The Infinite Shadow

By Master Beam

Kids… Love them… Hate them… Doesn’t matter what you think, they’re going to be there anyway… In your face, under your feet, hanging onto your neck or even your hand.

Kids in boats… No difference… Just wetter!

If you wonder why the boat no longer points to windward have a look around, because you will no doubt find some wide-eyed, shiny-faced youngster holding the end of the backstay tensioner.

“What are you doing?!!” you ask, trying desperately to maintain some sense of composure. Innocent eyes replies, “I don’t know!”

“So why did you touch it!” you growl. Tears begin to form in the corners of the puppy eyes. “Don’t know… (sniff sniff)”.

At this point you are beginning to feel like you are the bogey-man your mother told stories about in your childhood.

“It’s ok” you croon. “Just try not to touch things you don’t know anything about, alright? Ask me about them and I can show you.”

At this point you realise the other kids are either trying to hang each other with mainsheet bitter end, or are launching themselves over the side with their heads in the water trying to see the jellyfish!!!

But you know what? I wouldn’t give up teaching kids to sail for anything in the world.

So what’s it really like, you may ask? Yes the above scenario is fairly typical and of course it all depends upon the age of the children you’re instructing. But it’s a fantastic adventure regardless. The 7 year olds are all wide-eyed innocence and probably still believing in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. (Which, by the way, are two of the many subjects of conversation you try to avoid as a sailing instructor!!) And then of course it depends upon the gender of the children as well. It’s true, at 6 and 7 years of age girls ARE made of sugar and spice and everything nice and boys ARE made of slugs and snails and puppy-dogs tails!!
Then, somehow, life comes along, the wheel of fortune creaks around one more sector, and children’s’ attitudes change, and not, in most cases, for the better. They have passed the Age of Reason… Not that anyone would notice.

Boys become ten foot tall and bullet-proof (a state of being which never passes until they reach their majority), and the girls, well they go through an undulating cycle of having it all together, and then, it all falls apart in front of them resulting in a fountain of tears!

Needless to say, as a sailing instructor of young people, you need to understand all of these cycles and in the words of Kenny Rogers (and I’m sure I’m showing my age now) “You gotta know when to hold ‘em, and know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, and know when to run!!”
Be that as it may, the kids do learn, and often much faster than their adult counterparts. They don’t always have to know the reason why because they can accept and trust faster than an adult, provided the instructor is honest, open and self disciplined. (Let’s face it… they’ve believed in Santa Claus all this time!) But woe befalls the instructor who tries to “put one over” on a junior sailor. Kids will always know when you are unsure of something, or you are lying to them, and believe me, you’ll never ever regain their trust.

Be honest with your kids, and they’ll just as likely be honest with you. You can dress up as a Pirate and take them on a treasure hunt or suchlike. The littlies will think of it as a fabulous adventure while the older (usually boy) kids will try to prove you are actually an instructor dressed up. That’s just what they do so don’t fight it. Just tell them they’re right but not to spoil it for the little ones.

Most of the time kids just love to sail. Let’s face it, it is about the only time they actually get to be away from their parents in a potentially dangerous situation for any length of time … the sense of achievement for them is enormous. No parent calling out, “Don’t do that Tommy, it’s not safe!” or “Come away from there… you’ll get hurt”. No, instead you have an instructor saying, “Come on! More tension on that jib sheet” and “You there, give him a hand, let’s all work as a team and get this boat moving faster!”

When their natural fears begin to dissipate and they begin to get the hang of things, there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing the pride on their faces when the instructor steps out of the boat and they go solo for the first time.

Sailing gives kids a real sense of adventure, not some vicarious thrill from a computer game. Sailing teaches kids discipline, self and otherwise. Sailing encourages social interaction and tolerance from an early age which will carry them through the rest of their lives. Sailing can introduce them to a competitive sport in which they may still be participating throughout their “senior” years. (“What’s ‘senior’?” asks Miss Innocent Eyes. “It’s when someone becomes really really old, sweetie”, says I.)

But you already know all this, don’t you.

What is really so good about teaching kids to sail?

The knowledge, not just the hope, that you are in fact making a difference.