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Practicing safety on the water
When boating all precautions should be taken and a parent's job is never over, and that's especially true while boating.

Do you let your small child go for a car ride without being put into a car seat? Probably not and besides that it would be against the law... The same consistency will help you get your child to always wear a life jacket on the water. When purchasing a child's life jacket, look for the following specifics:

•You need a PFD Type 1 (Personal Flotation Device) of the appropriate size as this has sufficient floatation to support the body and head. The floatation collar keeps your child's head above water.
•A strap between the legs is necessary to keep the jacket from slipping off.

The PFD should not be so bulky that the child can't put both hands together in front (or else he won't be able to hold on properly)... and if you're still nervous about your child being near the water even in a life jacket... test it, and your child in a swimming pool first.

Here are some safety rules and guidelines to get you started when boating with kids:

•Children can only be on deck with an adult, and children have to tell the adult when they want to go back down below.
•While sailing, children can't go on deck without an adult's permission nor without their safety harness and/or life jacket.
•Know all the ways that children can get on deck - they may surprise you by opening and climbing through the front hatch by themselves.
•Know when you are "on watch." Always hand off the caretaker's responsibility verbally.
•Be just as careful when you're at a marina.

PFD available in all sizesLet children help
Even if your children have never had a sailing lesson, they can learn a great deal on sailing holidays, especially if you let them help with certain jobs.

Children can do almost anything on a bareboat with adult supervision, but certain jobs, including the following, can always be in the kids' domain:

•Making all the lines shipshape. Keeping all the ropes coiled.
•Relaying commands when anchoring or mooring.
•Scrubbing the decks...Or else they can walk the plank.
•Stowing fenders and dock lines. - Tying knots.