We have a new addition to the crew, and intend to do our best not to curtail the sailing season - but need to make appropriate accommodations, of course. We usually daysail on Narraganset Bay, with one or two overnights per season and the annual trip to Block Island.
Our son will be 15 months at the start of the season. Grandpa got him a harness for Christmas, but I have not been to the boat to figure out where to rig an attachment point. Any experience with the best way to contain toddlers so that they are safe and comfortable (the captain says duct tape to the mast is not acceptable)?
Thanks
Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD27 #37
dmaio@meganet.net
Baby on Board
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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D. Stump, Hanalei
Re: Midshipman on board....
Duncan,
In Nelson's day, if the Midshipman did not follow the Captain's orders they were typically "mastheaded", ie. climbed to the top of the mast and stayed there until the captain saw fit to bring them down. Evidently it worked, many Captains and Commanders had that distinction in their history! Don't know how the First Mate will respond to this, and it does scare the s*&^ out of the Middy the first time aloft, but it seems it would give them a real appreacation of proper ettiequite aboard ship!
Actually, I don't have an idea on how to handle this. Maybe jack lines would be a good idea. Still allow the Mid to move about on deck, and you wouldn't need to worry about him falling overboard! Grandpa did a real good thing buying him a harness! Fair winds....
Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei CD-30
In Nelson's day, if the Midshipman did not follow the Captain's orders they were typically "mastheaded", ie. climbed to the top of the mast and stayed there until the captain saw fit to bring them down. Evidently it worked, many Captains and Commanders had that distinction in their history! Don't know how the First Mate will respond to this, and it does scare the s*&^ out of the Middy the first time aloft, but it seems it would give them a real appreacation of proper ettiequite aboard ship!
Actually, I don't have an idea on how to handle this. Maybe jack lines would be a good idea. Still allow the Mid to move about on deck, and you wouldn't need to worry about him falling overboard! Grandpa did a real good thing buying him a harness! Fair winds....
Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei CD-30
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Ron Musk
Re: Baby on Board
DuncanDuncan Maio wrote: We have a new addition to the crew, and intend to do our best not to curtail the sailing season - but need to make appropriate accommodations, of course. We usually daysail on Narraganset Bay, with one or two overnights per season and the annual trip to Block Island.
Our son will be 15 months at the start of the season. Grandpa got him a harness for Christmas, but I have not been to the boat to figure out where to rig an attachment point. Any experience with the best way to contain toddlers so that they are safe and comfortable (the captain says duct tape to the mast is not acceptable)?
Thanks
Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD27 #37
when my son came sailing as a little guy his priorities were:food,head and sleep,mostly sleep.That webbing between lifelines around the cockpit is a good idea.You need an attachment point for his harness,perhaps below companionway seat,so he can move from side to side.I'm sure he'll have his sea legs before long.
Ron Musk
s/v"R&R"
CD30
ccerre@massed.net
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John Doyle
Re: Baby on Board
My son started sailing when he was less than a month. When he was old enough to put in a car seat, we would tie the seat on the low side under the spray doder & strap him in. Tack the jib & move the kid. We didn't use a harness until he could walk and he wasn't allowed out of the cockpit unless at anchor. He spent a lot of time in the v berth with a safety board at the aft end, v filler in of course. He learned to walk on the boat because of the many hand holds & if it was rough he could play on the floor. When he talked about his sailing experiences at school, he had lots of ears. Even our kids can tell great sea stories.Ron Musk wrote:DuncanDuncan Maio wrote: We have a new addition to the crew, and intend to do our best not to curtail the sailing season - but need to make appropriate accommodations, of course. We usually daysail on Narraganset Bay, with one or two overnights per season and the annual trip to Block Island.
Our son will be 15 months at the start of the season. Grandpa got him a harness for Christmas, but I have not been to the boat to figure out where to rig an attachment point. Any experience with the best way to contain toddlers so that they are safe and comfortable (the captain says duct tape to the mast is not acceptable)?
Thanks
Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD27 #37
when my son came sailing as a little guy his priorities were:food,head and sleep,mostly sleep.That webbing between lifelines around the cockpit is a good idea.You need an attachment point for his harness,perhaps below companionway seat,so he can move from side to side.I'm sure he'll have his sea legs before long.
Ron Musk
s/v"R&R"
CD30
redzeplin@yahoo.com
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Bill Goldsmith
Re: Baby on Board
Dave:
My youngest is 4 1/2. He was just 2 when we bought our CD.
For the first two seasons (98 and 99) we installed lifeline netting all the way around the boat. This past year I replaced the lifelines with doubles and removed the netting which is ugly.
There is a big difference between a 15-18 month old and a 2 1/2 to 3 year old. The 15-18 month old is extremely mobile and curious, typically has little fear, and can get into danger in a split second. Most of all you have to keep the child low while in the cockpit and well supervised on deck.
On Deck: There are opposing views on jacklines but I adhere to this rule: DO NOT use the harness to attach the child to jacklines. If the child went overboard, at that age their head is proportionally larger to the rest of the body than an adult, and even with a proper PFD is likely to dangle head down in the water, banging against the hull. There is absolutely no excuse for a 15-18 month old going overboard--there should be 110% vigilance at that age by an adult. There should be an adult whose only job is to have one hand on a strap of the harness at all times if the child is on deck. That way the child can have fun and not get into trouble. IF the conditions are poor the kid should be in the cockpit or down below.
In the Cockpit: If the sea is rough he should be sitting (or maybe standing) on the floor of the cockpit with the harness used to keep him from climbing on the seats. I have two padeyes on the forward lower cockpit panel with webbing tied between them. You could attach the child's harness with a short tether to keep him from standing on the seats.
How the additional crew affects your sailing season is more a function of the child's personality than anything else. For the first two seasons, my now 7 year old boy got bored before we even hoisted the sail. For him, we had to entertain him with lots of coloring books, games and friends along (this past year he took more of an interest). My youngest (now 4 1/2) sits in the cockpit, watches the birds, points out landmarks on shore and yells "ready about!" all the time. A sailor in the making.
So take the precautions to keep him on the boat and get that kid salty ASAP!!!
Bill Goldsmith
CD 27
Second Chance
goldy@bestweb.net
My youngest is 4 1/2. He was just 2 when we bought our CD.
For the first two seasons (98 and 99) we installed lifeline netting all the way around the boat. This past year I replaced the lifelines with doubles and removed the netting which is ugly.
There is a big difference between a 15-18 month old and a 2 1/2 to 3 year old. The 15-18 month old is extremely mobile and curious, typically has little fear, and can get into danger in a split second. Most of all you have to keep the child low while in the cockpit and well supervised on deck.
On Deck: There are opposing views on jacklines but I adhere to this rule: DO NOT use the harness to attach the child to jacklines. If the child went overboard, at that age their head is proportionally larger to the rest of the body than an adult, and even with a proper PFD is likely to dangle head down in the water, banging against the hull. There is absolutely no excuse for a 15-18 month old going overboard--there should be 110% vigilance at that age by an adult. There should be an adult whose only job is to have one hand on a strap of the harness at all times if the child is on deck. That way the child can have fun and not get into trouble. IF the conditions are poor the kid should be in the cockpit or down below.
In the Cockpit: If the sea is rough he should be sitting (or maybe standing) on the floor of the cockpit with the harness used to keep him from climbing on the seats. I have two padeyes on the forward lower cockpit panel with webbing tied between them. You could attach the child's harness with a short tether to keep him from standing on the seats.
How the additional crew affects your sailing season is more a function of the child's personality than anything else. For the first two seasons, my now 7 year old boy got bored before we even hoisted the sail. For him, we had to entertain him with lots of coloring books, games and friends along (this past year he took more of an interest). My youngest (now 4 1/2) sits in the cockpit, watches the birds, points out landmarks on shore and yells "ready about!" all the time. A sailor in the making.
So take the precautions to keep him on the boat and get that kid salty ASAP!!!
Bill Goldsmith
CD 27
Second Chance
Duncan Maio wrote: We have a new addition to the crew, and intend to do our best not to curtail the sailing season - but need to make appropriate accommodations, of course. We usually daysail on Narraganset Bay, with one or two overnights per season and the annual trip to Block Island.
Our son will be 15 months at the start of the season. Grandpa got him a harness for Christmas, but I have not been to the boat to figure out where to rig an attachment point. Any experience with the best way to contain toddlers so that they are safe and comfortable (the captain says duct tape to the mast is not acceptable)?
Thanks
Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD27 #37
goldy@bestweb.net
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Jerry J Commisso
Re: Baby on Board
Our daughter who will be ten in March has been sailing with us since she was five months old. At that time we sailed a CD27. She is now confident enough to take the wheel of our CD30. There were two things that really helped when she was young. The first was called a sassy seat which hooks onto the side of a table. We would open the fold down table half way and mount the seat on the side just over the bunk. This worked great if two people were needed on deck to dock or anchor the boat. The seat came with a safety belt to secure the child. In the V berth with the filler in place I took a safety gate that is used to block stairs, doorways etc. I made it fit the door jam for the V berth, you may have to cut one down to size. And for added safety I drilled one hole on each side of the jam and also in the gate. I permanently installed wooden dowels in the gate holes so when the gate was in place the dowels went into the jam. This prevented the gate from ever coming off the jam in case my daughter ever fell into it. She would play in there alot and we never had to worry about her falling out at night when we were asleep.
Having a child on board will make sailing your boat a bit more work but the rewards are great.
Jerry J Commisso
CD30c CHELSEA ROSE
liasboat@aol.com
Having a child on board will make sailing your boat a bit more work but the rewards are great.
Jerry J Commisso
CD30c CHELSEA ROSE
Duncan Maio wrote: We have a new addition to the crew, and intend to do our best not to curtail the sailing season - but need to make appropriate accommodations, of course. We usually daysail on Narraganset Bay, with one or two overnights per season and the annual trip to Block Island.
Our son will be 15 months at the start of the season. Grandpa got him a harness for Christmas, but I have not been to the boat to figure out where to rig an attachment point. Any experience with the best way to contain toddlers so that they are safe and comfortable (the captain says duct tape to the mast is not acceptable)?
Thanks
Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD27 #37
liasboat@aol.com
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Jon
Re: Baby on Board
I agree with all. The rewards are beyond description. Words can not describe the feeling the first time you are free to leave the helm in the care of your new captain.
All the best,
Jon
[img]http://www.sailorjon.net/images/xsailing2.jpg[/img]
All the best,
Jon
[img]http://www.sailorjon.net/images/xsailing2.jpg[/img]
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Ross and Sandra Williams
Re: Baby on Board
Our son was 7 months when he started, so easy at that point, put a life jacket on and put him in a pack and play on the cabin floor (or Catalina 25 had a larger floor space than the CD26).
Last year at 19 months on the CD26, oh boy....
No negotiations on the life jacket. We tended to either clip the harness to/around the stern rail, or stanchion, loop the webbing through itself as ours had a loop on the end or if we were mobile, clip the harness to our belt loops.
Bottom line is we always had one man for the boat and one "man" for the baby. And we always held onto the harness even when it was clipped. Had too many baby overboard nightmares not to!!! As someone stated above, 110% for the baby - plenty of real sailing days in the future. Of course, there are the beautiful moments when he sleeps in the V berth with his life jacket on......
So, wish us luck this year, he'll be 2 1/2.........
rosswilli@aol.com
Last year at 19 months on the CD26, oh boy....
No negotiations on the life jacket. We tended to either clip the harness to/around the stern rail, or stanchion, loop the webbing through itself as ours had a loop on the end or if we were mobile, clip the harness to our belt loops.
Bottom line is we always had one man for the boat and one "man" for the baby. And we always held onto the harness even when it was clipped. Had too many baby overboard nightmares not to!!! As someone stated above, 110% for the baby - plenty of real sailing days in the future. Of course, there are the beautiful moments when he sleeps in the V berth with his life jacket on......
So, wish us luck this year, he'll be 2 1/2.........
rosswilli@aol.com