10 Reasons Your Kids Should Sail

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1. Self-Confidence

There is simply nothing like being able to pilot your own craft at the age of 9 years old.  Riding a bike is one thing.  Skillfully steering and docking a sailboat is quite another.  All of my athletic endeavors helped to shape my sense of self as a kid, but sailing was without a doubt the most instrumental.   I have not only noticed this in myself; during my ten years as a sailing instructor, I have seen it again and again in my students.

2. Spatial awareness 

When kids learn how to navigate a boat through narrow spaces and tight turns—how to avoid collisions, coast to a dock with finesse, or squeeze into a packed starting line at a regatta—they develop a spatial awareness that will bring them prowess all activities that involve coordination.  Like driving, for instance.

3. Sense of direction 

When I was 10 years old, I would sail all week with my class, and then go out on weekends by myself.  I would pack a lunch and take my Optimist out for a couple of hours to explore.  I believe that it was on those trips that I began to develop a good sense of direction.  Noticing which direction I had come from, picking out landmarks, and knowing how to get back became a regular part of my stream of consciousness.  That awareness is crucial to having a sense of direction.

4. Weather knowledge
 
Do you know from which direction thunder storms normally come?  Do you know what the water temperature normally is on Long Island Sound in May?  If your child is a sailor, he or she will know.   Weather knowledge will come in handy both on-the-water and on land.

5. Shipshape habits

Sailing students learn how to properly rig and unrig a boat.  Kids learn to put things away in the right place, and keep them tidy while on the water.  That’s a skill no mom or dad can argue with.  Longshore Sailing School even has a shipshape award for every class to encourage the behavior.



6. Toughness

Ever spend any time at an Opti regatta on Long Island Sound in April? These kids are tough. The weather can feel like a day on the slopes, but they don’t get to go in for a hot chocolate and a hamburger at lunch. They don’t complain. When racing is over, they pack up their boats before heading inside to warm up and dry off.

7. Accountability

Taking the helm gives a child an accountability for his or her actions that is rarely offered before receipt of a driver’s license. Recreational and racing junior sailors alike face right-of-way situations all the time and have to take responsibility for their mistakes.

8. Vision

Balancing the finer details inside the boat with the larger picture of the racecourse or channel is an important skill to hone. This balance helps in school, in business, in life.

9. Bravery

Sailor kids push their fear threshold. Most kids are scared of capsizing before they experience it. Many are scared in strong breezes. They still capsize and they still go out in rough conditions. It’s the job of the instructors to control the situation, but ultimately, the kids have to overcome their fear.

10. Patience

Waiting all day for the wind to fill in at a regatta requires an amazing amount of patience. I’ve talked with parents who are frustrated with waiting and thinking about what else they could be doing. But the kids know the drill. Waiting for the right weather conditions is part of sailing. I’ll reference an Opti regatta again, this one a two-day event with only about 90 sail-able minutes. The kids took it in stride. Would a team of 12-year-old football players act the same way?
 
So if your kids haven’t tried sailing, have them give it a try.

Source: Daniela Clark