By Behan Gifford – Published by Pardey Publications
“School’s out forever”, sang Alice Cooper, but for the three children of the Gifford family, it really was ‘goodbye blackboard, hello blue water’ as they set off on adventures aboard their classic ocean-girdling yacht, Totem, a Sparkman & Stephens drawn Stevens 47.
Behan’s book could be used as the curriculum for any education department in western Europe. She thoroughly understands the intellectual requirements of youngsters at every stage of their lives, from daubing paint in jotters to prepping for college. She describes how to prepare for the off, how to educate at sea, even how to pay for it all.
As you can see from this month’s Sailors’ Stories, Behan and husband Jamie have lived exactly how they wanted to, and remarkably, as we read the pages of this book, realise that their children have helped them enjoy it to the full, rather than be a hindrance.
Note: Behan and Jamie join the two Dicks in a forthcoming Ocean Sailor podcast discussing sailing with children, look out on our social media for more information.
