taking a kid sailing

[kickingbug1]

    well, we finally got a chance to take my nine year old granddaughter sailing. the winds were between 12 and 15mph so we didnt have to hear "this is boriiiiiing grandpa". i began by giving her the helm while we motored away from the dock. she didnt really warm up to tiller steering. she loved the cabin as any kid would (like a treehouse without the tree), and liked to sit on the bow straddling the jib furler and hanging onto the pulpit, but what really turned her on was her duty as " railmeat". every time a wave splashed her she let out a loud "waaaa hooooo". of course i tried to hit all of the big ones. one tip, always add two hours of swimming to 2 hours of sailing. it was a great day for grandpa and grandma

[JBC]

Cute story. May make a sailor out of that young lady one day, who knows!  We've taken lots of kids sailing over the years. Don't think any of them really took up the sport, but quite a few certainly remember those excursions, as we've heard from them later on.
Jett

[NateD]

always add two hours of swimming to 2 hours of sailing

Absolutely! Although with the nephews and nieces I've taken out, it's more like 1 hour of sailing to 2 hours of swimming.

[crazycarl]

I once spent over 6 hours on the boat in the driveway with my then 5 year old grandson. We played pirate until dark and slept on board. The 1st time we want on the water, he asked if we could sail until the sun went away and then came back.

[kickingbug1]

   wow, a future mariner. he is welcome to crew for me anytime