Sailing with young children

Opsguy1979

Opsguy1979

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Hi all,

I have a new crew member that has joined us in the form of my 8 week year old son. Whilst I will give him some time to find his feet first eventually I will get him on the boat.

So my question is doe's anyone out there have any experience sailing with a young family? Any dos or dont's?

Now I will take it when the health visitor asks if I have any questions that asking when can I take him down the boat might just be outside her remit. :-) So what are your opinions? Do I leave it a year?

It would be great to get some thoughts from people that have been there and done it or are even doing it.


Cheers Karl
 
Congratulations Karl.

I didn't sail until my kids were grown up. One tip I've read is to buy a secondhand car seat and bolt it a plank of wood that will fit into the washboards slot.

I expect Laurin will be along soon - her littl'uns were aboard when very young.
 
Thanks Rodger,

That's an interesting idea. Exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for.

I was up the marina yesterday starting to get her ready for the season. I hadn't been up there since Nov so was nervous that I might find her parked in Chelmsford. All ok though.

Cheers Karl
 
Our daughter was around 3 when we bought our boat and no problems to report thus far.

We only applied the basic sensible principles, life jacket if needed (when on deck and boat is sailing) and not going on long passages in bad weather.

Bare in kind you'll essentially be single handed with occasional help as the little ones need attention when they're not asleep!

I wouldn't wait till a specific age to start taking them. Hope it goes well!
 
Start 'em young

Aged 6 weeks on passage Plymouth to C.I./France

Harry-baby-on-Sea-Moon.jpg
 
Our first experience was with our then 15 month old on the Broads. After a couple of cancelled nights I managed to get some Welldorm syrup for the budding monster. It was found necessary to double the dosage each night until about the third or fourth night at well above the recommended dose he/it behave like a demon possessed for about 20 minutes until he collapsed comatose for a glorious few hours. Did I tell you about when we poisoned him with worm medicine?
 
The problem surely is that it is a strange environment to small children and they just might not like it but won't be able to tell you. Strange as it may seem some people (and I include children in this) have a violent aversion to being on the water. I know I will be in a minority of one with this view and no I am not a troll.
 
I just found what I wrote a couple of years ago in response to a similar question.

It is all doable and different things work for different folks, my suggestion would be to try it with a focus on keeping it light and fun for all concerned. A sense of humour and a commitment to not shouting at anybody is probably more important than any kit you might buy.

Our twins, now 14, first came aboard when they were six months old (they were born in October) and did their first cross channel at 18 months. Forepeak was turned into a padded cell with cushions, sleeping bags etc. and this also worked as a playpen until the girls were about 2. Once they could walk LJ's were non negotiable and they had to be clipped on once out of the cockpit. Most journey's were relatively short until they were about 4 but they regularly lived aboard for a three week summer holiday when they were little.

Main issues were about keeping it fun for them, so destinations were decided by presence of beaches and crabbing locations rather than pubs and restaurants. Only real problem was the fact that they always seemed to need urgent attention just as we were mooring up in a tight marina berth with a cross wind and strong tide.
 
Hi Karl,
Congratulations! Both mine have been on board since babies, from about 5 months but that was dictated by the time if year rather than their age. Have lots of suggestions, the best of which would be for you to come and spend a day with us when we are on the water. Even if we don't go out for a sail you can see what we have done, and if we do go out then there are extra pairs of hands. We're in Burnham so I suspect not too far out of your way.
 
Sound advice from Laurin. All four of ours have been afloat, the youngest two since a week old. Children need a whole other thread but for babies:

1. Car seat as suggested, then as a toddler an old high chair seat, cut off the legs and screw it down.
2. Change the boat or change your sailing; I'm sure some have managed at 20 degrees heel but not us. We changed to a cruising cat, Mrs Kipper and the little kippers loved it and are all now firmly hooked. Then we changed to a wheelhouse yacht and they love it as much as I do.
3. Nippers dislike flapping canvas and being splashed with cold water. Short trips with just the main up, plenty of motoring (the vibration and noise helps them sleep as well).
4. Really short trips at first does help build confidence, our first trip with children was 300 yards out of the marina and back in again!
5. Remember you will be single handing, Mrs Opsguy will occasionally be able to help.
6. Beef up the washing facilities, we bought one of those small rubber truggi things that you use for horse feed and it made a great baby and toddler bath, still use a bigger one with the youngest two.

You meet so many blokes whose families have stopped sailing with them because the guy only wanted to do it his way and couldn't understand why the family didn't like it. And a few who are sailing to escape the family. Big compromises on our part in the choice of boat, but holidays afloat now are fantastic family bonding time, three children, two adults and a pair of dogs :)
 
Paddingtonbear said:
The problem surely is that it is a strange environment to small children and they just might not like it but won't be able to tell you. Strange as it may seem some people (and I include children in this) have a violent aversion to being on the water. I know I will be in a minority of one with this view and no I am not a troll.
Click to expand...

No. You are quite right. Some children get quite fazed by being on a boat, while others are bored to death and try to find something destructive to do. Fortunately, this doesn't seem to be a problem with the very young and I'm sure the OP will be fine.

Our own children started at 5 & 2yrs, which may be older than ideal. Once their attention spans had reached the level of small puppy, all was well.
 
Aged 2 - I would stand at the top of the slipway at RHYC and cry.......and wouldn't get in the tender to go out to the family yacht on the mooring, by the time I was 4 or 5 I had no issues (that I can remember), just assumed it was what everyone did at weekends.

Don't be put off if they don't seem to like it at first - I'm now 21 and can't keep off the water!
 
Mine was afloat at 3 weeks.
I put the car seat in, with fixing both in the cockpit and in the saloon. I also had fixing points for the carrycot on the saloon sole and in the fully cushioned forepeak. Also had a netting door to the forecabin.
I cleared the table out of the saloon, and cushioned the entire floor. From his 1st birthday-ish, he used to roll to the low side after tacking.
I wouldn't go out of harbour in anything much more than f3, and made much more time to playing ashore before moving on.
Tacking was done in a much more leisurely fashion, and I mostly single handed the boat while the rest of them kept young Stuart amused and safe.

It gets better, then worse, then better, then worse as they grow up. But then they do that anyway. Bless 'em.
 
Hi guys,

Great advice it's actually given me a lot of food for thought. To be honest I am just thinking about playing on the Blackwater this year so nothing to serious. The single handed bit will take some getting use to though.

Very impressed with some of the channel crossings with babies.

Laurin that is so kind of you to make the offer. I'm in Bradwell so not far away at all, just let me know some dates that fit in with you and I'll see what I can do this end.

Now just to learn to single hand :-)

Cheers Karl
 
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