Both Todd and Elizabeth had sailed before, and so were quite helpful aboard and good at reminding their sons to climb up the high side (and we were heeled a fair bit yesterday as it was breezy in places), and to keep one hand for the boat, etc. They were perfect guests: Elizabeth provided sandwiches and snacks to placate both the helmsman and the midget "crew".
So with their two sons, ages 5 and 3, along my son, who is seven, that made four adults (including my wife) and three little boys on a day with occasional 25-knot gusts...I'm glad I set the No. 3 jib...
HEY, LOOK HERE!
NO, BACK HERE!
Yes, those are my boys!
We had a great four-hour sail and got back to find that the boat in the slip next to us had been blown into our slip trying to dock! Anyway, after a quick 180 to kill some time while that got sorted out, everything went smoothly (we were blown on our dock, after all), and the reason I'm posting these pictures is that the two smaller, blonder boys are having their first sail EVER in these pictures, and the five-year-old described getting sprayed on the bow by the occasional wave as "AWESOME!".
I find it odd that my son is the oldest boy at seven and that he is casually using terms like "go aft, and go down below, and get my Star Wars toy from the port settee berth" quite casually. He also hops around the deck like a monkey and took a crack at helming yesterday. He can almost see over the cabin, and is starting Optimist junior sailing for the first time in three weeks.
