What do you do with kids aboard for two weeks?

[Paul D.]

Post your ideas or known solutions.

For our two week trip to Isle Royale National Park earlier this season, having the port settee berth shelf completely full of books was a godsend. They read all of them. Let's face it, our boats are older, smaller and slower than most of life these days, so we figured a similarly aged pastime might work well. We were fortunate.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Paul:

You got teenage boys to read

Holy crapola

What drug did you use

Did you hypnotize them

[swpatooty2]

Amazing - and the books are real, not on an electronic device.

[tjr818]

Boy, oh boy, are they going to be telling stories about you!

[David van den Burgh]

Must be a Cape Dory thing. These kids actually read too.





But they also keep busy fishing, swimming, rowing the dink, OR goofing off on the iPad when there was wifi, which wasn't often

[Jeff and Sarah]

Your boys look a little old for this, but one of my favorite things to do with my kids is search for treasure. I have an old box that looks rather "piratey" (if that is a word) that I fill with candy or toys. Once Sarah starts the bed time routine with our boys I quietly paddle away to hide the box ashore. In the morning we set out in the dinghy looking for treasure! It seems to be a big hit. They never seem upset that they only find Oreos and no gold. I don't think this will work indefinitely unless I start hiding bigger and better treasures...

[Joe CD MS 300]

When our three sons were young (about 13, 11 and 6) I got a RIB with a large enough outboard to get it up on a plane. We were only chartering at the time on a regular basis in Maine and on the Chesapeake. They loved zipping around while we were at anchor. They still love sailing and are now taking their kids.

[Tom Keevil]

I admit to being a bit of an old grouch, but unsupervised kids zipping around the anchorage in a dinghy with a big outboard is one of my pet peeves.

[Tom Keevil]

I spent a lot of pleasant time looking at old photos of sailing with our kids back when we were chartering boats. An essential item for each child is a dip net, which allows them to capture all manner of strange marine creatures.

Poking around on the beach and in tide pools is always a hit.

07 Melissa & Derek Fox Cove, Jul 1985, Sucia Is, WA.jpg

Fooling around with the dinghy with age appropriate activities is good.

24 Derek & Melissa in Dinghy, Prevost I, BC, Aug 1985.jpg

10 Derek & Melissa Running Squirrel Cove Lagoon, BC.jpg

[Tom Keevil]

Many adventures await ashore.

18 Melissa & Jean Climbing Bluff Near Aleck Bay, Lopez Is, WA, Jul 1984.jpg

38 China Rock, Sucia I, WA, Jul 92.jpg

and afloat

37 Josh Romberg, Herring Bay BC, Aug 96.jpg

[Tom Keevil]

Books are good

20 Melissa on Tinker Bell, Sidney Spit BC, Jul 92.jpg

But the best thing to have along is a good friend.

20 Melissa, Rachel & Limpets, Cabbage I BC, Aug 92.jpg

19 Rachel & Melissa, Kanaka Bay, Newcastle I, BC, Aug 96.jpg

[Joe CD MS 300]

I admit to being a bit of an old grouch, but unsupervised kids zipping around the anchorage in a dinghy with a big outboard is one of my pet peeves.

Sounds like a a match made in heaven. They enjoyed zipping around old grouches, supervised or not.

In any case, keeping them occupied worked as they all still love sailing and it looks like the grand kids will as well (along with fast power boats too.)