KidsandCatboats

CRUISING WITH CATBOAT KIDS - A PERSPECTIVE

Introduction: Although not as brave as some parents, I’ve had my kids (now 11 and 9) on my catboat since they were around 2 or 3 years of age. The delay was first, because they were not born on the boat, and second because I waited until my wife was comfortable with letting them go afloat with me. No matter when you start, the important thing is to start. At the youngest ages, they are fascinated with almost everything that this new environment has in store. In the beginning it is about making sure they don’t hurt themselves while aboard. Then as they come to understand things, safety rules are established and you have to get into a routine that prevents you from losing them overboard. As time goes by, they will go from a spectator to a participant, and that, after all is the goal isn’t it?….to give them an appreciation for being on the water, no matter what you’re doing, as long as it is together. In the end, you may even create a new generation of catboat enthusiast.

In the Beginning (The “lump baby” stage): This is the largely immobile stage where they sit like a “lump” just where you put them. At the very beginning, you’ll start with just sitting on the boat at the dock. That will be enough. The goal here is familiarity with the new surrounding. Of course, even the littlest ones need a life jacket, so get one that fits their size. At this stage, with crotch straps and sewn in collar handles, the device gives you something to tie a harness or line to, to make sure they stay “in the cockpit.” In the early years, mine just sat next to the centerboard trunk and looked around. After several familiarization trips, you are ready to get underway. Having Mommy along helps as the live security blanket, and no rough stuff. Take it easy and keep on an even keel. Once I took one of mine out without Mommy and he cried the whole way out and back. It took a whole season before he would even go back on the boat at the dock! This is strictly the “get used to it” stage.

Activities: At this stage, you the parent are heavily engaged in what the child is doing, because you are their defacto entertainment. They are not capable of making their own good time yet, so you have to play with them and do all the same things you’d do on land, except in the boat. Remember to make it a fun, not a scary place to be.

Moving Along (The “active spectator” stage): These are the years where they are comfortable with going on the boat, but can’t comprehend the danger, so rules have to be made and consistently enforced. They are old enough to talk to and explain things to, but you usually find that you have to get them into a routine to make safety stick. It starts with keeping the life jackets in the car now, and requiring them to be donned the minute you get to the boatyard. That means nobody even goes on the dock with out a jacket on. I always found that comforting, knowing that unless I heard a splash and a scream, everything was probably all right. It also allows them to have the run of the place.

Now at this stage, getting underway is a different story, because they are too big for the cockpit floor and are up on the seats. The life jacket is on and that’s good, but the monitoring isn’t over, as they are too small to go forward on deck, yet have to be reminded to stay inside the cockpit coaming. Each kid is different. I had one who after I explained things to him, was careful and tentative enough to be safe without my watching him every minute. Alternately, the other one was the type to get distracted looking at something up in the sky and then fall over the cockpit coaming accidentally. This is the stage where lifejackets are on at all times on deck, but the cabin becomes an alternate play area. It is also the beginning of overnight trips.

Activities: This is the stage where their curiosity will get the best of them, so they need to be occupied to not get in trouble. Now you can ask them to bring things on the boat to keep them busy; their things….coloring books, small toys, etc. I always had a rule that prohibited radios, CD players and other noise producing devices. This is also the time that fun things can be easily done while onboard, including:

- filling a bucket with water and letting them put their feet in it;

- partially flooding the cockpit if you are adventurous;

- giving them a length of line to tie off to places or make knots with;

- allowing them to search out snacks stowed in the cabin;

- napping in the cockpit or in the cabin with the doors closed, so they are in their own little world;

From an overnighting perspective, you have to set the cabin up to be a place they want to sleep in. Some suggestions include:

- let them bring their own “stuff” from home, so it is familiar, such as their sleeping bag, favorite blanket, pillow and stuffed animal.

- put kid stuff in the cabin that they will key into, such as a small stuffed animal that is always there (the boat mascot), a comb shaped like a fish skeleton that is only used by them; a tissue box, for those with perpetual sniffles, and a kid’s first aid kit with bright bandages, so they know they can take care of themselves when that bruise or cut comes along.

- their own flashlight

- their own kid provisions .

On Task (The “genuine participant” stage): This is where you hope to get to at about 6 to8 years of age, as they start to take a real interest in what going on with the boat and are actually looking for ways to be part of the action. Aside from the catboat, this is a good time to start working with a dinghy as an alternate skill they can learn and then use on their own. This is the beginning of the fun years, where you are no longer worried about them going over the side when you are not looking. In fact they become very aware of what it takes to stay in the boat (except when the anchor goes down and its swim call).

Activities: This is the stage where they want to do more than just watch the show. Things to do include:

- keeping the ship’s logbook, including times at key waypoints (any of a number of preformatted logs are out there that allow you to record everything from who is in the crew, to what meals you ate, to what you visited ashore….the kids love to do this)

- steering the boat

- learning to read a compass….or GPS;

- reporting the weather forecast from the VHF;

- picking out landmarks and buoys on the chart;

- planning meals and then learning how to execute them…cold ones first, then stove cooked meals (i.e. the art of canned cuisine)…once they learn to fix their own food from the well stocked and what they perceive as a magical and always surprise inventory, they’ll be fixing yours too.

- sitting in the dinghy under tow;

- rig the swim ladder and let them stand on it underway, but with feet in the water

- sitting outside the cockpit coaming on deck with feet over the side, or on the bow ahead of the mast, holding on to the headstay;

Then once at anchor:

- taking off in the dinghy and rowing around; later sailing around as master of their own vessel; (these can be useful adventures such as running an anchor out or bringing trash ashore, or getting ice)

- go exploring and play with other catboat kids, including trips to the nearest shore or beach where they can stretch their legs and play;

- go aboard and visit other boats when rafted up;

- dousing themselves with water from a large cup, cooking pot, or bucket;

- using the boat as a floating diving board, again and again; (I usually rig a floatation cushion with a buoyant line, so they have something to swim to and hang on to…the dinghy serves this purpose as well);

- towing the kids around with the dinghy while they hang on to the transom.

Advanced Activities for Catboat Kid Cruisers:

- Spend the day on someone else’s catboat;

- Keep their own ship’s log or journal…you’ll be surprised at how different their perspective may be…it makes for good reading;

- Fishing and crabbing off the boat;

- Communicating with other boats on the VHF

- Sun themselves on the cabin top;

-Assist with navigation, look out duties, lines or just watching the centerboard pendant when it is being used as a depth sounder;

- Raising sail;

- Rehearse and practice emergency procedures or conduct drills…(i.e. what would you do if Daddy fell overboard?).

Final Thoughts, otherwise known as “Mom’s Rules:”

Don’t scare the children with your sailing prowess;

No close aboard encounters with other boats; and

No babies on the open ocean….(easy to say if you primarily sail the Chesapeake Bay!)

Marc Cruder (SYLPH/WANDERER )

Suggested Further Reading: Babies Aboard by Lyndsay Green

ISBN 0-87742-273-7