# Cruising w/ Kids: Don't leave 'em behind!



## kwaltersmi (Aug 14, 2006)

I just blogged about my tips for cruising and sailing with kids on our website. A lot of these are no brainers, but people are always looking for advice on cruising with kids, so here ya go:Sail Far Live Free: Cruising with Kids: Don't Leave the Dock Without Them!


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

Good post.


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## Powerdude (Feb 6, 2010)

Thank you !

I have 2 sets of twins, and I'm thinking of getting a sailboat, at least initially to learn on a local lake.


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## jillmstar (Jan 9, 2010)

Three years and counting down to sail...I hope my boy wants to go!


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## jpian0923 (Jul 19, 2011)

trying to get to ten posts. ignore me


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

jpian0923 said:


> trying to get to ten posts. ignore me


Mate I do hope that after littering up the site with ten pieces of irrelevent fluff that you do have something worthwhile to contribute. 

Im not trying to play 'dump on the newb' here but really dont you think you could have made ten useful comments/posts instead of that nonsense ?


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## jpian0923 (Jul 19, 2011)

Not trying to makes enemies...just trying to learn about sailing. My apologies. 

I have PMs I can't reply to until I have 15 posts. I think I'm at 10 or 11 now.


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## NateKing (Dec 28, 2010)

jpian0923:832117 said:


> trying to get to ten posts. ignore me


This post made me laugh. As far as I'm concerned keep it up.

If this is really a big deal, maybe there should be a review board that looks at new peoples posts and evaluates them, and then if the post isn't good enough, they can make it not count. We wqnt quality not quantity.

I don't even have kids, I only read this thread because the title is genius. When I read it I envisioned somebody sitting little Johnny down and saying "Son, you're the man of the house now. I want you to take good care of your sister. Your mom & I want you to know that we love you both very much, but we are going cruising and I don't think we can take you with us.". & little little Johnny's like "but I'm 8" and the dad says "Don't argue with me son. Like I've always told you life's not easy". & Johnny says "but that's not fair" and the dad interrupts "Life's not fair. Now help us carry our bags out to the car."

And then two weeks later the mom reads this thread and is like "I told you we didn't have to leave them at home."

Reading back through this I realize that the *D*irectors *I*n *C*harge of *K*nowledge on *S*ailnet will most likely deem this post unworthy of counting, but that is ok with me.


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## n8kraft (Dec 31, 2009)

Thanks for the info about the kid's harness. My wife and I have a new boat and a baby on the way. The boat gets here before the baby, but we've got our work ahead of us. Getting the boat is one way for us to spend more time together as a family, cruising. I see it as having fewer "real life" distractions so we can just have fun at our own place scoping out the world and all it has to offer us.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

NateKing said:


> This post made me laugh. As far as I'm concerned keep it up.
> 
> If this is really a big deal, maybe there should be a review board that looks at new peoples posts and evaluates them, and then if the post isn't good enough, they can make it not count. We wqnt quality not quantity.
> 
> ...


You know, I was right with you until the last line, where you sound like a true *D*ude *I*n *C*old *K*ansas.


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## NateKing (Dec 28, 2010)

bljones said:


> You know, I was right with you until the last line, where you sound like a true *D*ude *I*n *C*old *K*ansas.


 Fair enough.

Honestly though, I hope I didn't offend anybody with my last post. I was just having a little fun.


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## wright1d (May 21, 2009)

n8kraft said:


> Thanks for the info about the kid's harness. My wife and I have a new boat and a baby on the way. The boat gets here before the baby, but we've got our work ahead of us. Getting the boat is one way for us to spend more time together as a family, cruising. I see it as having fewer "real life" distractions so we can just have fun at our own place scoping out the world and all it has to offer us.


I wish you luck with the bringing together thing while they are young. In our case it seems to pull us apart more then bring together as having an older boat it needs a fair amount of love and that is hard to do when you have a little one around as fiberglass, paint, tools, ect are not really great for them at that age. Once you get out on the water that may be a different experience!

Now that my youngest is 4 I'm thinking its going to be better this year but still makes it hard to get boat projects done.


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## RatHatDiver (Jul 8, 2011)

jpian0923 said:


> trying to get to ten posts. ignore me


Post away. We sail out of San Diego as well. Welcome to the forum. Im new as well. Great place here for sailors.


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## gus_452000 (Mar 11, 2012)

Well this will be my first post so here goes...
Being a little different (maybe) its just me and the four kids, and I wanted to have a proper sailing holiday for years, trully love the sea, and crewed in my younger days.
Anyhow long story short, I/we (the kids and I) found ourselves in this position of just myself and themselves and after a lot of struggles could finally afford a holiday so we went on a charter boat for 2 weeks. We loved it but to make sure it wasn't just fond memories we went again, and again, I loved it and more importantly the kids loved it even more, so now we are buying are first boat and going to try and make use of it whenever the kids have time off from school/college.
If I am 100% honest, I was terrified of taking them on the charter boat, but wow, it gave them a self of importance by each of them having there own jobs, a belief in that they can do things for themselves and more importantly, made us even closer as a family.
So as a five some were going to spend the summmer crusing around the Med as best we can, because I know one day, it will be just myself, as they will all have there own familys and they will be doing there own things, so whilst I can my little lot will go whenever I have the time.


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## MarkSF (Feb 21, 2011)

I thought they meant literally. Once we stopped for lunch on the Norfolk Broads, and left the dog behind. After 10 mins cruising someone noticed that the dog was missing, and we re-traced our steps. Poor thing was standing on the dock waiting for us.

So I'd suggest a crew audit at every departure. Count them.


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## MarkSF (Feb 21, 2011)

gus_452000 said:


> Well this will be my first post so here goes...
> Being a little different (maybe) its just me and the four kids, and I wanted to have a proper sailing holiday for years, trully love the sea, and crewed in my younger days.
> Anyhow long story short, I/we (the kids and I) found ourselves in this position of just myself and themselves and after a lot of struggles could finally afford a holiday so we went on a charter boat for 2 weeks. We loved it but to make sure it wasn't just fond memories we went again, and again, I loved it and more importantly the kids loved it even more, so now we are buying are first boat and going to try and make use of it whenever the kids have time off from school/college.
> If I am 100% honest, I was terrified of taking them on the charter boat, but wow, it gave them a self of importance by each of them having there own jobs, a belief in that they can do things for themselves and more importantly, made us even closer as a family.
> So as a five some were going to spend the summmer crusing around the Med as best we can, because I know one day, it will be just myself, as they will all have there own familys and they will be doing there own things, so whilst I can my little lot will go whenever I have the time.


Our family holidays as a kid were always on the Broads. That's when I started sailing, in a little gunter rigged dinghy. Anyway maybe you've planted the seeds and when they grow up they'll think about starting to sail again.


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## gus_452000 (Mar 11, 2012)

I would like to think, we will have maybe 6-10 years as a family, then they go to University and marriage etc and I will have a few years of just myself sailing happily away in to the sunset (lol, best plans of mice and men) and then slowly they will, return for holidays on the boat with the grandkids (again mice and men). But whilst they can come why not, there good kids and I am as proud as punch of them.


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