can manage)

 

[Guest]

Mine loved scrubbing the decks. Especially if commanded to do it Captain Bligh style. Weird or what!

 

[john_morris_uk]

Ours were allowed to row the dinghy for several years until they graduated to being chief taxi driver with outboard. (What they are not allowed to do is to go and play in the dinghy and wizz round in circles and annoy other boat users). However its amazing the number of trips to the gash (poubelle run) that son will volunteer for.

He is currently trying to argue that a larger outboard would be an 'essential safety item' which is the same code that his Dad has for his reasons to spend money on the boat...

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Applies to all the children
1. Keep your cabin tidy
2. Stll keep your cabin tidy
3. Anything still on the deck after 1 and 2 goes ob.

Eldest (13) is responsible for the foredeck and side decks, ropes to be coiled neatly, fenders lashed in baskets when tidal etc and deck clean. Middle (10) is responsible for loose stuff on the bridge and keeping that tidy, youngest (5) is in charge of the cockpit as she is too little to go up and down the bridge ladder unsupervised.

For no clear reason the smooth function of the head and holding tank systems remains Dad's problem, as does anything in the bilge, enginebay, electical lockeror otherwise grubby. SWMBO is in charge of G&T consumption and sunbed lounging, tasks at which she works her socks off.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I have remembered that our daughter (now 17) is the official log keeper and our son (now 15) takes charge of the cockpit locker. He is very indignant if anyone touches anything in 'his office' and we have to ask pemission to go in there.

Daughter will also do engine checks - oil etc. We once entertained a boy on board who she had the hots for - I suggested he help her with engine checks thinking that this would impress the young man. Unfortunately he was of the type who wasn't intererested in engines...

 

[colvic987]

my son (16) is in charge of the hull, he scrubs the antifoul once or twice a season, whilst tide is out, (he moaned a bit when the tide was in, so don't expect him to do that anymore) /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif, he washes the hull on liftout for the winter, and gets the boat ready for the lift in, including the a/f, and checks the anode for replacement, i end up doing the rest of the jobs...

before anyone asks, no he is not forced to do it...but flogging will continue until the crews morale increases...

 

[Lakesailor]

What, even after she offered to wipe his dip-stick? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif