Going sailing!!!

[srjones]

Hello!!! My husband, our two boys (7 & 4), our dog, and myself will be sailing hopefully summer of 2023!!! I am just starting to scratch the surface of what we should do ahead of time! Would anyone be willing to give me guidance/advice/websites/whatever of what to read or know or do? I am very excited to be joining you all on the water and giving our boys the adventure of a lifetime!!!!

Thanks in advance!!!
Sarah

[Cool Hand Luke]

Welcome and congratulations!

Just browse through both the new and old posts... do some searching and browsing around. And take lots of notes

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Sarah.

[Adelie]

Welcome.

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

I would happily help more if the link above is not enough.

[Tayana42]

Suzanne Giesemann’s book It's Your Boat Too: A Woman's Guide to Greater Enjoyment on the Water. Well worth the time to read.

[smith8273]

YouTube. Find someone's channel that matches how you believe you will be sailing.

[chris mac]

The best advice I can offer is... Sail! Get out on the water in any way, and as often as you can before your departure date
The more first hand experience, in the widest variety of boats and conditions, the better. It will help you understand and appreciate it more and will give you the ability to find what boat is best for you and your family.
Plus it will be a heck of a lot of fun.[emoji16]

[Patman252]

Originally Posted by srjones

Hello!!! My husband, our two boys (7 & 4), our dog, and myself will be sailing hopefully summer of 2023!!! I am just starting to scratch the surface of what we should do ahead of time! Would anyone be willing to give me guidance/advice/websites/whatever of what to read or know or do? I am very excited to be joining you all on the water and giving our boys the adventure of a lifetime!!!!

Thanks in advance!!!
Sarah

Welcome! I’m new also. I’ve done a little sailing but I’ve never handled a big boat by myself or cruised before. So yeah. I’m in a similar situation. My kids are 4 and 2.5, and we’re hoping to sail in a year or so. But enough about me…

Several years ago I looked into sailing and it wasn’t feasible for me at the time. But at that time I found a great book called “All in the Same Boat” about living aboard and cruising with kids. I don’t know if there’s a new revised version out right now, so some of the stuff about working remotely and internet access is probably outdated. But all the info about choosing a boat, boat operations, homeschooling, and parenting is still spot on. I just pulled out the book again to re-read it.

[Sam Woodbridge]

I would watch yachtworld like a hawk for the preferred boats of your choice so you will have a idea of prices when that buying time comes. And remember we are only in the buyers seat so often. Patients will pay off for the right boat. I waited eight months chomping away wanting to buy, but I got exactly what I wanted!

Good luck

Sam

[Don C L]

Welcome aboard! There may something interesting in this social group, though it hasn't seen much activity lately. https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...with+kids.html

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by chris mac

The best advice I can offer is... Sail! Get out on the water in any way, and as often as you can before your departure date.

The more first hand experience, in the widest variety of boats and conditions, the better. It will help you understand and appreciate it more and will give you the ability to find what boat is best for you and your family.
Plus it will be a heck of a lot of fun.

+1

What Chris said...

LittleWing77