Take some kids sailing

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by NaturalPace

WOW!! thanks so much everyone for your input...we have our Grandson with us now, on our boat and he spent all day sailing...often mentioning.."When we do the Baja Haja"....I think he is hooked! I am not worried anymore...most of the problems are mine and me trying to micromanage. I watch my hubby with him and he blossoms with Tim's willingness to give up control and let him tack etc...stretching his limits. It is going to be AWESOME!!!!! I love this forum.

This reminds me of an experience I had that actually ended up guiding me to a teaching career. While I was working in Santa Barbara harbor as a kid a woman sailed in, Marry Duffield, in a fairly large boat (to me) I think it was around 40 feet, from Santa Cruz. I think she was in her 50s at the time. She had a crew of 5 or 6 teenage boys along and they were on their way to Mexico. These were the days before GPS, so these kids were learning real navigation and seamanship skills, and how to use a ham radio along the way. I was struck immediately by the confidence and competence and excitement the kids displayed. The youngest, a 13 year-old, could tie knots way faster than I could. They were in the harbor for only 2 or 3 days and after doing some repairs on the rigging themselves, they sailed away!