Living Aboard with teens

[Lulu Too]

The house is for sale & we are packing! Have done a 6month live aboard stint with the kids but are now making it permanent. Will be in San Diego with 13 &15 year old. We wont be cruising right away as I am not up for home schooling. Kids will be attending school in SD. Over the years we have not met a lot of live aboards with teens. Would love input/advice regarding teens living onboard as well as finding other families on board.

[SailingwithSoul]

Welcome to the Forum!!!

I can't give you any advice specific to children, but I will say that the cruising lifestyle present a great opportunity to open and expand the mind by visiting different locals and meeting new people and cultures.

From the preliminary research I've done, home schooling seems to be a viable, if not better experience fr children. If you're concerned with their ability to make fiends and socialize, it shouldn't be a problem. Additionally, you'll have the ability to spend more time and better influence the course of their development.

As it stands, and forgive me if I'm getting political, public schools are dropping their standard in this county and private schools are becoming more and more expensive and may be pushing an agenda/academic program, which may be contrary to what a parent may want.

There is a group here on sailing with children. they may have better advice and experience on what you will need.

Happy Sailing!!!

[Lulu Too]

So agree on the schooling issue. Leaving Nevada that is ranked 49 in the nation for education. Defiantly won't rule out home schooling down the road. Did it for 6 months & may have to gear up for it again. Can't seem to find the sailing with kids group.. Still learning to navigate this site.

[SailingwithSoul]

No worries

Here's the link to the actual forum:

Cruising with Children - Cruisers & Sailing Forums


and here is the group:

Cruisers & Sailing Forums - Family Circumnavigation - 2011 East coast/Caribbean departure

[Lulu Too]

Thank you!

[swdreams88]

Hello!
We are in our final prep to leave Portland, Oregon to catch the Baha Ha Ha --- leaving from San Diego! We have a 14 year old boy and a 10 year old girl. We have the same concerns about our kids being bored while cruising. I am especially worried about my son (14) because he seems to be bored on LAND and does not really like to read. I was inspired and comforted when I read a great article located at Cruising with Children: 12 Questions to 12 Sailing Families, on the WOMEN & CRUISING website. It basically details 12 questions from 12 live aboard families. It covers the good and bad and gives ideas on what to be prepared for. Almost all 12 families say JUST DO IT, the sooner the better... and the rewards are unbelievable to the family and the development of skills and confidence for our kids. Let me know what you think!

And...maybe we can meet in person when we are in San Diego? Maybe you will be ready to go with us?

Jim, Gina, Colton & Niki

[Lulu Too]

We sooo.want to do the Haha..... We have talked about it many times and our target is to do it 2013 and to be able to keep going for awhile. Would love to meet up in SD thinking we will be on shelter island... Will post updates.

[Nostrodamus]

We have been cruising in Europe for the last year and our boys are with us. They are 16 and 18 now so when we started they were not far away from your boys age.
Our website is
Sailing Cygnus III around the world
If there is any questions you have we can answer just contact us through the website. Kids do get bored from time to time on a boat but believe me they were a lot more bored in bricks and mortar.
As everyone else says just go for it.

[colo.sail]

I lived aboard in Friday Harbor on a 41- Formosa when my daughter was 12-14. Definitely the best time of our lives together. She claimed the foc'scle as her floating treehouse/bedroom. There was never a dull moment. Slumber parties were the norm.
Weekends we would throw off the lines and leave the harbor. Soon she and friends, learned the ropes. Once we were out of the marina, I had instant crew and could sit back and enjoy.
You will get close - forced to get close. But I have found nothing compares to the time we spent on board.
We were known from San Fran to Alaska as the only boat with the bunny. Kids were constantly stopping by to visit as they cruised through.

[rebel heart]

Hey guys. We're in San Diego and leaving for central america this fall. Shoot me a message if you guys want to grab breakfast sometime. We're up near Shelter Island.

[Lulu Too]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Hey guys. We're in San Diego and leaving for central america this fall. Shoot me a message if you guys want to grab breakfast sometime. We're up near Shelter Island.

That would be great!

[bobconnie]

Dont worry about boredom !! Teens adapt FAST !! Give them at sea jobs, teach them right away to stand at least day watchs, Its important for them to be involved in as many boat jobs as possible, it helps them to feel a part of the adventure!! we raised 4 aboard 3 girls and 1 boy, all still sail, one girl owns her own boat and the others sail with friends! They were home schooled till high school, we did the Marina thing those years. Go for it you will get to enjoy your kids in a way you never would could ashore!! Just our 2 cents

[Nostrodamus]

Originally Posted by bobconnie

Dont worry about boredom !! Teens adapt FAST !! Give them at sea jobs, teach them right away to stand at least day watchs, Its important for them to be involved in as many boat jobs as possible, it helps them to feel a part of the adventure!! we raised 4 aboard 3 girls and 1 boy, all still sail, one girl owns her own boat and the others sail with friends! They were home schooled till high school, we did the Marina thing those years. Go for it you will get to enjoy your kids in a way you never would could ashore!! Just our 2 cents

Totally agree. At home the kids would go to their rooms and use X box or computers and we would not see them. On the boat we have time for each other, enjoy each others company and we get to do that thing people often forget about... talking. We still have TV, X box and computers aboard but now they get forgotten about. This is a time none of us will ever forget.

[deckofficer]

Been awhile since I've been out, but remember the cruising families with older kids always had two dinghies, the family "station wagon", and a 2nd one for the kids.

[ausaviator]

Try this one too, a lot of information on it about all sorts of things including teens.

s/v Ocelot Cruising the World