# What are your kids doing when cruising?



## Dreamstimer

I'm thinking to bring my 5/8 girls in my first 2 weeks charter and hence am a little nervous. I obviously don't want them to miss the fun but in the same time I don't want them in jeopardy or to spoil their (and my) vacation.

I read a lot about kids having fun on the boat, but didn't find any specifics. What are your kids doing? Besides the obvious fun (dolphins) and the boring stuff (playing in the cabin) how do you keep them close to where the action is? How do they cope with seasickness (compared to a car' ss).


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## AdamLein

Giving them interesting jobs do would probably help with both boredom and the seasickness. Keeping the passages short and giving them and the admiral plenty of shore leave is also often recommended.

Where are you going, and what sort of boat?


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## Dreamstimer

I'm going to the Cyclades, probably with a 47 Hanse. Good tip on the passage, I plan to keep it below 3 hours daily, we have a 2 weeks trip.


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## AdamLein

I'm more than a little jealous.... I'm sure they'll all have a blast. It's hard to be in a bad mood in a place like that 

Another thing that occurred to me that _I_ would have fun doing, and would have loved to do as a kid, is geocaching. Apparently it's fairly active in that part of the world as well. I just googled "geocaching in the cyclades" and got a bunch of hits. Just find some caches that are at your daily destinations or along your passages; your 8yo can probably even help with the navigation. Having something mysterious to look forward to can make the time fly by a lot faster.


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## Faster

I think it helps tremendously if your kids are not hooked on handheld video games and DVD players. If you can keep those off the boat and concentrate on the boat handling, the sealife, the view as well as the various 'at anchor' pastimes at the end of those short hops they should have a blast. If they enjoy books that's good for the slow/quiet times.

Beachcombing, swimming in warm water, dinghying around, exploring new towns and cultures should be plenty to keep them amused and interested.

Sounds like a great trip! and 2 whole weeks!!


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## pdqaltair

Faster said:


> I think it helps tremendously if your kids are not hooked on handheld video games and DVD players. If you can keep those off the boat and concentrate on the boat handling, the sealife, the view as well as the various 'at anchor' pastimes at the end of those short hops they should have a blast. If they enjoy books that's good for the slow/quiet times.
> 
> Beachcombing, swimming in warm water, dinghying around, exploring new towns and cultures should be plenty to keep them amused and interested.
> 
> Sounds like a great trip! and 2 whole weeks!!


I took my daughter on longer trips when she was 8 and smaller (some on my blog, below). Though I agree with the above...
* Do take DVDs. They are a familiar thing, from home, and can be good when some reassurance is needed. Kids need some familiar. But NOT all the time.
* A 5-year old is NOT going to be interested in boat handling. It's a grown-up thing and they sense that. Maybe the 8-year old, but don't bet on it. It's not fun until they can really drive, perhaps about 12 (which is when they let them be safety patrols in school--there's a reason).
* Every kid loves the beach. They don't really get long passages, beyond a few hours. So do lots of beaches.
* Make sure they have their own "space."
* Remember to be a kid and play with them. If it's going to be all grown-up time (or if they see it that way) there's trouble coming.


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## AdamLein

pdqaltair said:


> * Remember to be a kid and play with them. If it's going to be all grown-up time (or if they see it that way) there's trouble coming.


Probably good for the grown-ups, too


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## Dreamstimer

I try to keep DVDs away, but probably an Ipad would be good as a safety measure. Geocaching is definitely worth trying, that would be interesting for grownups too! Good tips, thanks.


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## pdqaltair

Dreamstimer said:


> I try to keep DVDs away, but probably an Ipad would be good as a safety measure. Geocaching is definitely worth trying, that would be interesting for grownups too! Good tips, thanks.


I should clarify. We did not take the DVD player as a "safety measure"; it was actually used to share a family-time movie after a tiring day of sailing a small boat.

During the day my daughter read, did crafts, joined me sailing, and played/explored shore side. We would fish before dinner, often cook the catch, and only then would the DVD player come out, when everyone was exuasted and something familiar was comforting.


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## belliegirl2

*I grew up on a sailboat*

And on passages at that age I would help sail the boat, fish, play games in the cabin with my sister, sleep, read, annoy my parents with the proverbial "are we there yet", and my favorite

hanging from the bow sprit trying to touch the backs of dolphins playing at the bow.


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## GeorgeDog

pdqaltair said:


> * A 5-year old is NOT going to be interested in boat handling. It's a grown-up thing and they sense that. Maybe the 8-year old, but don't bet on it. It's not fun until they can really drive, perhaps about 12 (which is when they let them be safety patrols in school--there's a reason).


How different kids are. Last summer my 6yo took the helm for miles at a time and was very diligent about traffic, buoys, wind direction and etceteras. She is totally into charts and picks everything up fast. My 8yo just couldn't do it yet.

We always let the kids watch DVDs in the evening. Why not? They get plenty of sailing, swimming, hiking, and such the rest of the day. Plus we can do our own thing with friends that aren't kid oriented anyway.

We also try to stop for a treat like ice cream once a day. It's amazing how such a small thing can make a child's whole day.

But underway it's mostly sitting on the bow, sitting on the submerged rail, reading, playing games, and toys in the cockpit.


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## chef2sail

I can attest to Georgedogs daughter loving everything about their boat. Giving them space and thinks which they love to do as well as teaching them to respect and love nature isthe best thing you can do for them.

It heartens my wife and I to see families together on weekends without IPods, I pads, Smartphone attached to their arms.

Also to answer the question...my 29 year old daughter is required to stay topsides with her husband...we do not want to interrupt them having sex down below.

Dave


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## AdamLein

chef2sail said:


> my 29 year old daughter is required to stay topsides with her husband...we do not want to interrupt them having sex down below.


You're rather interrupt them on the deck?


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## Dreamstimer

LOL, kids will always be kids no matter the age


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## chall03

At the moment this is pretty much all my daughter gets up to!










I am hoping she might at least be able to help me hoist the main within a couple of weeks...


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## AdamLein

chall03 said:


> At the moment this is pretty much all my daughter gets up to!


Beautiful shot.... very jealous as our dear daughter has only had a brief visit to the boat so far. Cherish this time, because soon she'll need a lot more space


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## Faster

chall03 said:


> At the moment this is pretty much all my daughter gets up to!


Nice shot... I'm sure she's keeping an eye on the windex from there!


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## Merit25lovers

I give my 7 year old (he was 6 last season) the responsibility of our pre-trip checklist. He enjoys checking each item on the boat and then checking it off on the list.

Once under sail, I let him sit across from me in the cockpit and give him the tiller. He also likes to help with the sheets and halyards (he thinks he’s helping anyhow) 

When he begins to get bored (which doesn’t take long at this age) I let him play with his PSP in the cabin, but that doesn’t last long, as we try to find exciting things for him to see (other boats, birds, planes, etc…).

He looks forward to lunch, and when the wind dies (as it does so often around noon on the Finger Lakes) we anchor and enjoy a nice swim/float, with life jackets, and a loooooong stern line to hold onto.

The key is to keep them involved, without letting them get bored!


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## CaptainForce

Although our children are older now and off on their own, they grew up cruising aboard from infancy to adulthood. Our boat was their home at the dock as well, so there was less to adapt to while cruising, but these are some of their offshore activities:
1. steering while "shooting" at clouds or stars through a paper towel roll "sight" that was taped to the rigging forward.
2. dressing up as characters and presenting short plays.
3. dragging toy vessels from a cord on the aft rail.
4. making assorted snack trays during the mid-day.
5. spoting satellites during the first hours of darkness after sunset.
6. drawing and painting
7. treasure hunting by following a sequnce of prepared clues,- each clue leading to the next clue in a hidden place until the final treasure,-usually a simple toy
......and many more that I can't recall
Take care and joy, Aythya crew


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## QuickMick

you might want to check out this:

Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site


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## labatt

Flying a kite from the deck is always good for an hour or two of enjoyment by the kids... fishing, navigation assistance, cooking, cleaning - great opportunity, no matter the age, to start drumming responsibility into them.


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## AdamLein

Ah, great idea (kite flying).... but I have tried that and found it actually rather challenging. Kite kept going in the water. Any hints?


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## dohcdelsol93

i'm hoping my 2 yr old does in the sailboat like he does in a motorboat...sleeps!!!!!


I'll find out in a few weeks!


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## labatt

We've never had an issue with our kite, but it's a decent heavier duty one. I'm not sure why yours keeps ducking into the water.


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## CaptainForce

...Continued from post #19......
8. Reading
9. Making sculptures from carrots, bell peppers & toothpicks that can be on the menu later in the day.
10. Riding in the bosun's chair hanging from the genoa clew depending on the conditions.
11. Building a "house" on deck with canvass, tarps, line and clips.
12. Water guns.....maybe with some rules
13. Soap bubbles flying downwind
14. ..being towed on a surboard or boogie board depending on location and conditions
15. Puzzles, word games, electronic games.....
Take care and joy, Aythya crew


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## AdamLein

CaptainForce said:


> 10. Riding in the bosun's chair hanging from the genoa clew depending on the conditions.


Whoa... can they really do that? Pics or it didn't happen!


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## CaptainForce

My son's 32 now and too heavy, but he used to ride the bosun's chair when he was much lighter and over twenty years ago,- broad reach with the genny closer than best performance and flat water and a boat big enough to put about eighty pounds on the clew with around 15 of wind. You can start with your feet on the rail as if you were hiking out. I've done it too, but there's usually not enough in the genoa to lift my feet off the rail. You take the pics! Take care and joy, Aythya crew


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## AdamLein

CaptainForce said:


> a boat big enough to put about eighty pounds on the clew with around 15 of wind.


And how big would that be?  I guess it's a sail area thing.


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## CaptainForce

AdamLein said:


> And how big would that be?  I guess it's a sail area thing.


It would be a 120 genoa on a 41', sure, it has to heft the load. 'the same sail as shown in the avatar.


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## labatt

And of course you can't forget the halyard swing... we fashioned one from some really heavy netting we found washed up on the shore at Compass Cay in the Bahamas... attach it to a halyard, raise it up to boom height... kids climb on the boom, get on the swing, and then swing around the shrouds. Lots of fun!


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## michaelkent

You could give them simple things to do. Just remember not to make tasks too hard and keep them interested in order to keep them from becoming bored and thus annoying you. I remember my first time on a boat with some family friends...I think they got over me very quickly as I was bored and the work was too hard and so I complained about everything! =p 

I'm sure you can find a way to make it fun for them! Good luck!


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## BLOD

Just came back from a week's sailing in Greece with a 10 and 8 year old. I was amazed how easy it was with them. No DS etc or DVD. We sailed in the day. Stopped for lunch and a swim/dive/bomb off the boat. 

Took lots of art supplies and they are both confirmed readers! The 8 year old read a whole novel in just 4 days. 

Let them have an old digital camera and binoculars to use just for them and they really enjoyed that. We all know how engrossing it is trying to snap a photo of a dolphin!

They were superb sailors and were very competent by the time we finished. They had their cabin and used it lots. Didn't even get the chess set out. 

Evenings were ashore having dinner then story time. Didn't miss the DVD ir DS iPod etc even on a day when it poured down. 

Really great family time.


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## T37Chef

A few things we do when sailing with our 4&6 yr olds...


Play Tub of some sort, I use one of those plastic storage bins with locking tops, this is good for several hours of fun.
Playdo
A cheap digital camera
Fishing
Dingy Rides/Beach combing
Puzzles
Helping with the various activities...navigation, cooking, cleaning, etc...
We do a have a DVD for times when we need them to be entertained while we need to sail the boat, not much can hypnotize them as well as a movie  My 6 year old is into the iPod now, which I also have no problem with, in fact I encourage it, I think music appreciation is important, after all my wife is from Austria 

Video games, now thats another story.


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## T37Chef

dragging the toy vessels behind is fun too...forgot that one...good for at least an hour, if not two


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## Boatinglifeaway

Bring lots of Play Doh so they can make sea animals or castles like they are on the beach. Bring lots of cookie cutters that are sea animals. The DVD movies of Ariel or any related cartoons about the ocean will get them excited. 
Coloring books related to sea or print some pages of the Internet. Bring kids books on seas and islands.


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## Cruisingdad

Lots of books, we got a kindle which is best purchase for boat, we do have nintendo dsi and other electronics but keep them on time sch to play. They r great for storms or when rainy, etc. I was against them b4 liveaboard, not now. Kids looooove fishing and if u get a decent dink and motor u can knee booard and intertube. Kids favorite for us is intertuibing but we have 15 hp dink and can fip them$ so make it not boring. Card games work out for us better than board games and kids love pOker (withj chips obv not money). Swimminmg off the back, buy a kite for good days, good snorkel gear. Also, we got two small nets and if u got to shore and let them scoop up sand with net just at breakers u will get millions of things. We got a sea horse onmce, lots of crabs, etc. Always a mystery. We carruy football, glove and bball, several frisbees as they seem to love to disapear and good water balls. Under way and long passages such so not a lot of great suggestions biut making them part of crew. Hope this helps. Sorry for typoos as i am offgrid and typoing onm bberry. 

Brian


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## T37Chef

Cruisingdad said:


> Sorry for typoos as i am offgrid and typoing onm bberry.
> 
> Brian


LOL...:laugher...sure


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## chef2sail

Damn Brian....no excuse looking like one of my normal posts


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## Cruisingdad

chef2sail said:


> Damn Brian....no excuse looking like one of my normal posts


Hey - I got a reputation to uphold! You and T37 can bite me! Be nice or I will post a pic of me in my bathing suit, drinking a beer in one hand and Shun knives in the other (minus a few digits now).

Brian


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## Christian Winkler

*Please contact me*



Dreamstimer said:


> LOL, kids will always be kids no matter the age


Hello Dreamstimer, 
being a new member I am yet not able to send a PM to you, so I hope that you will view this message and send a PM to me - or an email. (See profile)
I stepped into the children forum because I´m about to present a children sailing project soon. Reading your thread I noticed that you are located in Romania. That´s the reason why I would like to get in contact with you. My mentioned children sailing project would perfectly fit into Romanian coast area and we look out for partners to discuss chances and risks of local engagement.
Looking forward to your reply!


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## Merit25lovers

My son loves to help with the Jib while sailing. But for some reason he can't wait to clean the boat when we return! Why is he not like this with his room????


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## WDS123

Give them very real roles - let them have tiller time, most 5-6 year olds can drive a boat on an easy reach. 

Shoot my parents let us take out our Sabots alone at age 6 - just a wave from the beach and a request not t go beyond a certain bouy. 

Have them feed the fishies, birds, hunt for treasure, 

But make sure to keep everything short time frame


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## robfinora

*paint for shells / Smores*

I just took my 5 and 6 yr olds on a 3-day cruise; I would say much of what has been posted here already. In addition, bring lots of kid paints for them to color shells, rocks and drift wood they find on the beach. They loved doing this. Also another big hit was making fun things for dessert then watching the sunset. We did Smores (graham crackers sandwiched around a marshmallow and piece of Hershey's chocolate - wrap in tin foil and place over heat ,stove or grill> for a minute).

Fun routines they look forward to work well....

PS - take them along; they will not ruin anything - only make it all that much better!!


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## WDS123

Poster paints ? Great idea !


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## Christian Winkler

*Body Painting*

Some posts have already pointed to various shore activities, here´s another suggestion: try to get water colors which can be washed off easily and let them change to color monsters of all kind. Great Fun and a good way for the kids to make friends ashore!


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## Ilenart

Currently on a weeks cruise on the Witsundays and let's see, two on their computers and one on their DS! Still last night we were out of phone / internet range so we played a good card game - Skip-bo

Ilenart


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## Christian Winkler

*Flag Painting*

Try to get some white flags, let the kids paint on them, and then raise the flags. Kids will be working for hours and afterwords they will be proud to see them flying!


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## ctl411

I got 5 year old twins boy/girl. Cleaning deck is a good one underway mom or dad runs the bucket kids love water on deck. Adj sails, ask them to grind in then you let out repeat till they catch on. Steering, helps if you have a boat to chase after. Spin halyard chair rides even my older sister almost 50 liked that last weekend, dip in water if temp permits or just drag feet in to get a swing going. On shore breaks rocks,driftwood, plants, flowers, bugs,birds hunts keep them busy and burn off energy .


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## Christian Winkler

*Towing the kids*

You can do this only in few places and few situations. (No sharks, no jellys, no current, no waves, few wind) But when it´s possible it´s greatest possible fun for the kids! Still, be careful about your decision: if one looses the saftey rope you must get to him without using enginge!


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## marcusc130

Add Content


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## Cruisingdad

Snorkeling... ahh... the fun...


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## nikolajsen

*What are your kids doing when cruising?*

Sailing & swimming.

Here on a 50 day cruise up the BC coast:


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## HenryMonsun

We take our now 7/9 yrs girls every summer on a multi-week trip and they always enjoy it a lot. An important thing to remember is that everyone needs a couple of days at the start to settle in, which we now know is normal. It takes about 3 days to get from the hectic rhythm of land life into the routine on the boat. We also involve our kids in boat handling routines, whenever possible. They take the dinghy and bring out the stern line, they have to steer for 5-10 min a few times a day when the opportunity arises, they help to hoist the sails, etc. We have them involved with all aspects of boat handling. And yes, there are also those times when they play in the cabin, or read or whatever, which after the first 3 days never seems to be a problem. I can only encourage taking kids along. For us it a very enjoyable family experience.


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## Bosunmoon

My 7-year-old daughter takes the helm on occasion. She even knows to fall off at signs of luffing. She keeps a surprisingly straight track.


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## amyspins

Kite flying while sailing is a good bet, too - for little ones.

And I wouldn't discount the kids helping out with tasks on board. My 4 going on 5 loves to have certain jobs that are her responsibility - she practices getting fenders ready - she grinds winches - 
We also have some fun games - magnetic words - we have little picture dice that she makes stories out of- washable paints are great too!


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## gus_452000

Kite flying is great fun and I have just bought a tiny video camera that records to a micro SD card, going to fix it to the kite this year and see what the video comes out like. I have seen it done before, and the kids like playing on the computer when theres nothing else to do and make movies, so a bit of overhead footage of the boat sailing should be great.


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