# Living aboard with kids



## sailormomma

Hello,

My husband and I are moving back aboard our 51'' Formosa. We have been land lubbers for about a year while doing some major work on our boat. We have a 3-yr. old boy and 1 1/2 yr. old girl. Our son was onboard for a little over 2 years and loved it. I have a feeling it will be quite different having two and at the ages they are. We will be living in Shilshole Marina in Seattle. We are planning on spending the summers in the San Juan Islands and Canada cruising. Does anyone have any advice about living aboard and cruising with kids. We plan on circumnavigating in about 8-10 years. Any help would be much appreciated.


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## 39512

I was involved in a project a few years ago refitting a 54'' Alden for the same purpose you describe. The owners primary concern was to provide activities. The children''s area had a small desk and sufficient space for books. They had a set routine that involved shipboard chores tailored to their capabilities and daily learning sessions. At that time, laptops were not fully developed, so a desktop computer was installed in the kids area as a learning tool. Toys with a lot of small parts were avoided. Plenty of drawing and writing supplies. Etch-a Sketchs because paper gets damp. A reliable over/under washer-dryer.
LCD tv with DVD player for lessons and entertainment. Wireless internet access. Fishing equipment. 
I will see if I can dig up my notes and refresh my memory.


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## seame

Hi,
My daughter was born on board in LaConner and my son in Seattle. We began long cruises with them at ages 2 and 3, cruising for 11-12 years. So plenty of experience here with kids on board. Make sure you have netting and we made certain places totally off limits. Kids are not allowed forward of the anchor winch, whatever your design is. 

Mostly life on board is about sharing everyminute with your children. Not such a bad deal. Whatever you do, you do together. They got their first snorkels and masks at ages 3 & 4. In the tropics we used small inflatable inner tubes to go snorkeling with. That way they can stay in and watch the fish without having to use all of their energy trying to swim.

At the age your children are life is great on board. As they get older and more in with their peers, they tend to "want" the life everyone else has.

As they get older Fishing is a big pasttime. Plenty of books. Music. We had no TV, but allowed computer games after 20 minutes of working on typing tutor or some such thing.

There is no better life than raising your children at sea. We became landlubbers again when they were 14 & 15 and they are both in college now. Good schools, even though all of their life education was sketchy at best. Let me know if you have any specific questions.


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## sailormomma

Thank you so much for your input. I will definitly use your advice. I''m extremely excited for my kids to grow up in the liveaboard lifestyle. SEAME, I will definitly keep your info. in case I have questions once we get back onboard. Thank you again for responding.

Angela
Ghostsailors
s/v Ghost


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## TSOJOURNER

I HAVE A DAUGHTER 11 YRS OLD AND WE ARE PLANNING TO LIVE ON OUR BOAT AND SAIL AROUND THE WORLD SHE HAS BEEN IN PVT SCHOOLS ALL HER TIME. HOW WILL HOME SCHOOLING AFFECT AND HOW DOES ONE GO ABOUT GETTING THE PROPER MATERIAL TO KEEP UP WITH THE EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS. SHE IS EXTREMELY SMART STRAIGHT A''S SHE IS EXCITED ABOUT GETTING HOME SCHOOLED BUT NO TO HAPPY ABOUT LEAVING HER LAND FRIENDS AND T.V. HOW DOES ONE PREPARE. SHE IS ENTERING THAT PRE-TEEN STAGE. I WOULD LIKE MORE RESOURCES ON HOME SCHOOLING. THANKS.


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## Sasha_V

Get a crow''s nest built on the top of the mast. That way, when she stomps off and declares she wants privacy and her own room, you can offer it to her.


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## seame

Hi,
It is always difficult for the kids to say good bye. Hopefully you can meet other families with children along the way. We found them few and far between, but when we did find each other we tended to sail together.

We used Calvert School and all the supplies come with the course. Supplementing school is easy on board. Lessons in celestial navigation and the use of a sextant. My children had their own plastic sextant to use. Marine biology and diving, snorkeling are great. Once they are 12 they can get certified for diving. Every trip ashore became a field trip. We would write reports on museums visited, draw pictures of the whales swimming under our boat and identifying them, there is no end to life on board and it certainly is not boring. Books are the hardest to carry and trade. They take up so much room and there are never enough.

Most kids on Calvert school and Nebraska University come out ahead of those with land based education. My children were behind, because we spent so much time in New Zealand and years on the New Zealand correspondence school, but they are now in good Universities, so whatever they lost in academics they made up for in the school of life. Good luck!!


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## uri

Well for now We are not doing long cruisers, but who knows...Well my two older kids started to sail at the age of 4 years, but now we have a 1 year girl and we want to keep sailing, I am trying to find out how will be the safest and more enjoyable way to go sailing with her. A net on the boat wiil be placed, we have PDF-Harness that my older kids wear when we sail but how to carry her, my idea was when sailing to place a car seat in such a way tat can be moved and fixed from place to place. When she needs movement we have a harness and PDF for her but I need lots of sugestions or ideas so we can keep the family sailing together...Thank you for all your help. PD. Were can I get my kids into a curse in Marine biology by mail ?
Oriol
Barcelona, Spain


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## TSOJOURNER

Hey, Anglea,

How do you like that Walker Bay sailing dinghy? Looks like rigid/inflatable. How does she motor/sail/store?

Curious,
Jeff


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