Lifejackets be damned

So we went for a 2hr chartered sail boat cruise off the coast of SF yesterday. The day was warm, the sun was out the whole time. It was really perfect SF weather, as perfect as we've seen it. We got on to the sail boat and Rian seemed curious and was just getting warmed up to everyone. That's when Capt. Josh said all kids, regardless of age, would have to wear a life jacket.

Okay, if we'd known this earlier, at least I'd have tried to buy one of the right size for Rian. We'd have seen if he's comfortable, and if not, we'd have cancelled on the trip. Capt had only a few life jackets on hand, and none fit Rian well. Poor fellow was stuck in one that came up to his chin and kept rubbing him. Look at the poor guy, he can't even move his neck.



We tried to reason with the Capt whose "reason" was the CoastGuard was monitoring. From his perspective, he was trying to save his backside. Perfectly fine if you don't care about the kids onboard. I was carrying a baby carrier as well. I mentioned Rian will be very safe, snug right against my chest. He may have even dozed off to sleep. But the capt was not to be pleased.

After an hr of crying and crankiness, we went down to the room below the deck and removed Rian's life jacket - Indian shtyle - jo karna hain woh kar, I'm setting my baby free. Rian took a good milk feed after that, and was very happy to play and explore the space inside on his hands and knees.

Note to self: get more info about kids' arrangements in an event like this.

Note 2 to self: before I take Rian camping, make sure I think of how he can entertain himself. Perhaps I'll need to carry his playyard as a safe place he can be left to play and crawl.