Are We (They) Having Fun, Yet?

Video games, play dates, excessive homework--seems these days there are just so many things better to do than go sailing. And even in the off chance that there really was nothing else to do, for the non-sailors out there, what's the attraction? How can sitting around on a bobbing hunk of plastic (or whatever) moving no faster than most of us can jog actually be any fun? Man, does that sound lame. Maybe I'll just sit here and do nothing instead.

OK, those of you with kids know where I'm going with this.

"Hey, kids, want to go sailing today?"

"Ummm, well, umm . . . not really, Dad."

"Well, what if we go get some nice sandwiches and eat them on the boat. After that we can walk around the marina to the playground."

"OK, maybe that would be fun."

I loved to go sailing when I was a kid. Couldn't get enough of it. Big boats, little boats, all day in my sabot, racing with Dad around the buoys or over to Catalina. All good. This is my perspective. So why would my kids not be begging me to take them sailing? As I think on that, though, I remember that my siblings weren't all that jazzed about sailing either. They usually did have something better to do (stay home and party while the rest of us went racing for the weekend.) They put up with it as the "family sport", and I know they usually had fun when dragged along. It just wasn't always their choice. I wonder why. I'll ask--stay tuned . . .

So what of my family? Did the lunch and park bribe work. Of course it did, and once aboard for lunch it made perfect sense to slip the dock lines and go for just a little sail, right? Yeah, there was a little grumping, but in the end all enjoyed themselves. Would they do it again when given the choice between video games on the couch and sailing on the bay? Maybe we're not quite there, yet.

At dinner the next night, I pushed the topic.

"So, how did you like sailing yesterday?"

"It was OK."

"What would you think if I decided to sell the boat?"

"NO, don't do that. WE LIKE SAILING!"

Well OK, then.

Soup's On!

Somewhere between the end of the Fiasco and home port (the lights off the starboard bow.) Gotta get out there again . . .