DocAndersen
There are a couple of rules we have on our boat. One of them is that everybody wears a life jacket. The other is to have fun! Boating is not a stressful activity for anyone other than the Captain (who has to be watching). We do allow alcohol on the boat, but the Captain isn’t allowed to drink. That is a USGS safety rule and one I think is very good to follow. But the rest of the folks on the boat can enjoy however they wish. Adults usually come onboard the boat and relax on the back part of the boat. There is an L shaped seat at the back behind the front two chairs. The mate’s chair swivels so they can talk to the captain or the passengers. There are another two seating areas and a bed below decks.
The adults were all up in the sun, other than the adult hanging out with the kids. The kids were not interested in seeing the many passing boats. They were interested in playing below deck. My mother has made a couple (3) nautical quilts for the boat. The kids loved those and were playing on the bed for most o the trip up the Severn River. Funny, the kids were the ones I was worried about, so I headed up the river where it would be a little less rough. The kids were the ones that adjusted to the boat the fastest. I guess you can never really predict the adaptability of kids. They have an amazing resilience to virtually anything when they are young.
(Not so much as they get older by the by). Plus there was food down below, I suspect the boys were enjoying that as well. It was a glorious day to be out on the boat.
The pictures today were all taken by my daughter and the young boys down below. As the paint, I don’t often leave my post. I do if the boat is at anchor or if it is in the dock and we have one rope tied off. For the most part, I don’t leave my post as long as the engines are running. That frankly is more of a safety rule than anything else.
Once more the magic of boating with kids!
Great rules you have on the boat. Life savers with the life jackets on.
It is the most important part of any activity, safety!
Yes, it reminded me of the small guided boat (forget the name) that recently sank and the life jackets were never put on. They were told they were not needed. Tragedy.
Yeah the duck boat in Branson MS. Very sad, we actually decided three years ago that you had to wear a life jacket on the boat. That way there would never be an argument.