Getting kids/teens into sailing?

[LAXTravelMom]

My family is looking to switch to a liveaboard cat. We have 7 kids (2 in college, so only 5 on the boat full-time), from ages 5-22.

Caroline (22)
Mason(18)
James (14)
Alana (12)
Ashlynn (9)
Margot/Will (5yo twins)

Our 14 year old (James) has expressed a lot of interest in sailing, and actually asked to take lessons before our family even started considering liveaboard.

The girls (Alana and Ashlynn) are definitely open to the idea, but they aren’t 100% sold. It’s not so much about social life (they’ve always been best friends, and while they’ll have trouble saying goodbye, I think they feel closer to each other than anyone else.), but I think they’re both a bit scared of change.

Our twins (Margot and Will) don’t totally get the concept? They understand that we would be living on a boat and sailing places, but I’m not totally sure how to get them to really understand the magnitude of the change, if that makes sense.

If you liveaboard with kids, what are your tips for getting the kids adjusted to boat life? How do you find other kid boats? How do your kids pass the time during passages?

Anything helps!
-Emily

[NorthernMac]

Get them a laser

Some basic lessons, including flipping it and righting it, and let experience do its thing.

[Don C L]

Caroline and Mason: Get them going learning on Hobie Cats after the Laser
James and Alana: Lasers after the Sabot or El Toro
Ashlynn: Sabot or El Toro, though she may be begging for the Laser after she sees her big sister get the hang of it. (By the way, these aren't the only boats, just use them as kind of a measure for the type of boat to consider)
Get all the big kids comfortable with safety procedures and how to work the outboard and the dinghy. They will love the power and freedom that gives them too.
The twins, their own inflatable little kayaks to play in and squirt guns.
If they can take the lessons with a bunch of other kids their age, do it! Yacht clubs and sailing clubs often have summer classes and the kids have a blast and build tremendous confidence.
Inflatable SUP is also a real hit with my 14 y.o. daughter, she is only lukewarm on helping me sail the boat But she loves sailing and being out on the water.
My 9 y.o. son enjoys sailing the boat but going in one direction bores him after a while. He loves his small kayak to go off by himself at the local islands.
Make it easy for them to bring their friends along when possible.
Have dive equipment at the ready and fishing poles.
Get an underwater light meant to attract fish or squid. The kids of all ages will love to see what shows up at night!
Keep it all positive, fun and not scary at first and then ramp up slowly so you don't lose them. Try your best not to yell at anyone for pulling on the wrong line or getting off course. (I still need to learn that.) You have to let the unplanned tacks or NEAR gybes go without a negative comment (though watch the gybe!) and use them as teachable moments.
Then when you find out what works, come back and tell us about it!
Check here too:
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...with+kids.html
Good luck!

[AlexandraCirka]

"Assuming that you have covered the costs and fuel of the catamaran and planned the right sailing routes for your kids, then it all comes down to how you can integrate a fun experience as a family whilst simultaneously exploring new locations, people and cultures. Boating is one of the best forms of slow travel and I think you couldn’t word it better for how you described Alana and Ashlynn- being scared of change. To help your kids get adjusted to boat life you first have to find what they are good at in the water or what they can get good at and that means they have to try new things and enjoy the learning process. For example I have put my my son for swimming lessons ever since he was 5 and he has now grown (now he is 19) to simply love scuba diving and snorkeling with his friends in new areas. Last year he chartered a yacht through BednBlue.com with his group in the greek island of Crete for a week charter where they went diving and explored new areas, he then came to me telling me how he wants to learn how to sail and even consider the option of staying away from home for a while till he finds his real passion. The key is to make your kids learn new things and then they will come asking you for things, maybe a good idea is to get them into a few classes of sailing so they can start taking the path of leading where to go once you liveaboard. The kids themselves like to be a part of something new, you can carefully plan the routes you will take, maybe take them to destinations where they can spot seagulls, dolphins and create ways to play games with their siblings such as ticking off areas they reach on the map or making quizzes for mooring spots in the open sea. So they do not really get bored make sure you have a kayak, diving equipment ready and check out facebook groups such as Liveaboard families: Med or kids4sail – these groups help families stay well connected and family travel groups such as worldschooling are used by cruised to help find kids boats.
"

[Benz]

You don't need to get kids adjusted to boat life--kids are self-adjusting. Just go out there, cruise where you want, and the kids will be fine. Bring lots of books and be prepared to read to them. Don't try to make everything educational--it becomes a huge burden. Instead, just be--everything will come naturally.

[psk125]

How much do YOU like sailing? My wife and daughter just finished reading "Sea Wife" - a cautionary tale if there ever was one. https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Wife-nove.../dp/0525656499 . Another title - nonfiction this time - is "Atlantic Circle". A bit more about the realities of sailing and its interactions :https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...tlantic-circle
Casting off is a big step.

[Benz]

Originally Posted by psk125

How much do YOU like sailing? My wife and daughter just finished reading "Sea Wife" - a cautionary tale if there ever was one. https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Wife-nove.../dp/0525656499 . Another title - nonfiction this time - is "Atlantic Circle". A bit more about the realities of sailing and its interactions :https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...tlantic-circle
Casting off is a big step.

Look in the back pages of "Sea Wife"....I get a mention there.

[Merriweather]

Hi there!
We have 3 kids who are now grown up and 2 of them are big time sailors. There was an awesome dinghy sailing class in highschool and they really got into boats thru that experience. We also sailed with them nearly every weekend since our youngest was 2 when they lived at home. One of our daughters has her own sailboat and our son is looking to buy one!
Our kids also really get into racing dinghy's and crewing on big race boats.

[LittleWing77]

Hi Em,

Here's a short thread from the Fall started by Superseapig (Ali) who is from Texas and they have all started dinghy sailing as a family. They've made a great start:

Sailing Day 2: Am I a Sailor Yet?
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...et-240882.html

Warmly,
LittleWing77

[Chotu]

Benz nailed it! Just provide some chances for them to go explore on their own. Teach them how to use the dinghy. Maybe keep a spare one too.