"I believe that a 3 year old child is not improved by being contained on a small boat in the ocean for weeks on end."

I respectfully disagree with that statement, SG. Granted, every situation/boat/child is different but for me, and I'm sure my son would agree, I would never take back the 2 years and 13,000 miles that I spent 24x7 with him, starting at 9 months old when we left Maine and sailed across the Pacific. There is absolutely no comparison to being with your child and sharing every experience, the good and the bad, vs the contemporary norm: drop them off at child care 8 hours a day. I applaud anyone these days who, in a responsible manner, endeavors to break that mold.

Close friends of mine took their sons (starting at age ~7 and 9) on a 5-year circumnavigation, and to see their personal growth before and after was astounding: they came back poised and confident and with an appreciatjon for the world that continues into adulthood.

Back in the 80s there were tons of young kids on other boats, mostly foreign (French, German etc) and presumably that is still going on today. I'm sure once in awhile there was a health or other problem that would have been better treated had a hospital been nearby; but what is the purpose of life if we are living in fear? We Americans have become culturally over-protective and over-organized with our children.

Picture is at Mopelia, French polynesia, population of 8 in1983.