Teach children to have fun sailing
Who says racing is the only way to acquire sailing skills? I say teach children sailing is fun and watch the numbers grow, writes Daria Blackwell
How did it evolve this way, and who says racing is the only way to acquire the necessary fundamentals?
Teach children to have fun sailing
I say bring back the fun and watch the numbers grow.
Two young girls visiting us from Nova Scotia couldn’t wait to tell me their stories. I had inspired them to take sailing lessons when we visited their home before crossing the Atlantic. Their mother read my blog to them as we completed a circuit round the Atlantic. They couldn’t wait to be old enough to learn how to sail.
Fast forward about six years and the girls were ready to master the craft. The older one, who is quite smart and emotionally a bit older than her 12 years, was the first to ask her parents if she could learn to sail.
She had been dreaming about it and watching the kids out on the bay. They gave her an enthusiastic endorsement. Off she went to sailing school at the local yacht club.
As she told the story, The first time was great. They taught us about the wind and how the sails work and we went out in little boats and had great fun. I loved it. The second time, they started racing and I hated it. I really hated it. They were yelling and screaming and it was stressful. I never went back.
Teaching children to sail
For me to hear from a gorgeous young kid …read more
