Like most 14 yr olds, his judgement is poor as he tends to be a
daredevil. His sailing skill are not as good as I would like. He
tends to fall asleep a little too easily too.
I am up against a time crunch as in the next few weeks it simply gets
too hot with no wind for this to be a good trip. My wife would also
freak about him sailing while I was asleep.

Rosalie B. wrote:
"JG" wrote:


"Frank" wrote in message
groups.com...

Why do you feel that your 14-year-old is unqualified? Maybe we have
different definitions of "qualified to stand watch" but I'd rely on my
12-year-old daughter under these circumstances. Maybe this is the
universe giving him an opportunity to show you he's more responsible
than you think? I know I tend to underestimate my kids 'cause I think
of them as having been newborns about 5 minutes ago. They're often
capable of so much more than I give them credit for.


There are two parts to whether someone is qualified to stand watch

a) Are they physically capable of sailing the boat - i.e. do they know
how to sail?

b) Do they have the judgment and experience to do so?

It is easy enough to give a 14 year old the knowledge to sail the
boat. I can sail our boat by myself so I can take a watch for Bob.
There are some things I can't do very well - I'm not strong enough to
manage the main. But I can tack and trim the sails and steer a course

A person taking a watch should know what the course is, and whether
boats that are seen are on a collision course and what to do if they
are.

If you are sailing with just the 2 of you, the second issue can be
addressed by telling him to wake you if he has a question about the
course or the weather or another ship. In my case, if the wind picks
up and I need to furl the main, I have to wake Bob up. That's one of
the reasons we do not go offshore for long passages. In your case,
you might sleep in the cockpit next to your son.


He should know how to operate the VHF and what to do in a man overboard
situation. This could save your life.

cammon.. when I first got my 25-footer I sailed her from LA to San Diego,
110 miles, in 9-12 foot swells and wind whipping from 0 to 25 mph and back
to 0 in an instant, at night, with lightning cracking above my head and rain
pouring down so hard I had to sit in the cabin with my compass holding the
boat on course with a rope tied to the tiller, and there was nobody but
myself on the boat. And that was the first time I'd ever sailed in my
entire life. I didn't even know how to hoist a mainsail until I set out
that day. Just do it yaself and bring lots of caffeine tablets.


"Larry W4CSC" wrote in message
...
wrote in
oups.com:

my 14 yr old son

In spite of the really stupid answers I just read to your post......let me
ask you a question to think about.

You just fell overboard out there in the Gulf. You're fine
bobbing around there in your fancy, self-inflating Sospenders. Question:
Can he turn the boat around, by himself, and come back and get you in 8'
seas?

Whoever you take with you, just ask the same question about the lot of
them, as a group. Test it out on a daysail, sometime. Just let go of the
helm and throw a PFD overboard. Go sit down and say, "I just fell
overboard. What are you going to do?" It's a good idea to have up the
old
sails you don't really care about for the test...(c;

Sometimes thinking about the answer can be really scary! I hope you'll
seriously consider the answer. Everyone should test it with their "crew".

Having lost objects overboard in waves, I know how easy it is to really
lose track of them, really scary. SO, we wear harnesses and tie them
to eyes in the cockpit. Still, if I fell overboard even wearing the
harness, he would have a very difficult time of it.

I love my wife but have learned I cannot sail with her. It is worse
than being single handed. Imagine being single handed while constantly
tending apparent disasters and being subjected to constant jabbering.
When I sail with her, I feel so stressed out I cannot handle it.

We all are. g

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"JR Gilbreath" wrote in message
.. .
wrote:
Having lost objects overboard in waves, I know how easy it is to really
lose track of them, really scary. SO, we wear harnesses and tie them
to eyes in the cockpit. Still, if I fell overboard even wearing the
harness, he would have a very difficult time of it.

I love my wife but have learned I cannot sail with her. It is worse
than being single handed. Imagine being single handed while constantly
tending apparent disasters and being subjected to constant jabbering.
When I sail with her, I feel so stressed out I cannot handle it.

MY GOD! We are married to the same woman!

JR, that'd 'splain a lot.

John Cairns:

Provisioning? Well, I got sardines and fer variety I got pop tarts and
sardines in mustard sauce. Some real cheapo wine, whatever was cheap
in Cedar key last year