Today I'm A Happy Dad!!

[Giulietta]

My son Fred, started sailing alone at age 7, in Optimist. (he and my newest sone were almost born on a boat).

Just recentely he turned 9, and now, has just received his Portuguese Federation Racing permit and registration!! He is so happy, and so proud, he keeps showing his card!! Kids are allways kids!!

The Federation sent him a Rules Book with his name on it!! They treated him like a man!! He is so proud!!! He even has mail with his name now!!

I am even more proud, because he will be going International soon!!! Sailing has helped him in school as it built his confidence and now he also gets great grades, too!! I'm blessed, trully am.

At the end of the day, I think, we might have nice boats, some might go around the World, some live on them, but in the end, really in the end, looking at him, this is what it's all about.

[TrueBlue]

Congratulations Fred's Dad. Now . . . just where do you suppose he got those sailing skills?

[Giulietta]

Originally Posted by TrueBlue

Congratulations Fred's Dad. Now . . . just where do you suppose he got those sailing skills?

If you were going to say from his mother, you are wrong!!! She didn't sail before I met her!!

from her he just got the looks, the inteligence and the "cool".

[Cruisingdad]

Giu,

That is awesome. We had an eerie feeling last night too: Took down the crib and packed it away. Moved Glen to a "Big-Boy Bed". No more kids. We are giving the crib away.

[Giulietta]

Originally Posted by Cruisingdad

Giu,

That is awesome. We had an eerie feeling last night too: Took down the crib and packed it away. Moved Glen to a "Big-Boy Bed". No more kids. We are giving the crib away.

Isn't it amazing the rate they grow??? A few years ago I was teaching him to walk, swim, ride the bycicle. Have to re-do all again as we just had another sailor. This one will be the tactitian, for sure, he already knows what he wants, only 7 months now.

[Faster]

G

Our son grew up sailing too, since he was 18 days old. Sailed his own opti-style dinghy at a young age, moved onto the family racer before his teens.

Now 24, he is a sought after crew on a number of local raceboats, here and in Seattle, and after marrying last winter, he and his bride turned around and bought their first boat (Ranger 29) within a couple of months! Talk about priorities!!

Anyway congrats, your son will be graduated and on his own before you know it!! Enjoy it now.

[camaraderie]

That's great Giu...sometimes you need the bad days to appreciate the good one's!!

[southerncross31]

Congrats....They make life worth living! I brought my 2 and 6 year olds out this summer for the first time. It was also one of the only times my wife has sailed in recent years! We were on Lake Champlain during that intense heat wave in early august. It seemed like a perfect day to take the family out. I was on my Pearson 26, with the 150 geny fully opened. No waves, a break from the heat (somewhat) and a 5-10 knot breeze..ahhh just right for the crew. As we neared Thompsons pt I saw an ominous, puffy bank of dark clouds moving in over the mountains (still far away). I turned us right around, seeing as how a thunderstorm would put a damper on the day, and told everyone to go below for some food. Within minutes of tacking an intense gust hit us so hard it burried the ports! No clouds or waves or anything, even the ripples on the waters surface did not indicate anything too intense. I looked into the cabin to see 6 bulging eyes, not unlike those on a deer caught in a cars headlights. Before i had time to do anything, even before the boat went into the wind, the gust passed and everything calmed, but my windex was spinning in circles! Then the wind returned to its previous direction and speed. We kept sailing towards my mooring, but the thunderstorm blew away and we spent several more hours out. It seemed odd to me at the time because I was still not totaly familiar with the lake. It has since happened to me several times. On one occasion i could actually hear the wind coming at me on a calm day. It was whisling and gusting so intensely, i was like, what the hell is coming at me. Again it hit me hard, then passed and left my windex spinning! I LOVE sailing, now so does my 6 year old. Every chance she gets, she tells the story about how we alsmost sank our sailboat Man do i wish i was a carefree kid again, crusing my cat around Wells Beach, ME.
Don't let your kids grow up too fast!

[werebeagle]

Originally Posted by Cruisingdad

Giu,

That is awesome. We had an eerie feeling last night too: Took down the crib and packed it away. Moved Glen to a "Big-Boy Bed". No more kids. We are giving the crib away.

It's been close to two years since my son, Micheal moved into the big boy bed. It was time when he climbed into his crib. He never climbed out, just into. We've been boatless, so he hasn't been sailing, but I just got a c-15, so I'll get him out sailing next summer.

Charlie

[sailingdog]

Now if he could just give you some pointers Giulietta.