In Transit Blog: When Boating With Young Children

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 16 April 2014 | 17.36

Still want to take your children out onto the open sea? You've got company.

The failed sailing trip across the Pacific Ocean by the Kaufman family  — the parents Charlotte and Eric and their daughters, Cora, 3, and Lyra, 1 — has prompted a vigorous debate about the wisdom of embarking on such a voyage with young children that has continued even after the  United States Navy warship that helped rescue them arrived in San Diego on Wednesday.

While many parents, including experienced sailors, have questioned whether infants and toddlers should be involved in such a trip (Lyra had developed a fever, a rash and diarrhea, and the boat was adrift), there is a small but thriving community of travelers who insist that there is a safe way to embark on an off-the-grid family voyage by sea, and that the benefits far outweigh the risks.

The age of children and preparation for the endeavor are significant factors. But each family has its own standards.

Cindy Wallach, a writer, and her husband, Doug Vibbert, have lived on a sailboat since 1998 and cruised from Annapolis, Md.,  to the Caribbean until they had their children, Zach, now 9, and Naia, 3. Although both children have lived aboard since they were born and often sail the Chesapeake Bay with their parents on two- to seven-day excursions, the couple is waiting until the children are a bit older before taking them on any longer passages.

"They're not ready yet, we're still saving up money, getting the boat ready," Ms. Wallach said. "There are a lot of logistics to it." Our to-do list is now twice as long because we know what we're getting into. So we're taking our time."

A great resource, she said, is the tight-knit  "tribe" of sailing families around the world who are chatting online nightly through email, Skype and instant messaging and sharing their stories and experiences through blogs and forums.  "We hash things over and help each other out," she said. (There are numerous resources for cruising safely with children, including Womenandcruising.com and Cruisingworld.com, both of which have forums.) Most families take anywhere from six months to two years to prepare before crossing an ocean, practicing with coastal hops and building up to overnight trips.  "You see what breaks, you see what you can handle," Ms. Wallach said.

Water safety rules are  a big part of their daily life, as they have always lived aboard. The children wear personal flotation devices when on the deck of the boat or on the dock and know what to do in a man-overboard situation.  "My daughter can be running full speed in the grass around the marina, and she will stop cold and sit down and wait for me at the beginning of the dock," Ms. Wallach said.

And the family is very serious about swimming.  "We joke that the kids can learn to walk, talk, read and write at their own pace, but swimming is a must," she said.  Zach was swimming independently at age 2 and Naia is getting there with weekly practice, Ms. Wallach said.

Both parents are up-to-date in basic first aid, and Mr. Vibbert was certified in emergency medical services.

Some families feel comfortable starting with even younger children.

"For us, sailing with babies was easy," Michelle Elvy, who has been sailing the world with her family for almost 12 years, said in an email from Bali, where she is currently moored with her husband, Bernie, and their daughters, Lola, 12, and Jana, 9, both of whom came aboard when they were less than a year old.

"They are flexible and adaptable; they require very little," she said. "Teens require more: more space, more food, more equipment, more contact with friends."

But working up to long voyages and feeling confident in your  abilities as a parent and crew member are also vital, she said.  "If you want your children to feel safe and secure, it's important you can sail and navigate as well as your partner," she said. "Unexpected things will happen offshore, no question about it. It's how you handle them that really matters."

Ms. Elvy said that lifesaving gear, like jackets, rafts and ditch kits (maritime survival gear) should be kept in easy-to-reach places while offshore, not in closets; and basic safety mantras have been ingrained in their children since they were babies: Do not climb on lifelines; always tell a parent when you are going outside, even when at anchor; keep one hand on the boat at all times; no urinating over the side while the boat is underway and no jumping in the dinghy.

"I see many small children and babies in a dinghy without life jackets and that, to me, is inviting trouble," Ms. Elvy said. On the boat, however,  "it's downright impossible, and potentially dangerous," she added, as a small child's short arms can't reach the hand holds while in a jacket.  "Kids need to be flexible and balanced, which is almost impossible for roly-poly toddlers. So for us, the harness was always the more important piece of equipment."

How did they get their toddler-age children to listen?   "On a sailboat, as everywhere else, I imagine, the best way to teach children is by example," she said.  "We harness on as soon as we leave the safety of the cabin," she said.  "We attach ourselves to jacklines when we move to the bow. And when a toy falls overboard, we all watch it disappear together. Together we say goodbye, together we learn lessons about attachment and letting go."

And although her children have tested her in plenty of other ways, she said she believes that learning to follow directions  is so closely related to the value of their lives that they internalized the message early on and have not tested that boundary since.

The Coast Guard offers safety tips and regulations for boaters of all ages, in particular which type of life jackets are required and at what age.  "We always tell people to wear their life jackets, file a float plan with friends and family and make sure you have enough food and water,"  said Petty Officer Third Class Loumania Stewart.  "Our main message is that all safety equipment is in good working order and ready to go, especially when dealing with children." But in general, the organization refrains from making any recommendations on how old a child should be for any kind of voyage.

The same is true for the American Boating Association.

"Different states have different rules on personal flotation devices and which safety classes and certifications are required," said Mike Anderson, the association's director.  "The A.B.A. is all about safety and boating, but there are certain life choices people have to make on their own."

Mr. Anderson and his wife, Alison, sailed the East Coast, the Intracoastal Waterway and the Bahamas with their children, who were 2, 6 and 7 at the time.  "Whether or not to sail with kids is really a call you make as a parent based on the boat and your level of skill," he said, and knowing when not to sail matters as well.  "If the weather gets bad, you just don't go."

Parents who sail with their children say that they learn how to live conservatively, with little waste, and that they've grown up strong, adaptable and  curious, with respect for other cultures and the bond of family.  Pam Wall, who has spoken out a number of times in defense of the Kaufmans, said that the sooner you can  put  children afloat, the better. Ms. Wall, a consultant for those interested in learning how to cruise, and her late husband, Andy, were both experienced sailors and  took their children, Samantha and James, aboard when they were infants. The  children made their first extended trips from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to the Bahamas when they were  2 and  11/2 months, respectively; and in 1985, when the  children were 4 and 8, the family began a more than six-year cruise around the world.

To prepare for that trip, Ms. Wall looked for  expertise, getting certified as a ham radio operator and taking a course in trauma response, where she learned C.P.R., how to set a broken limb, stitch a wound and administer saline solutions, a vital skill, as children dehydrate easily.

With the help of her family doctor, she created a comprehensive medical kit tailored to her family's needs, including instructions on which medications should be given to the children and when.

"The parents are the ones who are solely responsible for the child's life on the boat," Ms. Wall said. "There's no policeman, no doctor and understanding the environment they're in is essential to their safety."

Barrie North will begin a multiyear voyage in August with his wife, Sarah, and three sons, 7, 9 and 11. He said that his family spent a lot of time choosing a sturdy, safe and slow boat, a 1974 Tartan 41, which can ride out a serious storm. As part of  its training, the family set out in Lake Champlain in Vermont in 20-knot winds to test their skills.

But there are always unknowns, Behan Gifford, who is currently cruising the South Pacific with her husband, Jamie, and their three children, said in an email.  "It's at some point an impossible speculation to try and nail all the things you could or should do," she said,  "whether you live on land or live on a boat. Like anything it's about having patience, and tiptoeing toward experience that you need for the challenges you wish to take on."

______

Some safety points for sailing with children. 

Use safety harnesses to keep kids on board.

Life jackets should be worn on deck and on the dock and be age-appropriate, with crotch straps and head supports for infants and toddlers.

Keep rafts and ditch kits easily accessible.

Get certified in C.P.R. and trauma response.

Double (or triple) communication options with high-frequency radios, satellite phones and emergency position indicating radio beacons (or EPIRBs)

Take safety-at-sea classes.

Learn as much as you can about weather patterns.

Teach children to keep one hand on the boat at all times.

Teach them to swim in the ocean.

Keep medical kits stocked, including various types of antibiotics.

No swimming while sailing offshore.

Live aboard before sailing.

Stay rested; avoid fatigue.

Don't bring anything aboard you can't fix yourself or do without if it breaks.


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