I have two children (5 and 2 years old) and was thinking of putting them on the Hobie this summer. (With PFD's and swimming lessons).

At what age did you introduce your children to sailing?

Todd

Some of my grandchildren have gone sailing with me (on a Hobie Wave) before they could even walk. But, of course, they will not remember it.

Your 5-year-old WILL remember it, so make sure it is a pleasant sail -- no hull-flying. Make sure it is a day where you can put the 5-year-old on the tiller without worrying about a wrong move (but don't let go of the mainsheet).

Good advice Mary,

I took my two daughters out, (5 and 3 at the time, now 6 and 4) and they swollowed so much salt water that the youngest HATES it and the oldest doesn't care much about it. Taking it easy is key.

My oldest daughter went on our Hobie 16 (in the Gulf) when she was 1 year old and never looked back. 4 Years later daughter no. 2 started going out on our Stiletto 23 at the same age, same results. One thing we stressed though was that they didn't get on the boat without wearing a life jacket, never, ever. That is the way they learned from day one and it was always automatic, never an issue. Didn't even a have to ask. Now my daughters are 19 and 23 and still love it. Be careful, they start bringing along friends. Have plenty of food and drink!

Make it fun!

I have to agree with all of the above. Keep it mellow and as soon as it stops being fun for them, head in.

My daughter first really sailed when she was about 5. We went out on the Hobie 17 and she thought sitting on the wings was cool. Later that year, I took her out with me (again on the 17) on a Sunday at a regatta. When she got cold, we went in, no questions asked.

She's since crewed for me a number of times on the Hobie 16 (all her trophies are proudly displayed on her bedroom wall). At the Rochester, NY points regatta last year, she was out in driving rain, 20+ knots, we were involved in a collision - and she thought it was the coolest thing - at the ripe old age of 11. That's her favorite trophy:


Dad even let her drive the Tiger last summer:


(Notice that Mom's not too far away )

Matt, that is incredibly cool.

Ditto!

My 9 year old daughter Sarah sailed a complete schedule last season with me and even did the H16 North Americans.
She skippered in the Div.16 youth championship over the summer. She finished 2 races in the parent crewing division and won a race in 10-12mph. As Mary said I held onto the main sheet (calling UP,UP,UP a lot) while she drove and did the tacks and jibes. If anyone wants to say the H16 is not an exciting boat I would suggest crewing for a youth. Make sure they are warm and happy.

Here's Joey racing with me at Alum Creek at age 7 on our Mystere 4.3.





We got him started on a 3 person lightning at 3 or 4. He sailed on the cat starting at 5.

Now he has his own Opti.




What worked for us was to take him out for a race or 2 and for me to single-hand the rest of the regatta.

Son Tom started on my Hobie 12 at age 7. He then had his own Hobie 10. Our Hobie 14 was next, followed by the Hobie 16. By 11 he was crewing for me on the H-16. Then, the most important change, and the one most adults miss, he took over the helm at 13, and I became crew. This continued when we went to a Hobie 18. Finally, in 1987, I bought a Hobie 17, and got to drive again. He bought his Hobie 17 in 1989, and we continue to race both boats today. Now, we are in our third generation of Hobie sailors, and Grandson Dan, nine, has three years of sailing Hobie Waves under his belt at Sail Sand Point, www.sailsandpoint.org. Plus, three years of Fast and Fun events.

Caleb Tarleton H-17, 6185
Tom Tarleton H-17, 144
Dan Tarleton, Wave, Opti, Hunter 140 and everything else at SSP

(All, Members of HCA and US SAILING)

Pat's daughter was there at the Rochester regatta, too. Quite the competition between the girls - "Is Sarah still out?" "Did Megan go in?" - Seems like neither one would be the first to quit.

But the best part about Sarah B. crewing for her Dad in the 16 NA's was that it freed up her Mom (Diane) to sail with me! (Thanks for loaning me your wife, Pat! )

We are on a small inland lake so our sailing windows with kids were frequent. I agree with Matt that the experience has to be FUN and Comfortable. As soon as either the fun factor or comfort factor is no longer there its time to head in.

I have four kids. We got them on to our 16's at two or three (in selected conditions), they took the helm at eight or nine, my oldest and her sister took one of the 16's out themselves just this year (14 and 12 years old) in VERY selected conditions.

I have raced with three of them at one time (still didn't meet minimum weight - ha) in our club races when they were 6,8 and 10. One would crew for the starboard tacks, another for the port tacks and the third had the vital job of watching the other boats and keeping us level. (I think now he thinks he may have got a little screwed).

Laura and I always stressed NO LIFEJACKET - NO BOAT

have fun,

John

This is my first summer on a cat, I used to sail a laserII before I had my two daughters (now 4 and 8). I was quite surprised that they didn´t like it as I expected, the older one handles the trapeze with perfection and even takes the tiller, but she gets bored soon on light winds and gets scared when it speeds up. For the younger it is just too scary, she asks to slow down as soon as it starts moving.. it was her first experience on a boat, so I won´t even insist, I will just take her when she want and if its very calm. On the snow it´s kind of the same, in that case I went really slow and I now both girls enjoy very much skiing. On the water I didn´t do it so well, I went too fast, but I don´t think it will limit them in any way, I will just slow down and let them get into it as they want to. It will happen if it´s on their nature, otherwise it won´t, which is ok too, I don´t pretend to define what they like and what they don´t. Do you?

My boys have sailed with me every year since they turned 4. They are currently 7 and 10. They get bored pretty quick and want to return the beach or harbor. Today since I am sailing a C 28R most of our outing are long so when they come along I bring gameboys, books, games, and plenty of fun food. They seem to like boiled shrimp alot. They enjoy the campfires and gatherings and have even logged them down as highlights of the summer. The boys don't like it when it gets real windy and choppy.

When my oldest boy was 6 (2001)I took him to Ruff Riders in South Texas and had him out on my Inter-20 the day before the race. If I recall the wind was honking and we sailed for about 4 or 5 hours. He just had faith that I would bring him back. He hung all day with the big boys.

They are going to get their own Nacra 5.0 this spring and I think they will like it better than the big boat because of the closeness to the water and the easy of operation. The 5.0 is going to be named Hi Ceas after Hunter and Carter. Planning on putting flame decals on their racer.

I have to go back to my own childhood to give a child's perspective. I have told this story before, but here it is again.

When my sister was 2 and I was 6, back in 1948, my father decided we needed an activity that we could do as a family. So he joined Mentor Harbor Yacht Club (on Lake Erie), got a Lightning and started racing in the club Lightning fleet. My sister and I were banished to the cave under the front deck while our parents sailed the boat. Very unpleasant experience for all, since they were coming in last place and we children were, well, very uncomfortable.

So, then we were banished to the beach, much to our delight, because we could play in the waves all day, and we loved sailing because we knew that was what had made this idyllic childhood possible.

When I was about 8 years old, we got a pram dinghy. I first learned to row it, and then I learned to sail it. For me, that was the major turning point in my life. My father went out in it with me one time, with me on the helm, and he showed me how to make the boat go where I wanted it to go. And then he turned me loose by myself and just told me to not run into anything.

Our harbor was full of anchored cruising monohulls and was enclosed by concrete wall. I remember that I narrowly missed an anchored boat and was heading straight for a concrete wall as a gust hit me and I accelerated. I panicked. At the last minute I put the tiller over and the boat turned, the boom swung over, and disaster was averted.

That was an epiphany for me. It was so empowering to realize that I was able to control this little boat all by myself and go wherever I wanted.

I rarely if ever crewed on our Lightning, but when I was about 12 or 13 my father put me on the helm for a couple years, and he made me accept the trophies, even though I knew they were rightfully his, because all I did was steer, while he trimmed all the sails and called tactics.
My younger sister went through the same procedure.

50-some years later, both of us are still racing sailboats. So our father must have done something right.
But that pram dinghy that I sailed by myself was still the turning point for me. And that is why I think it is SO important for young kids (8 to 12) to have a boat that they can sail all by themselves and learn by themselves from trial and error.

Of course, if I had run into that concrete wall…or into one of those anchored boats… Actually, I would not have done much damage either way, but a little dose of fear is good for the learning curve.

I Guess I have a few kid stories:
My first born crewed for me on the Shark Cat in 1966 (about 10 years old) and we won our first trophy.., 3rd place in the North Americans. I remember I couldn't go up to pick up the trophy because I was all weepy and unmacho. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Same kid in 1970 crewed for Stan Woodruff in the Sharks when we tied for the Nationals.., breaking in favor of Stan and Dave.
Dave is still sailing.., won the F16 Nationals two years ago, 2nd in the Wave Nationals a few months ago, and loves to sail when he has time and money to do so.

The second eldest, Todd, was a very little guy. At the age of 12 he looked like he was about 8.
It was so funny. Here we are sailing along in the single-trap Tornado and the hull would rise and he would get out on the trapeze.., all 80 pounds of him. I thought that was pretty ineffective, so I trained with him all summer to helm the boat in preparation for the Tornado Worlds in Toronto. I would start the race (he was too timid at the start), and then jump on the wire to crew and trim main and jib while he steered. I would encourage him to just keep the windward hull kissing the water. He did a great job.
In fact, we took a 2nd place in one of the races against some really hot competition and were in strong contention. A day or so later, the wind blew the warm water off the top and the freezing water came to the surface.., that was when we had to rush him to the hospital for exposure.
The interesting part was that many of the top sailors saw the idea of putting the heavy guy on the trap and have the little guy helm.
One such person was Rick Taylor of Taylor Sails (the leading sailmaker in those days for the Tornado) who was about 6'4" and well over 200 lbs. He had this little scrawny, skinny crew. He told me, "Boy, you reallly have the right idea."
So, he started having the scrawny, skinny little kid helm while he crewed.
By the way, the scrawny, skinny kid was Randy Smyth.

Todd sailed most of his life and was a captain.

Stacy was a great crew as well.., and believe she was around 12 when she really started racing. She was great. After all she was taught by the best crew I ever had -- her mother, Mary Wells.
I will never forget the time we were racing at one of the Miami YC events and we had the lead going into the last beat to the finish. She was so anxious to get out on the trapeze that she jumped out a bit early, hit the mark, and we had to do a turn. She cried for an hour.., tough, competitive kid.
Unfortunately, her life led her in a different direction and no longer sails, nor even has access to any water except from a faucet (mother of four very young kids)

And finally, my grandson. We don't see much of him since he lives in Ohio and we live in Florida. But one summer when he was about 7 he crewed for me in a local yc race. We had the lead around the leeward mark on the Nacra 6.0. As I sheeted in to go to weather the hull began to fly somewhat. I got out on the trapeze and it stopped rising and the boat squirted out quickly.
He looked at me in wonder and exclaimed, "Grandpa! You saved our lives!"

Rick

My son was 4 and just able to swim. We used sailing on the 6.0 as the reward helping motivate him to learn to swim. I've been using sailing terms with him since the beginning. The grocery store and bike riding have been great place/activities to practic with the terminolgy; ready about, helms a-lee, recenlty overlap and I need room.

Eventually, a short video of sailing with kids will be posted on our club website and I'll direct you all there. Its to big to attach, 17 megs?

Hello All,

So, we are telling kid sailing stories...!

Ok, we live on an island, so, guess what we do most of the time?.....yep, hit the water!..swim,..snorkle,..fish,..sail

Colin would be on the Hobie 33, since we came to St. Croix, we would cross over to Tortola to see the grandparents, whether by sail, power, ferry, plane, cargo plane,..whatever,...we go.

Coming back from St. Thomas Rolex in the H33 one year, we hit a 180 degree wind shift and full blown #$&* storm,....yep, right on the nose,..8 hrs later in horizontal rain we made St. Croix at midnight,.....he was 5,...he remembers it today,..so we make a rule,...if the seas are over 6 feet and the wind over 25, we do not go....

....but 3 foot waves and 15 mph is the norm here and he does the YC optis and sunfish like the rest of the kids. The kids race at the YC, inside the reef, the waves are less than 1 foot but the wind is up,..it is fun to see, for downwind, the kids spend most of the time getting water outof the optis,...they call it 'bail and sail' here

...now, at 12, he has been on since 10, I take him on the I-17 and he grabs the tiller out of my hand and laughs( of course I get miffed, I mean, this is still MY TOY)......yeah, yeah, yeah, they love hangin' on the wire too, of course....his comment is '..Make the boat go faster Dad.."...this year he will go to the regattas and set up the boat, instead of sitting on the RC boats eating sandwiches and drinking sodas.....hopefully in 2-3 years he can take the boat over,..no pressure,..his call.

regards ,

Bruce
St. Croix

I got my love of sailing from my Dad, who saw only the romance and none of the hardship. By the time we could afford a boat, I was 14 and we learned to sail together. By that age it was the only thing we could talk about without getting in an argument and it has been important in my life ever since.

I got my son, Reece, out on a H-16 when he was barely 3. He'd sit in my lap until it was time to tack, then he'd hold on to the center laces until we were safely on the new tack and he'd crawl back into my lap. Evey time a puff would accelerate the boat or raise the hull slightly, he'd say whooooa, laugh histarically, then say 'do it again Daddy!'

During the 2004 Outer Banks 500, 'do it again Daddy' became our mantra every time we'd catch a wave and surf the boat. Now I'm thinking of naming my boat "Do it again, Daddy"

Finally, a few months ago, Reece was sitting in my lap and we were watching the Spitfire video. About half way through he shouts, "Woah, that's so f#%&ing cool." Where in the world would a three-year-old hear such language?

My son started sailing with me at about 8 or so. He's 13 now and will pass up most anything to go sail. My middle girl (10) is getting to the point where she'll want to go more and my youngest (8) well... its got to be blowing or she's bored! Of course they (we)all like it better blowing than not especially when its hot. It doesn't hurt that on my Stiletto I can bring all their friends!

I think the youngest age I was able to take them out (with moms approval) was about 4 or 5 for the girls.

Is life good or what?
Clayton