It's why we got a bigger boat
My wife and I decided to move up from a 14.2 to a 31' sail boat just so we could make sailing more of a family event. My daughter is 8 and my son is 4. They Love IT! We still sail the 14.2 out on the lake, but we keep the 31' on a bay on the coast and spend most weekends and our summer vacation on board. We put on lifeline netting and have harnesses for both kids but our usual rule is they stay in the cockpit with life vests on while under sail. At least for the timebeing. The netting is really more for the dog (Welsh Corgi) and for the kids while we're in harbor. We have a TV/VCR on board and that helps in a pinch (especially when it's raining), but there's so much else to do besides sailing like crabbing and fishing off the dock, anchoring out for the day to fish, going to the beach, kyaking around the bay, hanginf out and reading books, etc. This was our first season with the big boat. My kids are just starting to help out with the actual sailing. My son runs lookout fromthe cockpit sometimes and my daughter helps with docking and sometimes tacking the jib (with her mom of course). Mostly, we spent the summer just letting them get their sea legs (that took a while for my daughter who's a little more squeemish than my son) and get the hang of sailing a big boat. It took Mom and Dad quite a while to get the hang of it as well. But mostly, we try to have as much fun as possible on the water and in dock. We decided to take the plunge on a biggger boat mostly because we wanted something we could do together as a family for many years to come. I did't want to see my children grow up in away from me. I wanted something we could all enjoy doing together. I wanted as well to foster an environment of learning and growth. I one season the kids have already learned so much about tides and phases of the moon, various forms of marine life, shooting satrs, phospheresence in the water at night, boating safty, and just plain having a good time in and around nature. There's a lot more to see and learn on the water than there is in our suburban back yard. They are also learning about how to face adversity and sometimes fear, how to be challenged and overcome their doubts and about growth through a feeling of accomplishment. It sure beats video games! Whether or not they become lifelong avid sailors isn't a concern of mine, so long as they are having fun now. I think they probably will become sailors, but what's more important to me is that we spend these next ten or fifteen years learning and growing together as a cohesive family unit. I think sailing offers us the best opportunity for that.
