Anyone with sailing kids?

[NateHanson]

Anyone else here have cruising kiddies? I'd love to here from others what's worked for you and what hasn't.

Lilja is 3 this month, and we've had her sailing a few times each of the past three seasons. The first summer we strapped her carseat in the cockpit for a couple daysails, or carried her in a snuggly at the helm.

Second season she got a harness and chilled out on the cockpit seats - she loved napping below while we sailed. :) At the end of that summer we took her for her first mini-cruise. She and my wife drove up to Maine and I brought the boat up. That worked great, and she mostly wore a harness, and sometimes a foam PFD. She liked the exploring, some short daysails, and a few nights aboard. (we split our time between the boat and my parents home, which prevented the boat from being too restrictive to Lily.)

This year I've only had her out on a Rhodes 19 so far, but she's got a new Sospenders foam/inflatable combo for the more mobile times ahead, and she continues to always be excited about sailing.

So any other little ones on the water here? Got tips? Stories?

[Sean Engle]

Great picture!

//sse

[NateHanson]

Thanks Sean. :) There's plenty more where that came from. :D

[JohnK]

Mmmmm - Binky...

[ted_reshetiloff]

I have a 3 year old son I cant keep off the Ericson. I also have an 8 month old daughter. We started cruising with my sone when he was 1 month old. Weekending on my colmbia 28. It got tough when he was walking as that boat had a horrible cockpit. One of the main reasons we bought the 38 was because of the kids. AS for advice I would say bring the kid as much as possible. Try not to bring too many toys and get them interested in what there is to do on the boat. I carved a wood block into a small boat for my son to tow behind. Between that and learning to trim the sails he is entertained for hours. HE also loves sitting in the dinghy. I stressed the pfd at all times above deck, even when at the marina on the pier or in the parking lot. It was tough at first but now he accepts it as the norm and even knows to get it. My 8 month old was born in august and we took her on a week cruise the next week. Last summer we did 5 cruises over 4-6 day stretches, 3 with just my son and very pregnant wife, then 2 with th e whole bunch. We bring an etch a sketch for Max and a few books. He naps in the v berth and sleeps the night there as well with a bed guard to keep him in place. We use another bed guard on the starbd bench/bunk to keep Anya on place. Lee cloths would work too but I already had the bed guards. More questions?Sorry about all of the pics but this is why I own an Ericson...

[windjunkee]

I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 1 year old. I've taken them out but it requires my wife to spend full time keeping track of the kids and me full time to sail and trim the boat (now's a good time to have roller furling).

I have a harness and two tweety bird life vests and plan to take them out more often. We've been over to Catalina Island for the weekend and a few day sails.

Need more swimming lessons before I take them out on longer trips.

Jim McCone
Voice of Reason E-32-2 Hull #134

[Ed Valente]

Great Pics. Ted, what do you use for bed guards ? We have a one y/o son who we plan to do some cruising with this summer. Sailing was easy last summer as he was contained in his car seat. We have a pfd and harness for him and were contemplating adding netting for the cockpit. It would be nice to create an arrangement where the netting could be easily removed for occasional racing. Any thoughts about netting (pros / cons / ideas for easy removal) ?

Ed.

[Seth]

Long time, no noise from you!! Is the boat in yet? What are your plasn for the season? I would love to do a Wed. night with you....
Over....
S

[ted_reshetiloff]

We dont go offshore. Only in the chesapeake. We dont use the netting. I couldn't stand the stuff personally. No harness either, just pfd. He stays mostly in the cockpit, but does go fwd when its not too rough. I figure we keep pretty close tabs on him and if does fall overboard its going to be a good learning experience for him... As for bed guards we use the kind that work on regular home matress beds. They are not used as lee cloths say when the boat is heeled, just when motoring, at anchor or whne not heeled over. If I had more time on my hands I would take some sunbrella and make up a few lee cloths as they would be much more practical.

[Ed Valente]

From an asthetic point, Im not a big fan of the netting either. But it sure beats fishing the kid out of the water and dealing with the after math from the captain (in the best case scenario). Seth, Wed beer cans are definitly in the plans and it would be great to have you on board. We will be in the water in three weeks. Had to get a portion of the vang repaired and the guy who was suppose to do the work dissapeared with it. Thanks to local law enforcement connections the part is now back and servicable. Still can't give any recomendations for a reputable machine shop in the Lake Michigan area. But can recommend who to stay away from. (but I digress).

Ed.

[ref_123]

There is a good source for Plastimo netting - www.marisafe.com; it's way cheaper then Johnson's.

As for the bed guards - questions to the collective experience. We are planning to use the V-berth as a baby pen. I looked long and hard how to prevent our girl from getting out from there (she is 15 months old today, so the climbing abilities do not match her reasoning yet).

Most of those standard bed rails are really low, so I can easily envision my girl climbing over it and then falling down from aggregated 5 feet of height (V-berth+guard)... As for the large gates, they are way too big and I'd have to drill a lot of holes in the woodwork. Any thoughts/experiences? I am not really eager to sew a full-size mesh barrier to cover the whole V-berth opening, but if it comes to that - well... "babies gotta do what babies gotta do"...

Thanks,
Stanly

[NateHanson]

For my cruising with Lily I made a canvas lee-cloth that covered an entire pilot berth. That way she was safe to sleep or play in there on all points of sail, and it also darkened the berth a bit so it was easier for her to nap.

Nate

[CaptnNero]

We don't have kids but we have taken plenty of friends' kids of various ages along on day sails. They seem to like to sit on the bow with legs over the side while getting splashed by the wake. Playing below is also popular. Just like adults, a few are naturals at the helm and some of the others are challenged.

We had a few jungle-gym syndrome incidents. One particular hyperactive 9 year old lowered himself under the lifelines to dangle off of the bow while underway. That came out ok. In his case, something like that was expected. Another 4 year old decided to swing from the open companionway hatch after being warned a few times. He got some strong restrictions after that.

We've had plenty of fun with the kids onboard but we plan for shorter sails as they tend to get bored sooner.

-- neal

[vabobadams]

4 year old that loves downwind running (big colorful kite) getting used to close haul
Bob

[jeff_mc]

this is my first mate max.

we have been saililng our ericson since he was 9 (13 now)
bring herbal sea sick meds. he gets sick sometimes when the weather gets snotty. i teather my nephews in the cockpit. helps reduce the panic in my sisters face. when they fall asleep while underway, which is most of the time, put them on the floor, on a fluffy cloud of sleeping bags, bliss.

[Art Mullinax]

Don't look like a Max to me?

[jeff_mc]

ya hes a pretty boy.
chicks dig him.

[Art Mullinax]

Pardon me, I thought the bottom of the photo was missing!! My apologies.

[Sean Engle]

Hey Nate -

Hope you don't mind*... You and your helmsman have been added to the rotation on the front page...

//sse

* If you do, let me know...

[NateHanson]

We're honored sean (we just won't spill the beans that the picture wasn't taken aboard an ericson ;))

[Sean Engle]

That's ok - the picture is too good to pass up - besides - we're talking about 'Ericson Sailors' here...not what's under their feet (you can tell I used to live in DC, no?)! :egrin:

//sse

[upinthenorth]

Charly Age 3

[Roger Ware]

Here's one I shot yesterday on my E38 200 just outside Kingston on Lake Ontario. My daughter and two nieces.

Roger Ware
"Starlight II" E38 200
Kingston, ON

[Seth]

Nice rotation on the cruising kite! It is well projected to windward and looks fast!

S

[Roger Ware]

good of you to notice that Seth - the real secret seemed to be hoisting the A-sail by itself! sets beautifully even at high apparent wind angles. But the VMG? Not stellar.

best regards
Roger

[Seth]

Do you mean actual velocity made good, or are you referring to a sail (smaller, flatter A-sails are often referred to as VMG kites..)

If the former, I believe the actual VMG when sailing deep in light air is not so good-as it would be with most boats...

S

[Roger Ware]

but when you say "as with most boats" do you mean that this A sail doesnt perform well at high AWAs or the boat - E38 - doesnt perform? (I was just kidding around, but now you have got me interested).

Cheers, Roger

[therapidone]

Great pics...all of them! Even with time on my hands, I hadn't considered reading this thread 'til tonight...I'm glad now that I gave it a look-see.

My "kids" are all grown now with the youngest being 23...although, I still think of her as "the little one." I remember fondly the days when each of the three (2 sons in their 30's and the 23-yo dghtr) was still a tot; but, believe me when I tell you that I'm glad the teenage years are history (at 13, consider sending them aloft in space via some sort of rocket & allowing them to return to earth somewhere in their mid-20s!)! Unfortunately (for them and me), I came to sailing long after their formative years.

The only "kid" we now have on board w/ us is our 2.5 yr old Jack Russell/Beagle mix, Jinx. She wears a pfd at all times on the dock & in the boat whether we're underway, anchored, or tied up at the slip...not so much because she'd have problems doggy-paddlling, but the handle on the back of the pfd makes a nice place to deploy the business end of a boat hook to pull her out of the drink should the occasion ever arise. She has become so sure-footed that, even when underway, she now moves around the side decks, goes forward, and will cross from boat to boat in a raft-up. When we're headed to our marina from the bay, almost as soon as we enter the South River, she goes to the side of the cockpit & starts sniffing...I'm sure she's aware "we're headed home" even though we've got another 2 nautical miles to go! If pics of these types of kids count, I'll have to take some!:)

May you and all your children enjoy fair winds.

Regards,

Ed:egrin:

[Tom Greaves]

we send them up the mast, or insist they take the helm.

We spent a week sailing in Penobscot Bay, Maine last month. Both boys had a blast being hoisted up the mast -- the higher the better. In one instance this saved me a trip to unwrap the radar reflector from the stay. My daughter (4) was really quite miffed that she had to stay on deck; my bosun's chair does not fit her at all.

I've found it best to engage my kids in the sailing part as much as possible. Rowing or motoring with the dinghy seems possible at age 6. Next year I hope to have my Shellback dinghy completed and turn the boys loose.

We had no problems with 5-6 hour passages this time. My two youngest children have been sailing with us since... well, before they were born. It is way easier now that they're out of diapers. When it gets a little rough, they retreat to the v-birth.

[rssailor]

I am getting my two year old used to sailing. Have taken him out on Moonglow several times and on my Coronado 15. I am taking him out this Sunday with three other people. He does pretty well for one so young, but the motion of the boat is really what he is getting used to. He loves to walk around inside the boat and sleeps well in the V-berth. So far, I don't have to fight him for the tiller, but I am sure that will change soon. Ryan Moonglow Ericson 25+

[Chris Miller]

If pics of these types of kids count, I'll have to take some!:)

Ed:egrin:

I know this is a little :offtopic: , but they're our fuzzy little boys and sail really well. The biggest things they love about the boat are being with us 24/7 and seeing their other sailor dog friend, Hobie.

[soup1438]

Here's some I took, neither particularly recent...

You'll note that there were months between these two pics...

[therapidone]

Ok, I asked the question in an earlier post & Chris decided that it was ok to post pics of our furry friends in this thread...so here's Jinx, our 17 - 18 lb Jack Russell Terrier/Beagle mix, in a typical pose (although, more frequently she has curled herself up into a ball in order to fit in the little "bed" on top of which you see her hind end) showing exactly how much help she is as part of the crew...it's a good thing we can sail for such a long distance on one point of sail when we're just out for a day sail w/ "no particular place to go" (ala Chuck Berry) so we don't have to disturb her.

This season, she has become so comfortable aboard the boat that she will walk all over the deck even while underway & while rafted up w/ other boats, she moves from boat to boat on her own. After a sail and as we approach our marina but are still 2 nautical miles away, she invariably perks up, puts her front paws on the coaming while her hind paws are on the cockpit seat & begins to sniff the air...she knows we're headed home...well, at least that's what I think she knows, she has yet to master English!

Regards,

Ed:egrin:

[captiantim]

We have been living on our boats for over 3 years now, our Ericson got wrecked so we now have a new boat, S/V Euroclydon.

My girls love living on boats, and there grades in school have gone way up, they just seem happier on the boats.

My wife and I have started a group on Facebook about living on boats.http://tinyurl.com/28l9w29