Isn't that why we all wear life jackets? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

A child can fall off a dock or seawall, too, which is why, at the club where I grew up, all children 10 and under had to wear life jackets whenever they were anywhere NEAR the water.

Plus, I would assume that your child has already been taking swimming lessons so that she will not be afraid of the water.

And if your wife worries about the child rolling off the trampoline, why can't you just keep the child in the ****?

Don't go out in conditions that are going to be scary to wife and/or child.

Do some man-overboard drills to prove to your wife (and to yourself) that you will actually be able to retrieve your offspring if she falls off the boat.

I have to guess that your wife does not know how to sail. So the best thing you can do is teach her how to sail. Her natural instinct is to be protective about her child. She needs to feel that she is in control of the child's environment. If she herself feels helpless and vulnerable and not in control, she is going to also feel helpless to protect her child.

I have taken all four of my grandchildren out sailing on my Hobie Wave when they were only babes in arms. This past summer it was delightful when I was able to take all of them, and my daughter, out on the Wave. Nobody rolled off, including the 2-year-old (although her mom kept a hand on the back of her life jacket). However, the reason I am able to take my grandchildren sailing is because I am the one in control of the boat, and I trust myself.

The bottom line is that your wife needs to trust YOU, and maybe that is not the case right now.