Teaching Children to Be Safe Boaters

If you love boating and have children, it’s only natural to want to introduce them to a sport you enjoy. When it comes to boating with children, safety is paramount.

Teach them from the outset that when moving around on a boat under way, they should use “one hand for the task and one for the boat.” Make sure that your boat has life lines that run both fore and aft and port and starboard.

One big question is when should you take them on a boat? I suggest not taking children on board until they know how to swim, an answer that depends more on skill than age.

How should you handle children on a vessel? I asked Marilyn Mense, whom I helped teach to sail when she was a youth. An accomplished attorney, she is now the mother of two girls, Sophia and Jessica.

“It's not that hard. They're already programmed to listen to mom and dad. We emphasized that in the boat mom or dad, depending who it was, was captain and what the captain said was to be instantly obeyed, no arguing. That was a condition of going out. They were reminded before every time,” she said.

Phil Nicols is the producer of the Bennett Marina DVD “The Art of Racing Sailing.” He’s been sailing since 1976. We chatted on his recent visit to Southern California.

Nichols underscored the importance of making sure your children know how to swim before taking them out. He is particularly proud of his 14- year-old daughter.

“She’s a good enough swimmer to be a lifeguard, but now has to wait until she’s old enough to work as one," he said.

He stressed that you couldn’t force a love of boating on your kids.

“You can only lead them to water,” he said.

He got his two children started in a Laser, a fast, 14-foot boat with a single sail.

“I felt that it was important that they know how to dump it, and right it, to get over the fear of capsizing," he said.

Despite the fact that both her daughters now swim, Mense insists on ground rules for her children.

“A PFD on at all times, no standing in a kayak or canoe. No sudden movements like to grab a lily pad,” she said.

As a former sail maker and competitive racer, Nichols was intent on taking his kids’ skills up a notch, as a way to build their confidence.

“One of the drills I put them through was teaching them how to steer the Laser without a rudder, using only sail trim and balance to get around,” he said.

He prevented cheating by removing the rudder and leaving it at the dock. It’s a drill that many experienced sailors would have a hard time completing.

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