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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 6/8/2008 6:44:15 PM | | I'm still planing on doing this, I've just been slowed down working on a new boat, and having trouble selling the old one. Got a couple people interested but they have to sell a house first. Nothing big is selling well. Jon | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 7/15/2008 6:57:23 PM | My only concern with sailing with 2 young children would be the boredom factor for the children. They would have to be of reading age and able to burn off all the excess energy without my help-stainary bike, treadmill ect. My neighbors are doing just this for 2 months with their 4 boys-the youngest turned 4.
I would like to do adventure travel with my two young sons. I prefer to go by bike. I don't want to have to haul them everywhere and am thinking a double tagalong with a bike trailer may be the answer. I wish they made a bike you could attach as a tagalong but also put a front wheel on for when the little guys want to ride themselves | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 7/15/2008 7:24:26 PM | I'd chuck it all and sail around the world in a second.
Not with children.
While I love children, and have been a school teacher and mother,
and I love sailing, I cannot support this romantic notion.
Not out in the ocean or around the world.
Not appropriate for so many reasons.
Read some of the personal journals and accounts of the people who have done so, while many claim this to be a tremendous growing and learning experience there are thousands of other adults who will tell you those journey's are challenging on a healthy adult. And relating in the close confines of sailing...is a challenge as well - no matter how close you believe you are...
This is of course just my opinion, others will no doubt differ. | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 7/15/2008 7:27:40 PM | YES!
"Kids that are raised aboard tend to have better problem solving skills because they cannot simply shut the world out behind a door"
Boredom! ahahaha who needs a tv or gameboy when you have the WORLD in the sails.
Yes I would in a heart beat, and I have actually thought about doing this a number of times. | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 7/16/2008 9:35:17 AM | Well, I've been out there for a couple of years, met many folks with kids and haven't met one boat where kids and/or boredom have been a problem. I've met kids from 6-month-old infants to teenagers and all have been among the best-adjusted, interesting kids I've ever met. The 24-7 relationship between parents and kids seems to build wonderful relationships with most kids appearing far more mature than their shore-based counterparts. Relationships matter to them because there are fewer people around, so most are very people-savvy, polite and they take responsibility seriously. Not least because they are given the opportunities to take them (taking charge of the dinghy to get ashore, for example). It's a wonderful opportunity to learn a foreign language at an age where such things are easy and many kids enjoy going to local schools for a while when they reach foreign ports. And I certainly don't see the stress in parents either. Well behaved, responsible kids seem to be regarded as a blessing and the excitement they inject into almost every day rubs off on their parents. Not least in the awesome way kids make new friends in every port, dragging their parents into the local community almost as soon as the anchor drops.
Admittedly, my sample is relatively small because there don't seem to be all that many people 'out there'. I think the gestimate for Pacific cruisers (not Marina-hoppers) is around 2000, so it's hard to understand how there could be 'thousands' experiencing problems. Especially with kids. Is this a real figure? Based upon what? Even the cruising magazies don't seem to recognize this huge problem of kids at sea, so I don't know where all the journal entries would be | |
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Ruby46
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Joined: 5/5/2006
Msg: 133 | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 7/16/2008 2:37:46 PM | | No way. An interesting fantasy, but hardly practical. Between gun runners, drug runners, and pirates, you'd run into too many dangerous situations. A hi powered speed boat, with a few .50 caliber machine guns, and rocket launchers, etc, on board may make it safer...but then you'd have the police, and navies, of various nations out to get you. Get real. Forget it. | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 8/11/2008 11:49:45 AM | There are a lot more drug runners with guns on our city streets, and all the stories about pirates are mostly stories. It makes for exciting stories, high seas and adventure and all. It's many times more dangerous for your children to play in the city park then to be on a sailboat. I've talked to many, many cruising boaters over the years and not one has personally run into anybody brandishing a gun in a hostile manner.
I'll admit that I would like to carry a gun on board, just because I grew up as a boy scout and believe in "be prepared," But mostly that would be for the mid eastern and south seas areas. There the people robbing you are not drug runners as much as they are just trying to survive. But there are certain countries in the world that don't want a person to have a gun and make it very difficult to visit that country if you do. If you lie about it and get caught you might end up in jail for years. If you tell the truth they will store the gun and you have to come back to get it. My choice if I carried a gun would be an SKS, but I know most likely if I had it and it was needed I wouldn't be able to get to it in time.
There is very little reason for a drug runner to approach a sailboat, and pirates in these waters would go after a boat that looks like money. I'll admit the boat I have now looks more like money then my old boat, but it's still just a sailboat, what can they expect to steal that would net them much. There are bigger fish to fry in the ocean than a cruising sailboat. | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 8/11/2008 12:02:48 PM | | jheldatksuedu have you actually been on this round the world trip yet or is it still a pipe dream? since this post was started 3 years ago you've either been or its taking some serious time to get off on the journey. | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 8/11/2008 12:42:46 PM | I'm still getting ready to go, If you check my website www.jheld.mysite.com you'll find out why I'm still here. You'll learn it's more than just a pipe dream. I found my dream boat, a 45 ft custom steel ketch built in Holland. When new it was $2.5 mil and I got it for $5K and lots of hard work. It's a beauty, not at all what you'd picture when I say 5k. Simply put it just wouldn't float and it was too big to move any other way, and the yard selling it had too many stipulations, saying it had to move in 30 days and you couldn't work on it there, to make anybody be interested. I've been working on it and the old boats to get them sold for a couple years. I had 3 boats when I bought the ketch. I still have one of my old boats I need to sell, I sold one. 2 boats is one too many, and I can't look after the 2nd one if I'm out cruising. The old one is a 38 ft fiberglass sloop priced at $20K, that's almost half the price of comparable boats but nothing is selling right now. Once I get that sold I'm ready to push off.
Tieing up all the lose ends to go sailing for 5 years sometimes takes a year or two, you just don't get in a boat and go if you have property (like a couple of houses and lots of sports cars) that you would like to be able to come back too after you get done with world exploring. The world will still be there next month. The most important thing in my life is finding someone to enjoy the trip with. | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 8/11/2008 12:55:56 PM | Personally...I'm waiting for my kids to get old enough to REALLY enjoy a trip. As in...old enough to get a part time job at McD's when we're runnin' low on gas (while I do some bartending), and old enough that I don't have to follow them around to make sure they're not getting into trouble!
My plans include checking out nearly every haunted house in the US with an RV. | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 9/29/2008 9:08:38 PM | | I've legally carried-and used-a gun on our city streets, and did not have any kids along while doing so. On the streets, you have more cover than on the high seas, and there is a chance that some passersby, or police, may come along to help you. On the sea-in international waters-you are on your own. Coast Guards don't usually get very far from the coasts, and navies do not get involved in helping private individuals all that often...unless they are Senators, or such. The SKS is too close to the AKs of most nation's militaries. Get caught in foreign waters with one of those and you won't see daylight for many years. 'Recreational' weapons-Remington 870 12 Gauge shotguns, and skeet launchers/clay pidgeons, a deer rifle, or such, at least make you seem like a sportsman, rather than a mercenary, or pirate. Authorities who catch you with unregistered weapons in their waters will go more leniently on a stupid sportsman who failed to get the proper papers than they will go on a Rambo wannabe who is probably a smugller, pirate, mercenary, or the member of a hostile nation's 'special forces' team on a recon, assassination, or other covert, operation...which is what carrying military like weapons may make you seem to be. You may be willing to risk that-as well as the attacks from pirates, etc-but why subject kids to it? Would you send your kids, unarmed, into Crips territory wearing Bloods colors back on these violent streets? That would be about the same as sailing around the world with the kids on board. | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 9/30/2008 9:00:25 AM | Nothing wrong with that...I knew a doctor that did just that for a few years, and the children got an excellent learning experience about world culture and customs...not to mention picking up a few more languages... | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 9/30/2008 9:53:13 AM | Wow, Jheld. Sounds like a great reason for living.
I find myself in a similar situation. I dream of riding a bicycle around the world, and would love to find an adventurous woman to share the trip with!
And you're absolutely right, it is quite inexpensive. Free camping/sleeping on board, Transportation by your legs or the wind, Occasional repairs, and food.
Best of luck in your search for a first mate!
G | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 9/30/2008 10:38:24 AM | I'm not that enthralled with being on a boat for long periods, though I could do that at some point once I inherit my father's diesel cruiser. But really, I would want the boat to go to a person that loved the sea life and would live near the coast. I live in the mountains and have no plans to live down low again.
But the notion of doing this is intriguing. I remember a National Geographic special that was about a family that did this in a sailing boat. They ended up in Holland going through the canals. That looked cool. Touring European rivers would be neat, providing you had cheap food purchased elsewhere! Sailing on the open ocean sounds potentially pretty dicey. What with satellite technology now, you could avoid the hurricanes and typhoons. The worst I think is it might be pretty dull. | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 11/20/2008 5:55:03 PM | | I've finally got the 2 old boats sold and can concentrate on the 45. Should be setting sail early next spring. I'm in Kansas today, working on getting the house rented out to a friend. I'm still looking for the 1st mate. | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 11/20/2008 7:50:40 PM | OP - awesome!!! I'm allergic to young kids, so I won't be travelling the world with young kids in tow. However, I do love to travel, be it boat, plane, train, or car. Do I feel like "chucking it" and globe trotting??? Every day!!! For my 60th birthday, I plan on backpacking through Europe for 2-3 months!!!
Good luck on your sailing!!! You'll love it!! | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 7/14/2009 3:29:27 PM | | The 2nd boat is still being sold, it's a time sale deal. It will be paid in full late this fall. Since I'm stuck until then, I bought a smaller steel boat that needed some repair and have fixed it up, It'll be ready to be put on the market in about a month. It's a 27 ft sloop made in the same boat yard in Holland that my big boat was. You can see pictures of the repair work on my website. Finally I'm starting to see the day I'll be able to shove off and start this trip. Jon | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 7/14/2009 3:54:08 PM | Yeah. I think that it would be a great way to live for a couple of years.
And after that, plan several years in Wyoming, Montana or wherever it's next
decided to venture.
You only live once.
now it is time for me to do something similar myself after one last midlife crisis summer in Wyoming.
Good to know that a midlife crisis can not only be planned, but it has a known
ending as well.  | |
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| Chuck it all, Sailboat around the world With Kids
Posted: 7/14/2009 9:43:55 PM | I had the great fortune to do just what you are describing! Some years ago my yoga instructors brother (I had not met him) was sailing across the Atlantic, and needed a sailing partner. I had no experience with sailing, but wrote him a letter basically signing myself up for the job. He wrote back telling me the ins and outs of the sailing world. We agreed we would give it a try, so I sold everything I owned, and met him on the East coast (I was in the Rocky mountains). What was to be 6 months turned into 4 years, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! Words can't describe the lifestyle, and all that you encounter while living the life.
Along the way, we met a man, his wife, and their 5 boys (age range 13 - 3) all the boys were born and being raised on the boat. They were home/boat schooled, not to mention life schooled.
Happy Sailing jheld!
I look forward to your posts from across the oceans!  | |
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