Since we're all excited about the new boat right now, I'm thinking of buying
some safety gear for the wife and kids for Christmas. Knowing I'm thinking
about keeping them attached the boat should make her feel warm and fuzzy.

I've been looking at the safety harnesses that have a built in CO2
lifejacket. Pricey, but they look comfortable to wear and you don't have to
worry about digging up a harness if things get hairy. I'd appreciate some
experience / or comments on these.

We're in Maine and most of our cruising will probably be to even colder
regions. The Mustang coats look great but are probably too warm for summer.
Growing kids (12 and 14) will go through them fast.

Safety perception is a funny thing. My wife is petrified to have me take the
kids up in my well maintained airplane in clear calm conditions but sees no
danger in boating at all. Now that I'm coming back to sailing after learning
to fly and think very proactively about safety and what can go wrong, I can
see about 100 more ways to hurt or lose a kid on the water than in the air.

When I started to learn how to fly, everyone who had ever sailed with me
said that there was no way in hell that they would ever get in an airplane
with me. I turned out to be a very cautious and conservative pilot; even
became a contributor to "Aviation Safety" magazine. I think I'm going to be
a very different kind of sailor when we get the boat launched.

--
Roger Long