CRUISING WITH YOUNG CHILDREN Getting the kids onboard

Getting children on boats from a young age can give them a rewarding a pastime for life, says Amy Rashbrooke, but it pays to take things slowly

- Amy Rashbrooke

A happy skipper usually means happy children

Twelve years ago my husband and I bought our first boat - a Sadler 29-before kids and even before marriage. We relished the opportunity it gave us to get away from work and everyday life. Our swinging mooring in Chichester Harbour was our retreat, with only the piping of the oystercatchers lulling us to sleep. We spent weekends, holidays, even our honeymoon cruising around the South Coast and across to France.

The same, but different

Then kids came along. We still loved every minute but now we were sharing with a baby on board, often in a carrycot or car seat. The bedtime routine became more protracted. There were fewer opportunities for grown-up glasses of wine while watching the sunset and the soundtrack was not so much the gentle peeping of sea birds, more the shrieks of little humans being bathed in a washing-up bowl or even a bucket!

Eventually we made a concession and moved the boat to a marina - Birdham Pool - so that we could walk ashore. Over the next few years, we adapted our Sadler, with proud innovations like building a step to fix a car seat in the cockpit so that our daughter could be safely strapped in while we navigated locks.

The author's first boat, a Sadler 29

When our second daughter came along, we soon realized we just didn't have enough hands for everyone. We said goodbye to our beloved Sadler and downsized to a Wayfarer for day sailing and picnics on the beach. We even experimented with having no boat for a while - which didn't last long!

As soon as the kids were out of nappies and able to listen to basic instructions, we decided it was time. We upgraded to a 34ft Moody Excel and started to venture further.