MAKE YOUR BOAT CHILD-FRIENDLY

Whether you're sailing near or far, a few simple modifications to your yacht can make life on board much more secure and comfortable for children, says Justin Halewood

- Justin Halewood

The idea of heading to sea with a child on board elicits different responses for different people, however far you’re going. A day sail with a boat full of noisy pirates might fill you with dread, while for others the idea of taking a miniature crew around the world sounds like the biggest adventure. We weren’t quite that brave, but we did sail an Atlantic circuit with our daughter Robin, then two, from 2022 to 2023 aboard our Hallberg-Rassy 36 MkI.

Sailing with a sprog brings up all sorts of questions about how you sail and where you go, but this article is about the challenges of cruising with a baby on board and adapting the boat to suit their needs.

There is no doubt that having a young person as crew makes life at sea harder. But when is parenting ever easy? We took the view that we would prefer to be doing something we love whilst dealing with the usual demands of parenthood, rather than continuing to work full-time and missing special moments in Robin’s life.

That being said, there have been times where we felt we had bitten off more than we could chew. During the passage to Lanzarote we spent around 24 hours in a large(ish) sea and F5-6. We would relish these conditions as a couple, but trying to keep Robin entertained in rolling seas and getting her to sleep in a noisy forecabin was one of the toughest challenges we’d faced as a family. There is no easy answer other than accepting that most things in life worth doing are not easy. What’s clear is that you, and the children, as far as they can voice their opinions, are up for the challenge. Now comes the hard part of making it a positive experience for all involved.

We’ve made a number of changes to Zoe to keep Robin safe and comfortable, some more expensive than others. Hopefully they will be useful to other sailing parents.