[MadMacMod]

My daughter would not go sailing with Daddy and was very negative about boats. To at least give her some experience with sailing we enrolled in a girl scout "Father Daughter" Sunfish sailing class over a weekend. Having someone outside the family give the instruction, seeing other girls sailing yet still having Daddy to cling to all helped.

By the end of class her favorite activity with me was to flip the Sunfish so we could right it. She even took off with a friend and left me high and dry at the very end of the day.

However, she is still less than enthusiastic about going sailing with me, particularly in a larger boat. Part may possibly be a reflection of my wifes dislike of boats. Also, When she was younger we went in my brother in laws 17'' powerboat to watch fireworks and on the way back hit some major waves, resulting in a bit of a scary and pounding ride. Since then she has not been interested in going on his boat again and this may be carrying over. Finally, there is the typical 10 year old control issue - she want to be captain .....

I''m trying to address her fears by introducing her slowely to sail boats on calm water, avoiding pounding power boats and giving her more control over the situations. Let her decide where we go and letting her focus on "fun" rather than seamanship.