# Soon to be Cruiser with Kid



## chall03

Ok yes I do have to confess that I have been paying some special attention to this area of Sailnet of late........IOR ratings, the future of the America's Cup and Solarstiks have now all taken a backseat to much more pressing matters such as how to attach a car seat to your cockpit, where to store nappies, lifeline netting and what toys work best aboard.

So yes I am happy to say that my wife and I are expecting our first child mid January!

Now interestingly one of the first thing our non sailing friends say to us is "so when will you guys sell the boat?"

Perhaps even more interestingly one of the first things our sailing friends say to is "Oh so I guess you guys won't be doing much sailing for a while"

So when we tell them that we are actually still planning a year long sabbatical cruise for about June, up the coast, a bit of the Pacific and see how we go......looks of instant horror seem to appear on the faces of experienced and in-experienced folk alike as they begin to gesture wildly at my wife's belly and begin exclaiming "but the baby!"

Are we crazy to still be considering cruising?? 

Firstly let me say that our plan would see us cruising when bub is 6 months-12 months old. The hope being that by this time, sleep patterns and feeding should all be a lot easier.

Secondly let me say that both my wife and I are competent sailors, and have owned/sailed boats for 10 years. I don't like using the word experienced, because next to some of the people on here and who I have had the privilege to meet we are certainly not that. 

Thirdly for the greater part of our cruise, indeed the first 6 months we would be 'day hopping' up the Australian east coast. A family who did this trip with a 6 month old and then later went on to circumnavigate described this route as a perfect way to start to cruising with little ones. 

Obviously we will only really know when baby is born and we do try and do this whether it is right for us or not, but would be interested in hearing all your thoughts on our plans??


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## sailingdog

Congratulations. Boy or girl?


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## bljones

Congrats.
I am gonna get yelled at for this, but babies are simple. they are the 2-stroke engines of human beings- their needs are pretty simple. A clean diaper, full stomach, no gas, and love is all they want or need. You can do all of that just as easily on 30 ft as you can in 2500 sq ft....
maybe better. IMO, if the baby is healthy, with no need to have monthly visitsa to the doctor, then get him/her immunized and get gone.

But don't ask us. Ask your wife. If she is good to go, and you are good to go, then it's all good. 

Now, fi you said you wanted to go crusing with mid-teens, well, that is a whole HELL of a bunch more complicated. 
I have two for sale. cheap.


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## chall03

sailingdog said:


> Congratulations. Boy or girl?


Thanks SD. Ask me in January! 
We both like surprises so we are just waiting to see.



bljones said:


> Congrats.
> I am gonna get yelled at for this, but babies are simple. they are the 2-stroke engines of human beings- their needs are pretty simple. A clean diaper, full stomach, no gas, and love is all they want or need. You can do all of that just as easily on 30 ft as you can in 2500 sq ft....
> maybe better. IMO, if the baby is healthy, with no need to have monthly visitsa to the doctor, then get him/her immunized and get gone.
> 
> But don't ask us. Ask your wife. If she is good to go, and you are good to go, then it's all good.
> 
> Now, fi you said you wanted to go crusing with mid-teens, well, that is a whole HELL of a bunch more complicated.
> I have two for sale. cheap.


Thanks. We had reached a similar conclusion! Wife is quite keen - not I have talked her into it keen, but this is very much her dream as well. We will see how we both feel when baby is around of course.......


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## Capnblu

Congratulations Chall03. How about taking a first aid course specifically for treating infants? May ease some of the tension of the people with the opinions. Our daughter will be 6 this year when all of our worriers will realize that boat is really going into the salt water for real, and we havn't just been kidding for the last 16 years... :thewave:


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## chall03

Capnblu said:


> Congratulations Chall03. How about taking a first aid course specifically for treating infants? May ease some of the tension of the people with the opinions. Our daughter will be 6 this year when all of our worriers will realize that boat is really going into the salt water for real, and we havn't just been kidding for the last 16 years... :thewave:


My wife is a health professional, and both of us do hold senior first aid certificates. Sometimes the facts don't seem to convince the naysayers around us however!

We also certainly are worrying alot as well, both of us. This whole concept of cruising certainly has taken a whole new perspective now that there is another involved.


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## LeftCoast

We did it. Babies on sailboats are easy 'till they can climb up the companionway ladder.










That ended our live aboard lifestyle.

Don't sweat it. Depending on the kid & the ladder, you may have a year or more left.

-jim lee


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## sailingdog

I just realized something-

*Oh...my...god...he's...breeding.... *


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## Faster

Congrats, Chall!

We sailed with our son from the time he was just weeks old, and now we (and they) are sailing the our granddaughter too.

Raising our son has been without a doubt my wife's and my greatest accomplishment. That he's grown up to be a (better)sailor and boat owner himself is profoundly gratifying.

To be able to do the same now with their daughter is the sweetest icing on the cake..

All I can say is enjoy, do it, he/she will be graduating before you know it!


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## smackdaddy

Chall!!!!!

Congrats brew! DON'T GIVE IT UP! We've been sailing with ours since they were 3 and 7. No biggie mon.

We got the same stink-eye from people when we had our first. We were avid rock-climbers and they were shocked that we'd take a 4-week old baby out with us to climb. We had him in a backpack style baby carrier and would hike him in, then hang the pack up in a tree where he'd sleep while me or his mom would belay the other just a few feet away. Perfect.

I have noticed, however, that the wee ones do tend to roll around a lot on a FC heel, so make sure you strap 'em in.

Very, very cool, Chall. Kids are the greatest thing in the whole world. It'll bring tears to your eyes, dude.



bljones said:


> ...clean diaper, full stomach, no gas, and love is all they want or need....


Pretty much sums up my life as well. Except for the gas. I don't mind it so much. It can be pretty funny at times.


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## Cruisingdad

Challo,

Congrats!!! I think you already know how I feel aboutthis subject. As mentioed above, you need to put together a kit for kids. We use dry antibiotics (you can order from pharmacy that way with prescription and just add water) and EpiPen Jr, used to carry diaper rash stuff, a great lifejacket (only Mustang with head support and crotch strap), and find a way to be able to secure them in their berths. We used a home made crib side that fit across the end of the Vberth.

I have always felt that boats themselves are pretty childrpoof to begin with. 

Only concerns/cautions is that the first 6 months of having a baby... they seem to get sick all the time. Being your first, you won't know a real issue from a diaper rash (well, take that back, if you are a nurse/MD with pediatric training, you will). But it's hard as first time parents when to know not to run them to the ER. SO keeping close to areas where a major hospital or solid doc office was imperative for us. Also having a close relationship with a pedi office that has 24 hour on call and maybe even the pedi's phone number was imperative for us. 

It really is not hard and baby's are very easy. Each age for us has had challenges, but they were fun challenges and we have memories of a lifetime, as have the kids. 

Again, congrats!!! Been doing this for 10 years (with kids) and am happy to answer any questions, as always. I am running off for the holidays, so be patient if I don't reply.

Brian

PS Forgot - don't anchor near trimarans. They flip over in the slightest wind and have a dog barking all night.


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## jrd22

Congratulations! You won't be the first to cruise with a baby and it sounds like you both are more qualified than average so I would think no worries. I've read that babies up to a year old can't get seasick, one reason to go early!


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## St Anna

Congratulations.
I agree absolutely with all of the above responses and could not have expressed it any better.

Of course SD has to realise that couples often end up having kids. Maybe he could google it for some info. Even he must have started out as an SP perhaps.


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## chall03

Thanks guys!

Brian after having read previous threads, the Mustang lifejacket is already on order! ( It is of course not available in Australia readily so currently on it's way from Canada not without some drama...)

My wife and I are actually kind of looking forward to the first time we will get to take bub out on the boat!



Cruisingdad said:


> PS Forgot - don't anchor near trimarans. They flip over in the slightest wind and have a dog barking all night.


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## Craig Smith

chall03 said:


> So when we tell them that we are actually still planning a year long sabbatical cruise for about June, up the coast, a bit of the Pacific and see how we go......looks of instant horror seem to appear on the faces of experienced and in-experienced folk alike as they begin to gesture wildly at my wife's belly and begin exclaiming "but the baby!"
> 
> Are we crazy to still be considering cruising??


I spent the first three years of my life onboard my parents' 39'er in the South Pacific and SE Asia. This was back in the good ol' days of cruising when men were real men, GPS was science fiction, and you only had two choices for an anchor. I seemed to survive other than apparently nearly buying it c/o malaria.

My parents will and do readily recommend raising babies and young children onboard. It sounds like you're on top of the health thing. Teach the little tyke to swim before s/he can walk and you'll be in business.


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## neoxaero

The bumfuzzles are doing it - and doing it pretty well it would seem!


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## CaptainForce

'much good advice above. We were cruising before our two children were born, during their infancy, and now still with them off with their own families. There are great benefits that come with the family on board. Take care and joy, Aythya crew


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## chall03

Craig Smith said:


> I spent the first three years of my life onboard my parents' 39'er in the South Pacific and SE Asia. This was back in the good ol' days of cruising when men were real men, GPS was science fiction, and you only had two choices for an anchor. I seemed to survive other than apparently nearly buying it c/o malaria.
> 
> My parents will and do readily recommend raising babies and young children onboard. It sounds like you're on top of the health thing. Teach the little tyke to swim before s/he can walk and you'll be in business.


Thanks Craig!
Wow what a great introduction to the world IMHO.

Now let me try and guess what anchor you would recommend as being proven best for encouraging infants to sleep soundly while at anchor


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## Craig Smith

Ah, but it's their mothers' ability to sleep soundly that's far more important...


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## chall03

Craig Smith said:


> Ah, but it's their mothers' ability to sleep soundly that's far more important...


Touché Sir. Touché.


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## tugboat

Hello all. I'm new to the sight and am glad I found this specific section. My wife and I sailed around the San Juan's in WA state with our 3 wk old (first) and later when she was two and her sister was on the way. We've been saving up and are within a year of heading back to the east coast to buy a boat and head south. I'm looking for advice as to routes similar to the island hopping mentioned above. I know the Bahamas fairly well having lived there for a few years and sailing around. I don't know much about farther south. Any books or advice would be greatly appreciated. We'll probably be on a 27' to 32' boat. I would like a Vega but we'll see. The children will be five an two. I look forward to hearing from some folks out there.


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## AdamLein

Congratulations on your new crewmember... we just had our first, four months ago, but haven't taken her sailing yet. Not for not wanting to, but it's a long commute to the boat and we keep having other things to do on weekends.

I am gonna echo the sentiment that babies are simple. However, I have seen parents carting around loads of gear for their kids that to a large extent is unnecessary. I don't know how big your boat is, but carrying stuff to and storing stuff on my boat is a big limiting factor for us. Anyway, here's our plan for when we do start taking her sailing, which will hopefully start in January or February with daysails on weekends:

1) If you're breastfeeding, you don't need to bring special food for the baby, and her immune system will be stronger.

2) If you're doing EC, you don't need diapers either.

3) Entertaining babies is easy, too: learn a few sea shanties; my daughter falls asleep to _The Flying Dutchman_.

4) Forget strollers and prams; get a good front carrier. It packs up small and keeps your baby feeling warm and safe. If you use public transit to get to your boat (our trip is about two hours with three transfers) a stroller can be a hassle. There's really no place in our boat for a car seat, so there's no incentive to bringing it along. Mommy can keep the baby in the carrier and work the tiller while daddy handles everything else.

5) Don't go out of your way to be quiet around your baby, for example when she's asleep. You don't want her to depend on quiet when there's always noise on the boat.

Take this advice with a grain of salt, of course, because we haven't actually taken ours to the boat yet. We'll probably start with a weekend spent at the dock just to see how she "fits" on board; you never know, she could hate it, but I doubt it.

Good luck, and keep us apprised!


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## Faster

With infants it's not going to be the baby who may 'hate it' (boating).. They really don't care where they are as long as their needs are met. It's the parents' ability to adapt that will be key, and probably most especially the mother's.

A child will sense and key on a mother's anxiety, which can ramp up that anxiety and you'll have a vicious cycle. Trying a simple overnight at the dock is not a bad idea just to work out some of the logistics, but you'll still have to think through/and do the 'underway' part of it too, of course.


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## tdw

Chall,
We'll be out of here from sometime soon until late January, weather permitting. Guess you'll be a dad by the time we are back so best wishes to you both (you three ? ) and I do hope all goes well. 
Cheers
Andrew


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## sailingdog

Hey Fuzzy—

Have a merry christmas and a happy new year and safe travels...


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## chall03

tdw said:


> Chall,
> We'll be out of here from sometime soon until late January, weather permitting. Guess you'll be a dad by the time we are back so best wishes to you both (you three ? ) and I do hope all goes well.
> Cheers
> Andrew


   probably yes...27th is the pretty due date they have given us, but it apparently doesn't really in the scheme of baby making mean an awful lot! These little critters despite modern technology and obstetricians best efforts still do as they please.

Thankyou. Which direction are you guys heading??? We are going to go out for a just few days after Christmas. Merry Christmas to you and the Wombette, hope the weather is a little kinder than what they are predicting and would love to see photos and hear about it all when your back!

Thanks for the advice and thoughts Adamlein/Faster,
one of my concerns was a boat full of baby stuff! We have invested in a decent baby carrier especially for cruising. We are both big walkers when we cruise.


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## tdw

Thanks SD, thanks Chall.
We'll be around until NewYear's Eve, head out of Sydney before the insanity starts. 
Chall,
We plan on heading down to Jervis, Ulladulla and possibly Bateman's Bay and Eden. All dependent on the weather of course, and that is looking a tadge dodgey. 
We shall see.
rgds
Andrew


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## chall03

It is about time I gave a little update on this thread.......

I am delighted to say my daughter Sophie entered the world on Wednesday!!! 

Mum and bub both doing rather well, although it is a touch warm here in Sydney. Currently 42' celsius.........which is about 108 Fahrenheit.

She at 2 days old has yet to have her first sail.... but it is certainly on the cards


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## bljones

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## tdw

Cheers to you all, best wishes for the future. 

Touch warm ? You could say that.


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## Faster

chall03 said:


> It is about time I gave a little update on this thread.......
> 
> I am delighted to say my daughter Sophie entered the world on Wednesday!!!
> 
> Mum and bub both doing rather well, although it is a touch warm here in Sydney. Currently 42' celsius.........which is about 108 Fahrenheit.
> 
> She at 2 days old has yet to have her first sail.... but it is certainly on the cards


Hey that's great news, Chall.... but those last few weeks in the heat must have been brutal for soon-to-be mom....

So this is a new voyage you're embarking on... hang on, it's going to be a ride - and she'll be graduating in about 3 months (or so it will seem!  )

Enjoy!


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## sailingdog

Congrats Chall.


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## smackdaddy

Woooooohooooooo!!!!! Congrats Chall!!!!

That sweet little lump will make you feel like an absolute king when she looks at you and smiles.

I'm really happy for you dude.


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## chall03

Ok as requested here is a picture of my daughter.....at the ripe age of 2 weeks. It is true what they say, your life does change......Completely!


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## sailingdog

She's adorable Chall... congrats again...and thank god she looks like her mother.


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## Faster

Beautiful!.... She'll grow up so fast you'll be amazed..Enjoy the moments... all of them.


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## MarshB

Congratulations.. Just be careful and be sure what to do in case problems arises, and take care of your kids when sailing. Have Fun!


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## gus_452000

Congratulations on the new crew member, looks beautiful


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## chall03

Hey guys,

She is now 15 Months old and is now just back on land(for the moment) after spending more than half of her life sailing. 

Safety was obviously our main focus, we did our due dilligence and found in the end that it was relatively easy and a real joy to cruise as a family.


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## AdamLein

Details, please!


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## cmp1110

Have a nine month old was out yesterday it was great he was out with us at7-8 weeks old easier when they are little they just chill now at nine months he is busy but it was no big deal just take he/ she along


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## BentSailor

And may she spend more than half her life sailing from now on.

Good to hear everything went well, chall. Of course, we expect to some rousing adventure stories from you now


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## Cruisingdad

chall03 said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> She is now 15 Months old and is now just back on land(for the moment) after spending more than half of her life sailing.
> 
> Safety was obviously our main focus, we did our due dilligence and found in the end that it was relatively easy and a real joy to cruise as a family.


Awesome! Beautiful kiddo. Hope you and family are doing well.

Brian


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## chall03

AdamLein said:


> Details, please!


Sorry, I have been a bit slow on the blog side of things I know!

Here is the general wrap up.










The beginning of our trip last July was let's say unpromising.

The night before we headed off, we had dinner and beers with my brother in Law( also off on a adventure of his own in Europe). I was anxious to get going at 3am, so we bolted out of our slip at breakneck speed determined to make good time on passage to Port Stephens.

As we exited Broken Bay it became apparent conditions hadn't eased that much at all. I was shouting orders and we were heading out in the dark into 25-30 knots, and the seas were well big. We had our first reef in, but the second reef line was stubbornly stuck......My wife became horribly seasick, and of course it started raining, cold penetrating rain and I inexplicably was in Jeans and a inshore jacket it not having occurred to me to put on foulies before we headed out, so I was cold, soaked through and struggling to keep control of my boat, a really dumb situation.

As the sun came up I turned the boat around and headed back into Pittwater grabbing a mooring buoy at Coaster's Retreat. We had managed a total distance of 3 nautical miles from our slip. We wondered why we were doing this, perhaps the ocean was no place for us.

We had brunch and slept. We talked. We knew what we were doing, we just had to relax and do it............ The next morning we got up at 3am again, relaxed, made porridge and coffee and headed for Port Stephens.

10 hours later we dropped anchor inside Port Stephens. So excited that we had made a 75 nm passage successfully we cracked a bottle of Champagne and celebrated. How silly that now seems!

After a couple of days in Port Stephens our next passage was an overnighter to Coffs Harbour. 36 hours at sea double-handed with a baby......it would be our norm by the end of the trip but it is well tiring!

We arrived in Coffs with a screaming baby, exhausted and yelling at each other. Two local cruisers came up and grabbed our lines and then in subsequent days they drove us into town for supplies and fuel, brought us coffees and discussed future anchorages and passages. They were our first taste of cruising camaraderie and became friends of the sort that would take years to find living the life we were living in Sydney.

From Coffs we crossed the border into Queensland and then headed across the infamous Wide Bay Bar, we explored Fraser Island and then Bundaberg. We made it up the Great Barrier Reef, Lady Musgrave Island, Pancake Creek, Great Keppel Island, Rosslyn Bay, Pearl Bay, The Percy Islands, Digby Island, Mackay, The Whitsundays and beyond.









Pancake Creek









Great Keppel Island









Middle Percy Island









Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays

We relaxed........ alot 

We stopped hurrying and started really cruising. We started talking to people..........on buses, in dinghies, on beaches, in shops and on marinas. We caught up with other boats from our yacht club cruising the coast as well which mean't there was no shortage of sundowners or advice. If the weather was good we sailed, or swam, or snorkelled....or not. If the weather was bad we fixed stuff, read, shopped or cooked.

We learn't alot about sailing and our boat. We learn't alot about cruising.

And now????

We wish it could of gone on forever, but we have returned to Sydney and are back at work.......for now. The initial hope was a couple of years of cruising. The reality was short of that.....however we still feel very fortunate that we got to do what we did. 
We are now renewing the kitty so we can go again and realise some of our more ambitious cruising goals next time.


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## tdw

chall ... re your early return, does that mean your costs were greater than anticipated ?

As for leaving Broken Bay and returning with your tail tucked, I know what you mean. A couple of years back we tried and turned back three days straight. Tiresome and dispiriting but I for one am tired of being beaten up on that stretch. 

Andrew B


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## chall03

The early return was for a few reasons. 

Firstly the timing of the ‘cruising season’ in Far Nth Qld. We realized the silliness of rushing up the coast so made the call not to venture further afield. Secondly yes costs. The blow out was probably more in the preparation stage however than cruising…. However marinas hurt a lot as well!

Thirdly ironically because we were enjoying cruising so much we decided that rather than trashing the cruising kitty in one foul swoop and then being forced back into the rat race on its terms, we would very much like to go cruising again and go further and longer. This coincided with some good work opportunities opening up in Sydney….some may see this as selling out on the cruising dream but basically we see it as the opposite. 

The reality is also that our daughter would get a lot more out of the experience in a couple of years as well. We are already planning at least 6 months up the coast again leaving next May……whether it will be longer than that or whether we will go further next year I’m not yet sure. We are now thinking about a 'Big' trip 2-3 years but not sure what that will look like...


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## BentSailor

You have a cute munchkin there, chall03 

Thanks for the details, they are much appreciated and a nice contrast to a couple of other recent tales I've heard.


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## chall03

Thanks mate.

In terms of having her along it was great. She loved the rough passages, the motion would just put her to sleep. She had a comfy little berth with lee cloth and she was happy. She loved the feel of wind on her face, it would make her laugh and flap like crazy!



cmp1110 said:


> Have a nine month old was out yesterday it was great he was out with us at7-8 weeks old easier when they are little they just chill now at nine months he is busy but it was no big deal just take he/ she along


I agree, by about 9-10 months things got a little harder, she start moving alot quicker! My daughter enjoyed undoing stopper knots, hitting random buttons on the chartplotter and disengaging the auto pilot at the most inopportune times  It's all cute to begin with.....but umm on a 2 day passage it gets old!

Friends always seemed to know when we had come into a marina, apparently the sounds of a 10 Month old shouting/singing/screaming and two grown adults singing"If your happy and you know it clap your hands" while trying to dock a boat gave us away.


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