I single handed with my son starting when he was 18 months old. He is now 25 and will tell you that to this day it was some of the greatest experiences of his life. My constant concern and thoughts revolved around his
safety, especially since he had no fear of the
boat or the
water. Until he was 15 he never went on
deck without a floatation vest and until he was 16 when we were under way. We spent some time finding one that fit well and he was comfortable wearing. Childproofing the boat was also some
work, Including netting around the
lifelines and a tether just for him when we were under way. The tether limited his ability to move forward out of the
cockpit, even at age 10 or 11. It was always
safety first. As he got older he took over the
helm for periods of time, daylight only, and the
autopilot did a lot of
steering. He was always involved in the
navigation process, even at a young age. He had specific areas of the boat to take care of and daily chores to do. We always had time set aside each day to study for
school and time to study and
research the places we visited.
Docking and
anchoring, he usually stayed below until the boat was secure, until he was about 12. We know many, many cruisers with
children of all ages and they are very happy, well developed
children. I hope some of this helps. Chuck