Tips for Sailing with Kids

• Teach kids to swim.

• Establish safety rules and then enforce them.
 

• Look around your sailboat for any improvements that need to be made to keep the kids safe.

• Let the kids help plan each day’s route.

• Teach the kids to steer, read a compass, follow a chart, and cleat down and throw lines.

• Put kids on watches and rotate the watches.

• Get input from the whole family, including the kids.

• Keep a supply of books available in reference to sailing and your destinations.

• Encourage a child’s natural sequence of events. Often what begins as play evolves into a learning activity.

• Teach basic piloting and navigation as soon as your child shows interest.

• Look at the stars of the night sky and interest kids in how mariners of old navigated by the stars.

• Emphasize the importance of privacy and alone-time.

• Give each child a “Do not Disturb” indicator so they can get their privacy and alone-time when they want it.

• Invite your children’s friends to join your family on cruises.

• Encourage letter writing.

• Bring instruments along for people to play and sing on board.

• Include state or national parks on your itineraries. When at the parks have a ranger give a full tour or explore the park with plenty of literature.

• Have each child keep a combination diary/log/photo album about their trip(s).

• When planning a passage, keep sailing time to several hours with breaks in between.

• Buy a separate life jacket for each child, so the life jacket will fit comfortably and stay stylish enough for the child to want to wear it.

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