Start 'em young!

[klee wyck]

We are back in the PNW for a bit before we return to the Sea of Cortez and Domino in December. The new grandson is the reason for our return. So, while it may not quite be cruising season here in Washington, the kid is now ten weeks old. Time to get out on the water! Took a little cruise around Marrowstone Island and thru the Port Townsend Canal for his maiden voyage. He should be ready to drive soon!!
Thankful....

 

[Comodave]

Congrats on your new grandson. Have a ton of fun with him.

 

[Art]

Start swimming lessons soon! Younger is better. Best luck and life with your new one!!

 

[GFC]

Congrats on the first cruise. I started all my grandkids when they were young. Here's a pic of my oldest grandson when he was about 5, taking the helm for the first time. He drove about 2.5 miles all on his own, going around an island then hit dead center under that bridge in the distance on his way downriver. Color me a proud grampa.

 

[backinblue]

Sooner the better! We sailed when my wife was pregnant and was the reason to move up in boat size. When my son was born, I think his first boat trip was at about 2 weeks. I fashioned one of the bunks into something that he couldn't roll out of and we would go sailing. He was mostly asleep, so why stay home when you can be on the water?

 

[rslifkin]

My parents had me on the boat at 3 days old. I'm told it was raining the day my mom got out of the hospital, otherwise she would have gone straight to the boat.

 

[Art]

Three boys was our family. I am the middle. Mom had been a semi pro high diver when young; and, she swam like a fish! Dad was no slacker in swimming too.

Soooo... they both wanted us boys to be competent swimmers at young age. That our family was often on our boat - this was mom's great way of teaching we three.

1st: At only a couple years age for each of us she'd fasten a life jacket on us and hook a dog leash to its rear [we always had a dog aboard - Elf was her name; a Mincer Pincer mut] Then she'd walk us in the water talking to us and instructing all the way.

2nd: Soon enough... mom would strap a belt around us with dog leash still attached - repeating the same as she did when there was a life jacket on us.

3rd [and last teaching sector]: Soon enough she'd have us with just a swim trunk on and her hand barely touching our middle back by our shoulders. Next thing we'd know... her hand was off us and we'd have swum yards ahead of her.

After that - we were pretty competent very young swimers! I love to swim!! Luckily, so does my wife!

 

[Moonfish]

That's awesome! (Love your boat, too, BTW.) We had our daughter out sailing the day she turned 3-weeks old. And before that, she spent a lot of womb-time on the ferry as we lived in Friday Harbor and all prenatal appointments were in Anacortes (there was no hospital on San Juan Island at the time). So we joke that she was born to be a boater!

She's been a boat kid ever since, and is now 11 and happy to be living aboard.

 

[jleonard]

Our grand daughter spent the weekend on the boat when she was 3 weeks old.
She is extremely comfortable boating in just about anything, can run and handle the dinghy like a pro (she's 19 now) and can tie a cleat better than most of the boaters on the dock.

 

[FlyWright]

Congrats on your new grandson! Kids big enough to see are always welcome to drive on my boat. I usually offer the 'crew job' to the youngest ones first. It always seems to make great memories.

 

[RonR]

Congrats ! its always fun to bring the kids!
Growing up in the PNW I was on a boat by age 1. Mom and Dad always had boats, same with most of the family. We started swim lesson at age 4/5. And were diving by age 12.
We had our son on the boat at 2 months old. He started swim lessons at age 3 and by age 9 was on the swim team. Recently he headed off to school (California Maritime), one of the first things they did at this school was a swim test. I was very surprised that 80% of the kids failed the swim test or skipped out on it altogether and just signed up for swim lessons.
I think its very important to get them on the water young, and get them up to speed swimming as soon as you can!

 

[klee wyck]

Captain Jack

Captain Jack is about 5 months old now, thinks February is for cruising even in the PNW, and thinks 5 months is old enough to drive!

 

[rslifkin]

I was probably in my father and grandfather's laps at the helm at that age. Not a bad time to start the addiction!

 

[Alaskaflyer]

My youngest living the dream.

 

[backinblue]

Poor kid is doomed to a life of poverty and addiction!

 

[Wayfarer]

Being able to see where you're going is overrated.

 

[Art]

OK... wake up... your turn at the helm!!

 

[AlaskaProf]

A true daughter of Alaska. Prince William Sound

 

[kthoennes]

Now that is one great photo.

 

[AlaskaProf]

Now that is one great photo.

It was one great cruise. With her big brother at Esther Island.

 

[Art]

AP - That young woman has a defining presentence about herself... whether leaning into it at the helm or sitting tall in an inflatable. That girl will likely go places!!

 

[AlaskaProf]

AP - That young woman has a defining presentence about herself... whether leaning into it at the helm or sitting tall in an inflatable. That girl will likely go places!!

Thanks,

She has deferred grad school; spent last year teaching 3rd grade in a bilingual school; recently concluded managing a political campaign and is traveling. Just back from Mallorca, Mexico with us next month, then Tuscany "for a while."

 

[kthoennes]

Boy, time on the water -- I mean real time, not just a weekender, beer-cooler, pulling a floatie behind the boat kind of time -- is one of the greatest gifts you can give kids. Just does something to them and for them.