Monday, April 12, 2010

Kids aboard books

One of my readers (yeah!) Lara asked about what books I read about having kids aboard.  I've been meaning to post my list for awhile and to see if anyone else had other suggestions.  I read them all when I was pregnant and we were thinking of living aboard.  They are now somewhere in storage, so I will have to recall from memory what I liked about each.

Adventuring With Children: An Inspirational Guide to World Travel 
and the...Adventuring With Children: An Inspirational Guide to World Travel and the Outdoors by Nan Jeffrey


I really liked this book a lot. Nan Jeffrey had twin boys, and another baby later I think as well.  They traveled by sailboat as well as many other adventures.  This book definitely made me feel like there was no reason to be afraid of giving it a try.

Cruising with Children  by Gwenda Cornell

Cruising with Children by Gwenda Cornell



Babies Aboard [Paperback]  by Green, Lyndsay

Babies Aboard by Lyndsay Green




Kids in the Cockpit: A pilot book to safe and happy sailing with 
children

Kids in the Cockpit: A pilot book to safe and happy sailing with children by Jill Schinas



 The three listed above have somewhat similar advice, but each has it's own gems.  They are quick reads, and were worth it to me.  I like to be informed!

All in the Same Boat : Living Aboard and Cruising
All in the Same Boat : Living Aboard and Cruising by Tom Neale

 This is the only one I found written by a man.  It was good to read about kids aboard from a father's point of view.


Cruising for Cowards: Strategies, Boats and Equipment Preferred by
 Experienced CruisersCruising for Cowards: Strategies, Boats and Equipment Preferred by Experienced Cruisers by Liza Copeland

We read this one in the beginning of our cruising dreams.  It is not all about kids, but I think there is one chapter in there that was really good about kids aboard.  The rest of the book was a good read for someone who has never been cruising before (like me).  Simple and practical tips and some good stories.

If anyone else out there has suggestions of good books I'd love to read them.  I figure I can't be too prepared. 

3 comments:

  1. I found many of the books on the market on this topic to be painfully outdated and mostly geared towards weekend sailors (advice on what to bring from home rather than how to live on board.) I liked Liza Copelands books Just Cruising & Still Cruising. They go in to a lot of everyday life on board with 3 little ones.
    Tom Neale is great and is fully responsible for me moving aboard in the first place when I was 25. I spent 2 days with his wonderful family covering them for a TV show I was working on and was hooked! I find I like reading his old series in Cruising World from when the girls were young. WE all need to write an updated book on the topic together!

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  2. Wow, that's great! Thanks for all the recommendations, the only one I already ordered is "All in the Same Boat" by Tom Neale (good to know I picked a good one :)). I ordered a few others, but like you said, most are about cruising and then only have a chapter dedicated to babies/ children aboard. I'm glad to know there are some books out there dedicated to the subject.
    I feel like I have so much to learn. I love reading, and know this will help me feel prepared. I'm hoping once L is more regularly on solids (we just started) I'll think about a sailing class . I've taken one so far, but all "in classroom". I would love to get out there and get some more experiential knowledge.
    Thanks for such a helpful post. I think the book idea is wonderful, how amazing would it be for us (already super busy mom's) to have access to streamlined, up to date information on this topic.

    I'll let you know what I think of the books I ordered.

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  3. @boatbaby, just saw Liza Copelands other books. Hopefully I can pick them up and check them out.

    @Lara I feel you on the eating solids (read: needing less of mommy). Yemaya is 9 months and it is a big difference. I still haven't left her much longer than 6 hours, but they are glorious hours! When you are able to take a few days for sailing classes I'm sure it will be great.

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