# sAILING WITH KIDS



## PerryRight (Nov 6, 2017)

Please share with me, the top 10 thing I need to take for a weekend trip with a 6 years old..

sun block
like jacket
games
snacks & juices..


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

My sons only 3, but we do a lot of father and son sailing week ends, so Ill do my best, 10 things is a lot though.

You already mentioned life jacket
Foot wear- rubber boots or water shoes- I normally bring both
A toque, its chilly on the water and little guys lose a lot of heat through their heads
Rain gear
Flashlight (little guys like their own lights I find)
Sleeping bag
Childrens Tylenol maybe
Maybe some kind of anti histamine that is suitable for children
Sun glasses, so he gets to look as cool as every one else.
I usually down load a few episodes of Paw Patrol onto my cell phone

Made it to 10.


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## PerryRight (Nov 6, 2017)

Arcb said:


> My sons only 3, but we do a lot of father and son sailing week ends, so Ill do my best, 10 things is a lot though.
> 
> You already mentioned life jacket
> Foot wear- rubber boots or water shoes- I normally bring both
> ...


thanks! we always forget their sunglasses and have to give up ours hahaha


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

I think it's a bit sad that parents must supply electronic devices and games/shows/programs for their children's entertainment on a family weekend on the boat. I would think this would be the perfect time to wean them off that crap and get them involved and actually looking at the world around them, instead of a screen.


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## 4arch (Jul 7, 2009)

capta said:


> I think it's a bit sad that parents must supply electronic devices and games/shows/programs for their children's entertainment on a family weekend on the boat. I would think this would be the perfect time to wean them off that crap and get them involved and actually looking at the world around them, instead of a screen.


My daughter doesn't get a lot of screen time but on the boat we've found it invaluable to have a screen as a distraction during moments when we either have a situation requiring both parents to be on deck or when she starts to feel a bit queasy. Having a calm, relaxed kid in turn makes us more calm and relaxed and therefore more enthusiastic about taking the kids sailing. Once we anchor or tie up the devices get turned off and for the most part stay off for the weekend.

I'd also note that as a kid my parents put a 13 inch B&W TV and an Atari video game system on our boat for my siblings and me. It was a lot of fun to have that but even more fun to swim, crab, go for dinghy rides, bike rides, set up lemonade stands at the marinas. Those are the memories that last and two out of three of us are still fanatics about the water, nature, and boating. It doesn't have to be an either/or choice.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

I began taking my children on boats when they were 5 years old. My son never got seasick but my daughter suffered horribly with the malady. My children were pre-cellular telephone or PC, therefore, I found it easy to to keep them entertained by allowing them to steer the boat, then found a good fishing spot, put a fishing rod in their hands and they had a ball catching dinner. 

They loved staying out overnight and seeing the stars from the boat's cockpit, and just watching the moon rise over the horizon. We had a small TV on the boat, and they could watch it if they wished, but most of the time, they preferred to either steer the boat or catch fish.

Now, I have to try and get my grandson away from that 3 X 6 inch touch screen. He's just 10 years old and already addicted to the touch screen, texting, and video games - it's so sad. I hope to introduce him to fly fishing next spring at a local farm pond that holds loads of 10 to 12 inch bluegills, largemouth bass to 7 pounds, and hybrid white bass to 20 pounds. If this doesn't turn him on to the wonders of the outdoors, I guess all is lost.

Good luck,

Gary


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

IDK, we have spent 50 nights on the boat so far this year, and still going in spite of the ice we have to break away from the boat ramp each morning. My son is right there in the cockpit with me all day to help da, often just the two of us. He steers, he plays with the ropes, doesn't matter if its raining, windy, sunny, and even a few times in the snow. When we beach or tie up for the night, I know I am tired. The boat is tiny, it has no electricity, or head, or running water, it doesn't have sitting headroom in the cabin or a table to play cards at. I figure if he wants to watch his paw patrol show for a bit before bed, I am okay with it. The point is for him to enjoy the boat.

However, I do see what you guys are saying about too much tv. We did the Rideau Canal this summer, end to end. I think we went through something like 60 locks in total. The lock masters often put us between two other boats because we are so tiny. I definitely observed a lot of boats with kids down below watching TV while their boats made a likely once in a life time passage through a world heritage site. On the other hand, I saw lots of Dads and Grampas glued to their electronic charts. Seriously, who needs electronic charts to go through a canal. Red and Green- in between. Turn your RADARs and Charts off and enjoy.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

photo shopped perhaps, but to the point


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Kinda like Thanksgiving Dinner.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

It's very difficult to get away from technologies today, and in some ways I think it's a shame. However, with reasonable limits these devices can pass some time, esp on rainy days, can be used for reading, and playing group games like scrabble etc.

If tablets are to be a part of a youngster's sailing, I'd like to see the focus on a navigation/plotting applications.

When our son was growing up we didn't have cellphones or pads, he read a lot, dinghy sailed, played on the beach and managed just fine. Our 9 yr old granddaughter sailed with us quite a bit this past summer, we rarely had wifi and she was fine with beaches and spent hours in the water swimming around the boat and on a small kayak. She's quite familiar with phones and pads but didn't seem to need them and it never really came up.

Speaking for myself I quite enjoyed the disconnect.. 10 weeks on the boat does soothe the soul....


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

Good time to get a break from smart phones, IMHO.

I gave my daughter a small suitcase and said "this is for books, toys and what ever you want." She could put it at the foot of her bunk as a toy chest (kids are short), and that worked out great. It also insured we knew where to put things away.

Also lots of beach and play time. If there isn't going to be play and explore time, it's a bad idea.

It worked out and she still sails with me.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Today, I saw 50 or more American Eagles at Conowingo Dam, swooping down a grabbing gizzard shad from the surface of the Susquehanna River just below the dam. On the way up the hill on MD Route 222 just beyond Port Deposit, a couple of whitetail deer burst from the brush, crossed the road 100 feet from me, slammed into the chain link fence of the old Baimbridge Navel Training Center, then swapped ends and ran back across the road just 10 feet from my van. 

When I got to the boat, which was slated to come out of the water, I climbed aboard and began removing lines to facilitate the move and saw a couple of monster goldfish swimming just a few yards from the boat. They probably tipped the scales at nearly 3 pounds, which I guess put them in the Koi category - Neat!

On the way home, I saw a dead deer in the middle of a freshly harvested cornfield, and perched atop the deer was an American Eagle, which was feasting on the deer carcass. I wish my grandson would have been with me on today's trek to the boat, but he opted to stay home and play games on his I-pad. So sad!

Gary


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