Too much has already been said about the recent s/v Rebel Heart rescue at sea. Unfortunately alot is ignorant, uninformed nonsense about raising kids on a cruising sailboat. We’ve been lucky enough to know cruising families raising their kids in the confines of a small sailboat.
The first thing I always notice about these kids – and families – is that they are amazingly intelligent, well-adjusted, competent in handling the boat and fiercely independent. Life aboard a cruising sailboat opens new horizons to children, they are exposed to nature and of necessity their little playmates are from many different cultures.
But we are not a “kid boat” so, here’s an eloquent post by fellow boat mom, Diane Selkirk, who describes their decision to raise their daughter aboard a sailboat cruising the world, followed by a kid boat tribute video put together by cruising families from around the world in support of the Kaufman’s aboard sv Rebel Heart.
Raising A Child Dangerously, by Diane Selkirk — a must read!
If you’d like to help the Kaufman’s aboard sv Rebel Heart, who lost everything, here’s the link. Fellow cruisers and others have already contributed $10,000. And please watch the video tribute, it will make you smile.
I just hope that someday when Gilly, Rowan, Chase and Dane (our grandkids) are a bit older that we have the opportunity to take them cruising – even if it’s only coastal – and watch their amazement in the lifestyle we sometimes take for granted.
