It seems that each stage with Thomas, now 1 years old, will be a different challenge for our sailing ambitions – last year we could just strap the little chap on in his carrier and off we would go. If you put him down in one place he would (mostly) stay in that place, now he is constantly moving, crawling, walking and generally crashing into things.
This means we have a whole set of new modifications we need to make to Triola to make her safe before we can actually do the pioneering thing of going for a sail. We needed somewhere we could put Thomas in the cockpit when in harbour, chugging along or when things are calm that he could feel involved, look around, and yet not be able to kill himself. After some rooting around on Ebay, we found a five point harness feeding chair that would sit snugly at the back of the cockpit – he may look miserable in the picture below, but believe me, he has never been happier. Wind in his hair, lots to look at, and right in the middle of the action!
Also, due to the fact the little chap goes to bed earlier now at 7pm, having him sleep in the main saloon whilst the skipper and the 1st mate depart to the forecabin is no longer a viable option, so we are going to set about ‘child proofing’ the forecabin by putting a Lee cloth across its entrance, and a little curtain across the top.
So we are nearly there! The last finishing touches will go on this weekend, and perhaps a scrub off next week (she feels pretty weedy) then, shock horror, perhaps a sail…