Tamaroak wrote:
My bride and I are considering taking a year off and doing the Great
Circle Route/Loop, a mere 5000 miles around the east coast, the Erie
Canal and the Tenn-Tom. We would take our boys who will be 14 and 15 and
home schooling them on the boat, using a prepared curriculum and a
satellite Internet connection.

Does anyone out there have any experience in this type of adventure?

Capt. Jeff

Great idea!!! Your boys will love it & it'll be the best time of all
your lives.

In my cruising days (too long ago now:-() we oft came across people
with their kids from babies on up, I've had my grandkids on board the
current boat for weeks at a time, one since 11 days old.

The older kids really become part of the whole boating adventure &
you'll find they grow up & mature much quicker & better than their bored
at home friends.

Give them lots of boat responsibility (but stay safe of course:-)) &
room, they'll be meeting all sorts along the way which is what the young
need to experience.

Here downunder they use a correspondence system with internet (used to
be HF radio) even at home kids use it in the outback, so there's no down
side to their education indeed if you &/or your partner get involved the
whole family's education will improve:-)

I'm sure your boys are angels & you'd never have anything to worry
about in their teen years, just as all parents believe;-) but alas these
days it seems all sorts of new temptations, risks & pitfalls await them.
Being with you as a family will help guide them through & out the other
side, it seems there's only about 12 mths they need to get through,
those that do are fine for life with a good attitude & education, those
that don't have a lesser life & it seems to remain thus right to the end.

Have a great time & enjoy showing your boys that being a responsible
adult doesn't mean you're near dead & you can still have an exciting
adventu-)


K