When it comes to watersports – especially with the kids or for beginners – one of the most important things is to be flexible, and having a contingency plan is a must…
That’s because watersports are super dependent on the weather. And of course, the Great British weather can be extremely changeable. While as grown ups we’re used to dealing with that – and yes of course you can still go sailing in the rain! – it’s a different matter when you have the small people in tow.
Avoiding disappointment
With young children especially, we find it’s imperative to go afloat when the conditions are as close to perfect as possible. There’s little point in going dinghy sailing in a flat calm, kayaking in the tipping rain, or paddleboarding in a strong wind. Not only do you need to take safety into account, but it can turn what should be a positive experience into an off-putting one, and that’s when kids – or even grown ups – can be put off from the sport.
So, that’s why we always aim to have contingencies, whether that’s a change of location, time or activity. Of course, you also need buy-in from the kids to begin with, so make sure they are on board with your plans for the day to start with – the important thing is not to go too big on the detail; more on why in a moment.
Next, check out the weather forecast and research the location. Then make a plan A and a plan B – even having a plan C does no harm either! Admittedly packing for multiple scenarios is a drag; my top tip is to pack the night before!
However, remember that what constitutes a ‘contingency’ for us can be construed as a ‘disappointment’ for a kid who has his/her heart set on a particular plan. That’s why, when we’re planning a day afloat, we consciously try not to make any overly-detailed promises – which would be fine, except that while Boy Afloat is pretty adaptable and tends to take things in his stride, Girl Afloat, is not an especially big fan of surprises. She always prefers to know ‘The Plan’. So when it comes to our plans for a day afloat with our kids, we have to pick our words carefully – “we’ll go down to the water and have a look” or “we might do this or that, but we’ll decide when we get there”.
Being ready to adapt
One time the forecast looked so unsettled we drove to within a couple of miles of the sailing club, only to divert at the last minute for an afternoon at the wildlife park instead! Not that we weren’t sad at missing an opportunity to get afloat with the kids, but there are occasions when you do need to have a back-up plan or alternative activity in place, and that it may well pay in the longer term to postpone to another, more suitable day.
You might still find a way to get on the water just by adapting your plans a little. It might be as simple as ditching your usual launching spot and choosing to another beach around the headland to launch because it’s more sheltered, or getting afloat earlier in the day because a strong sea breeze is forecast after lunch.
Sometimes you do need to have another option altogether up your sleeve. And that’s why we love paddleboarding… Very often, if the winds is too light for dinghy sailing, it’s great to be able to inflate the boards, pop them in the water and still get afloat for an adventure. Not that we couldn’t paddle our 2000 sailing dinghy, but due to its weight it is a bit more of a beast to handle, even in light winds – so, no wind equals a great excuse to go paddleboarding!
Paddleboarding – the perfect plan B
On a recent sunny Sunday when we pitched up at the sailing club aware of the forecast for very light winds but optimistic we may find a few knots of breeze, only to be met with a glassy lake and absolutely less than no breeze. It meant our original plan to take the kids dinghy sailing was out of the question – there wasn’t even enough wind to get away from the shore!
Knowing this might be a risk from the forecast, we’d made sure to pack the paddleboards. While hubby got them ready, I explained to the kids why we had had to change our plan and once they understood, they were just as happy for the alternative.
Now their confidence on the boards is starting to grow though, we are having to find new ways to keep things interesting while we were afloat.
Chasing dragonflies
To start with, we found plenty of diversion in letting them dictate our course along the shoreline and in chasing the hundreds of blue dragonflies that were skimming the water. We’ve seen them before but never in such huge cerulean clusters. It was quite a sight!
We also tried a daring mid-paddle exchange of cargo – by which I mean children! We hadn’t attempted this before and were prepared to back out if it didn’t look feasible, but as it was flat calm and there was a safety boat not too far away, we felt confident to give it a try – of course, everyone had buoyancy aids on in case of an unexpected dip.
The important thing here we found was for hubby and I to both hold the boards tight together by reaching across to grab the central strap on each other’s board, then using our other hands to help the children shuffle themselves across. Success! And the kids were delighted with their little stunt.
As we paddled back to shore it looked as if the wind might fill in and we were briefly tempted to quickly rig the dinghy and take it afloat. However, the kids had had plenty of fun already and knowing that the forecast was for the breeze to die away altogether by the late part of the afternoon, we decided to quit on a high, rather than risk launching the dinghy and later getting becalmed.
All in all, a fun adventure afloat. Paddleboarding had saved the day, and shown us once again the importance of having a contingency plan!
