DH and his boat.

[LovelyBath77]

So, he is doing up a little sailing boat. One with a small cabin on. He keeps going on about us having adventures on it, sailing the channel (!) that sort of thing. I'm terrified. AIBU?

Yanbu, don't participate if you don't wish to!

No you are not! How deep is the base? If it's shallow you could maybe sail the broads or something instead? Or round the coast somewhere where you aren't 7+ miles from land.

You can have a lot of fun sailing but it's not no-risk. They're at more risk from storms etc. Is your DH an experienced sailor?

RYA Day skipper course needed?

Only if he doesn't know what he's doing- has he sailed before? Done a course?
Sailing can be dangerous if you don't have the right experience but if you know what you're doing it can be fantastic! Make sure you're truly in safe hands before taking her out!

Nope, not unreasonable at all. I don't do small boats and made that quite clear to DH, so he goes off in his by himself leaving me at home on dry land & we are both happy.

How well qualified is he? What experience does he have? Has he had any instruction and actually learned to sail properly?

If he has all of that under his belt then OK, perhaps. If not then I would say he is trying to run before he can walk and it is far too risky. The Channel has some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, is a very major thoroughfare, has very changeable weather and some dangerous tides.

I would be terrified too and doubt that I could go.

Sailing is amazing! The best fun and working together as a family, as a crew, is enormously enriching! Try it on a calm(ish) day and I am sure you will have fun!

Trailer
Life jackets
Radio and Radio usage certificate / training
Knowledge of tides

He needs to do a boat handling or yacht masters course.

And also needs to ensure he has the following:

radio and know how to use it
life jackets/bouyancy aids
flares

Quite honestly he needs to ensure he has more than a few hours practise in local waters before even considering something like the channel!

Dp runs boat handling courses and is the chairman of our lifeguards. His friend has a boat and we often go out on it but literally out round the coast to another town for lunch and then back with my youngest DD.

I've also been out doing safety cover with the lifeguards on the boat and coming back at midnight was the coldest I've ever been and that was in the middle of summer.

Let him have his dreams but make sure he's well equipped before setting sail.

Tell us more about the boat op.
Dh used to have a lovely boat but we went and had babies before we had had time for many adventures

How experienced is he?

And yes, absolutely, RYA courses are the way forward. Send him on some and go on one yourself.

Just to add my DD2 is 11, she's currently doing her communications certification - learning to use the radio. She can also navigate through channels when driving the boat and knows who has right of way when out.

There is a lot to going out on a boat although quite crazily anyone can do it. Legally you don't need any qualifications or licenses. But it's good to know about things like tides, navigation lights and how to call for help should you need to.

If you decide to go along, you need go all in and to be a trained skipper yourself.

If you want to feel a little bit afraid then google 'fastnet race 1979'.

If you want, you could google 'napton marina narrowboats' and suggest you instead go holidaying on the canals, rather than the channel. Then, be prepared that colleagues and others might snigger while calling your hubby 'the big mariner' and similar.

I would like to have a go at that YOLO and all that. You might like it you never know!

Boats are amazing fun. I love boats, sailing and being on the water. Learn to sail, start with competent crew, and see how you go. Don't knock until you've tried it.

It will be a great way to have adventures! Agree with others though, you need decent training (minimum day skipper)

Have any of you sailed before?

Where will it be moored? How big is it? Some boats can be floating sheds

Barbie arm bands can be an acceptable accessory. .

Sailing is fantastic. And the British Isles are the best place to learn - so much varied coast line, hazards & tides. Once you've learned to sail here, you can deal with the rest of the world ☺️.

Both do the Day Skipper course, I suggest. Don't you just be a passenger or you'll risk never minimising your fear. You should always have a bit of fear - it's the ones that don't that come a cropper.

There's pretty much nothing better than having made a decent passage (or even a shitty one!) then sitting peacefully at anchor with a cold one in your hand.

He has done the Day Skipper course. He used to have one without a cabin but this is a different one. We have taken the other one out around Studland / Dorset before. This one we can possibly sleep on!

They do have lifejackets etc. We have two boys 8 and 12 so ld enough to help a bit. It just stresses me out a bit. I'm sure it will be OK.

We started sailing in a boat like this - my brother & I were younger that your 2. Tiny thing, but we loved her & went all over the West coast of Scotland & to Ireland. Brilliant for kids. We're now a lot older, but still sailing (parents are retired & spend half the year on their boat). Even been across the Atlantic!

I would urge you to do some training - it will set your mind at ease because you'll know what's going on & have confidence in your own ability
. It's a really fabulous thing for families. There's nothing I like more than sailing with my parents & my Bro and us kids are in our 40s now.

Please please just watch Jaws before you agree to this.

Remembers doing day skipper course and studying charts. Nothing better than boring DS now when on the ferry and telling DS about the different buoy markings and the shipping lanes in the Channel.

www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-7.5/centery:47.6/zoom:5

And Two Headed Shark Attack