Man and boy - would you go?

[sighmoon]

Plan for the summer is (perhaps was) to sail from the East coast (Inverness), up to Orkney, and then round Cape Wrath to the West coast.

Trouble is one crew member can no longer do it, and the other doesn't think 2 adults and an 8 year old is enough people to do it.

So that leaves only me and my 8 year old son. He's not yet that useful - he can steer (with an 8 year old's attention span) if there's something on shore to aim at, but not by the wind, or by the compass. He can let off a sheet for a tack, but doesn't have the muscles to pull a sheet in. He doesn't have the muscles to manhandle the anchor either, or the knots to tie on fenders and warps reliably.

We don't have an autopilot, but she sails herself well if the sails are balanced. We have lazy jacks, roller furling and the boat will hove to comfortably. The longest leg is 50 miles, according to Navionics.

We're both still keen to go. I see it as a learning curve for the wee man, and an opportunity to spend quality time together, which with a couple of other kids, is hard to come by.

On paper, with a fine forecast, I'm sure we could do it, but last year we met a sailing club's cruise in company where all bar one had failed to make it to Orkney. It's known to be a treachorous stretch of water, and if it was just a trip along the coast, I'd have less misgivings.

Given a favourable weather forecast, and a neap tide to cross the Pentland Firth, would you still go via Orkney?

 

[TQA]

Not without an autopilot.

Just too many things that can go wrong.

 

[lpdsn]

Plan for the summer is (perhaps was) to sail from the East coast (Inverness), up to Orkney, and then round Cape Wrath to the West coast.

Trouble is one crew member can no longer do it, and the other doesn't think 2 adults and an 8 year old is enough people to do it.

So that leaves only me and my 8 year old son. He's not yet that useful - he can steer (with an 8 year old's attention span) if there's something on shore to aim at, but not by the wind, or by the compass. He can let off a sheet for a tack, but doesn't have the muscles to pull a sheet in. He doesn't have the muscles to manhandle the anchor either, or the knots to tie on fenders and warps reliably.

We don't have an autopilot, but she sails herself well if the sails are balanced. We have lazy jacks, roller furling and the boat will hove to comfortably. The longest leg is 50 miles, according to Navionics.

We're both still keen to go. I see it as a learning curve for the wee man, and an opportunity to spend quality time together, which with a couple of other kids, is hard to come by.

On paper, with a fine forecast, I'm sure we could do it, but last year we met a sailing club's cruise in company where all bar one had failed to make it to Orkney. It's known to be a treachorous stretch of water, and if it was just a trip along the coast, I'd have less misgivings.

Given a favourable weather forecast, and a neap tide to cross the Pentland Firth, would you still go via Orkney?

In the end, you probably already know the answer either way yourself.

Few thoughts to throw in the pot:

It's not an area where there's an easy alternative if things aren't going to plan.

8 year old could easily get upset, especially if you're showing signs of stress yourself & that puts you worse off than single-handing.

The key question I'd ask myself if I were in your position is: why does the second crew member think you and he/she can't do it with a little help from an 8 year old? Should easily be do-able with two experienced yotties, so are they not experienced enough? Do they think you aren't experienced/competent enough?

 

[PhillM]

Fit a tiller pilot and go for it. You can teach an 8 year old loads. Bet he is as good a sailor as you by the end of the trip.

Just make sure you teach him to clip on early and I'd say life jackets all the time. Perhaps with inflatable auto Dan bouys on the belt and a plb in the pocket.

Other than that, why not?

 

[Vega1447]

Why not adopt a less ambitious passage plan given that you will be short-handed?

And a tiller pilot (if boat is tiller steered) sounds like a very good idea..

 

[Athene V30]

My experience with my boys when they were younger was they get bored trying to achieve longer distances. The result now they are older and have choice is they don't want to come sailing at all if trip is likely to be more than a few hours and the destination doesn't include a pub at the very least.

 

[Colvic Watson]

My experience with my boys when they were younger was they get bored trying to achieve longer distances. The result now they are older and have choice is they don't want to come sailing at all if trip is likely to be more than a few hours and the destination doesn't include a pub at the very least.

Agreed, leaving and arriving with two hours in the middle is what they seem to like best. I enjoy the rhythm of a 12 hour passage but children don't. Is coastal hopping out of the question? I also second a tiller pilot, they make sorting problems so much easier.

 

[sighmoon]

Thanks for the responses so far.

The wee man has sailed long passages before (from Devon to Inverness) and has chosen this over visiting grandparents. Admittedly he's been mostly a passenger, but this time he's a little older. I don't think boredom will be the problem.

I think the plan is to go, but If the forecast is dire, we will go through the canal instead. Scenic as it is, there's very little actual sailing to do in there, and lots of the bits that are hard singlehanded (mooring, locks, avoiding charter boats driven by numpties)

 

[JumbleDuck]

I'd go. PM coming up ...

 

[Talulah]

As a general rule no passage should be longer than age of the child in hours. So the max length passage for an 8 year old is 8 hours.
I don't know where this guidance has come from but it was something I was taught long ago.

 

[janeK]

Agree with Talulahs comments and also totally second the purchase of a tiller pilot.

Why not go?? Both of you will gain an incredible amount of time and sharing experiences and I am sure your son will remember it for the rest of his life.
Also involve him with the Navionics side of it, explaining where you are going and why you have made certain decisions, he will be thrilled to be treated as an adult and not as an 8 year old.
Might be an idea to call home nightly so that others know how you are getting on, why not let him do that side of it, part of his crewing duties???

Do let everyone know how you get on

Fair winds and enjoy

janeK

 

[JumbleDuck]

Just make sure you teach him to clip on early and I'd say life jackets all the time.

My rule in similar circumstances is "lifejacket whenever you're out of the cabin, and if the boat's not tied to something, you have to be clipped on".

An automatic lifejacket makes a huge difference, and is OK from 7/8 or so.

 

[iain789]

I did exactly that passage 2 weeks ago, Inverness, Portmahomack, Wick, Stromness. Then Stromness, Kyle of Tongue, Cape Wrath and Lochinver (though Kinochbervie or Loch Laxford would be better for a shorter day). Weather was good, no problems encountered, and I had a word with the Wick Lifeboat coxswain who gave me excellent advice regarding the tides. We were three up - three slightly elderly men - and with careful planning and suitable weather two people could do it without a problem. The wee boy's attention span and boredom factor could be a problem - electronic toys could be a help.

As with all those feared areas where the pilot books are filled with dire warnings, if you choose your moment well it will seem easy. If you get the tides or weather wrong you will have problems. Speak to the Wick harbourmaster - he is a very nice man.

 

[Uricanejack]

I don't know.

To me the question is do you feel up to making the voyage single handed.
If so go for it. You will enjoy it and it will be a great experience to share with your son which he will probably remember for ever.

If not. relying on an 8 year old. not such a good idea.
Keep the legs down to a distance and time you can do your self.


Ultimately sailing with young kids you are sailing not only alone but with the added responsibility of looking after someone who cannot look out for them self and is totally dependent upon you.
To me its a bigger challenge than sailing single handed.

I sailed a few fantastic voyages with a 9 year old and an 11 year old including an overnight race. They enjoyed it, helped some times, were more interested in the cute seals at others. They got cold and tired well before me. And they slept when they were tired.

Some of my best memories.
Even better for me.

They still remember.

 

[dylanwinter]

tiller pilot is in my opinion essential

small people get cold pretty fast

you are essentially sailing alone

he must be a pretty remarkable eight year old

I know that my son at eight would not have been up to it

D

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Only go if you reckon you could do it solo AND look after a child.

 

[Dave-Shafa]

Inverness to Aberdeen/Peterhead.
Lots of short hops.

 

[westhinder]

Only go if you reckon you could do it solo AND look after a child.

Absolutely agree.
If anything goes wrong, you have to be able to take care of both the boat and your son. It would be unfair to expect him to help you out.

 

[Sandy]

I was given the following advice about children and boats

A passage of no longer than four hours.

It works for us, but the wee one still gets bored on a five hour passage from Plymouth to Roscoff with a shop on board!

 

[Jamesuk]

Not without an autopilot.

Just too many things that can go wrong.

+1