Kids Aboard Boating, Fishing & Watersports Magazine
For Children & Families
Posted Friday, May 4, 2007
When its boating season we must not only think about getting our boats ship-shape, we also need to think about our crew, and especially the kids aboard. If you would like to make a concerted effort this year to help a child rise up the ranks as crew on your boat, here’s a handy list of things you can teach them which will not only increase their confidence onboard, but also make them a more valuable crew member to have around.
Keep in mind that all of your efforts to teach a child boating skills are most successful when they are made clear, fun and involving. Have patience and don’t set your expectations too high, or you might end up ruining a perfectly good day on the boat! The goal is to enhance your time on the water with your kids and make positive advances in their level of skill.
1. A good mariner is always alert and keeping an eye on the boat traffic, weather, and any obstructions in the water. This is probably the easiest thing you can teach a child: how to be a good lookout.
2. Every child should know where to locate and how to put on their PFD. This takes practice, as zippers and buckles become more difficult to manipulate with all the padding on a PFD. In the end, once a child masters this, they are greatly empowered to safely enjoy their time onboard.
3. How to put stuff away – This seems like it would be a no-brainer, but it takes more than ability, it takes a helpful attitude, and perceptiveness to learn this well. While you are teaching your child all of these lessons, show them the importance of keeping the decks and cockpit clear of all ropes, winch handles, buckets, fishing poles, anything that could either trip you up or go overboard.
4. Teach your child how to use binoculars and be an extra pair of eyes for you while underway. Binoculars are very handy for reading markers, buoys and other signage on the water. Before you begin, however, teach them the good habit of putting the strap on first before using the binoculars (this prevents a binoculars-overboard situation).
5. Take some time and teach your child some basic knots that they can use every time they go out on a boat. You can teach them a square knot, cleat hitch and a bowline and then set them loose with some rope to practice tying ropes around cleats, lifelines, stainless steel rails, etc. Take note however to make sure all lines are properly stowed after the lessons and practice are over. We have learned from personal experience to always check and make sure that all necessary ropes are back in their places once we start heading back to the dock.
6. Teach them how to steer a straight course using a compass. This can be an easy concept but it requires a lot of practice and patience to get good at it. In an emergency, however you’ll be glad you took the time.
7. One skill that takes time to master, but that is handy in both everyday sailing as well as in emergency situations is learning how to coil and throw a rope correctly. In everyday sailing this can help you clear the decks of dock lines and also help in docking situations, and in an emergency it can save valuable time.
8. Teach your child how to use a boat hook and where you keep it. It’s no fun when you’re on the bow or stern and all of the sudden need the boat hook, and when you ask someone to bring it to you they ask, “Where is it?” Everything should have a home on a boat, so that when you need something you know where to find it. Share this information with the crew members on board and things will go much smoother.
9. A fun and exciting lesson is to teach your child how to communicate on the VHF radio. This brings out the Wolfman Jack in everyone, so it’s important to teach them how to change channels on the VHF, which channels are the emergency channels, and how to call for a radio check. In other words, how to use the VHF responsibly. We like to let our children call the bridge tenders if we need a bridge to be lifted, because it gives them a thrill and lots of confidence.
10. Once they’ve mastered the VHF you can move on to the next logical piece of electronic equipment on the boat: the GPS. We don’t mean teach them all the ins and outs of waypoints and whatnot, but just the basics, like which button to press to get the coordinates and speed.
Lastly, introduce them to your boat’s little idiosyncrasies. You’ll breathe easier and they’ll feel less helpless if you show them how to pump the head correctly, close the hatches tightly when it starts to rain, how to button the isinglass, etc. Each boat has its own unique features, so you’ll have to make your own list, but showing your child how to be careful and helpful will go a long way.
Please let us know of any other valuable things to teach kids to make them better crew members by emailing us at editor@kidsaboard.com . Enjoy your time on the water!
