My daughter just turned 6, and my beautiful wife and I got her some sailing lessons for her birthday.
Some background on this...
First understand that the wee one first met our club's head instructor (Emily) when she was 4 years old. That spring and summer I took her out in an Albacore for the first time, and even went on a couple of race nights with her. My daughter instantly fell in love with Emily, who would play games and entertain her while I rigged up the boat. Seeing Emily was probably more exciting for her than sailing!
When she turned 5 that summer, I let her take out an Optimist. We first sailed together (two people crammed into the bathtub) and then was going to let her sail by herself with me in a second Opti. That was pretty funny, and she sure goes faster than I do...
This year, Emily is back and now has an assistant, Heidi. Now my daughter has two best friends at the club. She turned 6, and I figured it's time to get her some proper lessons. I contacted Emily and we scheduled some. My daughter learned safety, how to tack, how to gybe, picked up some really good habits, and had a blast.
This week's race night, I get an e-mail from Emily asking if the wee one was coming. Emily and Heidi together took my daughter out in an Optimist to the race course, and they were running their own races. My wee one, of course, came in first every race (I'm so proud!).
After racing, we did a couple capsize drills in the Opti. All in all, a great day!
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