Coastal cruising and getting older

[TrentePieds]

Quote: "...another eye jab..."

Hullo Jim - I take it you mean "eye JOB", but plz illuminate if you feel it's appropriate. As I've alluded to, failing sight is my only real worry. It's bad enuff that friends accuse me of "parking by ear". If they start muttering about "docking by braille", I'll be seriously miffed :-)!

TrentePieds

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

As to specific recommendations of yachts, I am loathe to be that bold!

Fortunately, I am that bold, and flame resistant too...

The Nonsuch boats were designed with seniors in mind. A simple, easy to handle cat rig in a high quality boat. Easy to reef, a single self tailing winch for the single sheet. I was told by a nonsuch owner, 80 years old at the time, that it is the perfect boat for seniors. Despite this, its also a fast and reliable cruiser.

[Lancerbye]

I am going to be 73 in a few months. I have been coastal cruising the BC coast for the past 10 years with a 44 ft. Motor Sailer. I single hand. It's all about having the boat set up right. Furling main and jib. Everything back to an electric inside winch, 10 kva generator, radar, autopilot, chart plotter attached to autopilot for automatic coarse following, twin engines, water maker, washer dryer, satellite TV and many more systems to make cruising and liveaboard easier. I also do all my own maintenance and repairs.

[SaltyMetals]

Christian,

What a pity to think of moving to a stinkpot when sailing is so much more pleasure. The choice of the type of sailing/motoring that you do depends a lot on your abilities and state of health. I am 70 and did 4,000 Nm last year about half of which was F5-7. Yes i had 1-3 crew but we all took our turns at sailing the boat while the others rested.

I agree with Ken, Jim, Dlynn and Sanders. My boat is 43ft (13m), 2004, and i have set things up so she can easily be sailed by just one person. RR Genoa, RR Main, autopilot (incl auto-tack), cockpit counter and control for the windlass, bow-thruster, i converted one halyard winch to electric. Any lines that would normally be fed to the remaining manual halyard ST winch can be led around it and across to the electric winch. I have a 1000 sq ft gennaker on a top-down furler with the continuous furling line to the cockpit but i usually furl it if it looks like more than 15 knots of (true) wind. Not because it could not handle 20 knots but i don't need the extra shot of adrenalin and at 20 knots the genoa does a good job downwind. With this size of boat i don't think it is necessary to have electric primary winches. As long as you do the tack slowly there is time to get the genoa 90-95% hauled in on the other tack before it fills with wind. I also have heating and plenty of space below decks. Sure , a larger boat might be even more fun (like Ken's and i shared one of those with an Italian friend for many years) but , apart from the costs which go up exponentially, i do not want to find i cannot get out on the water unless i have a few friends with me. I would suggest max 3hp outboard for the dink bec anything larger gets a bit heavy for us "senior" guys. Life aboard is certainly going to be more pleasant if you have a pure sine wave inverter (good for TV and the microwave which will not work with the cheaper modified sinewave) as well as a long distance WiFi.

So my suggestion would be to stick to sailing but get a more modern boat which has all the gizmo's to make life easy.
Andrew

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Christian W.

I would appreciate some feedback on getting older and choice of boat to keep cruising as long as possible.

My background is: dinghy racing since childhood, then in my early thirties a Holland 25, a Lyle Hess Serrafyn sister ship which I had for 27 years, and my present vessel a Tahitiana 32' steel double ended cutter (ten years). My cruising has been south-eastern Tasmanian coastal cruising only. I single-hand 99% of the time.

I have been experiencing failing physical stamina, arthritis in hands and back, and slight balance problems.

My question to those of similar problems and/or life stage; what vessel have you found to be the best in order to keep cruising forever (!)?

I love the sea-kindliness and and slowness of my Tahitiana and she suits our temperate climate here in the Variables (except for heavy windward work), but the gear is heavy and she is hard on the helm in anything on the beam. She is also hard to maintain (I do everything myself).

With thanks!

Best of luck you will be getting all kinds of suggestion. I'm considering a long ship with a pyre.

[sailorcherry]

Pocket cat? Such as a Catalac or Prout? Smaller sails, stable. The Catalac has twin engines too and a pilothouse.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Cadence

Best of luck you will be getting all kinds of suggestion. I'm considering a long ship with a pyre.

PS the trawler suggestions make sense, however I am not in your part of the world.

[Stu Jackson]

I'm 71, just sailed up to Vancouver Island from San Francisco last summer. Had my son with me, but essentially singlehanded as is most of my sailing. Have had this boat for the past 18+ years and intend to keep her. Traditional main is the ONLY "work" left on the boat. All lines led aft, furling jib, no electric winches. It's the right sized boat and I know it throughout, do all our own work on her. I have new waters to learn here. Will need to get heat, but that's cheaper than a new boat. Good luck.

[roland stockham]

I suspect it would be cheaper to pay someone to do the heavy work and maybe sign up crew for passages than to change boats. Maybe also look at some upgrades to gear, there are some amazing devices from electronic tiller steering to power winches. I have sailed on boats that are almost entirly 'fly by button'. Downside is cost and reliability.

[seaman-lew]

we have a freedom 45, easy to sail

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Even better get a small power cat and escape the rolling..

I will 2nd the Small Power Cat.

[calin1967]

I would look for a nice girl in her 20's in search for mile building. I bet that you will pull the ropes easier.

[Hudson Force]

I'm spry. I like that word. You know spry people are old, but capable! Unfortunately, my wife, though still capable at the helm, has great difficultly moving through the companionway or stepping on or off the boat.

I've told her that our adventures together surpass our 45 years of living aboard and cruising. We are soon to put "Aythya" on the market and take to living ashore. I've plenty to learn as we've never lived ashore since college apartments. I've never bought a piece of furniture or tended plants. We recently bought a car,- things are moving faster than 7kts!

While living ashore I plan to buy a small 20 -30' Downeast,- something with a single diesel under an engine box on an open deck with a cuddy cabin. Something I can continue to work on, because I'm aware that I'm addicted to working on my boat as much as cruising. ..maybe more!

We moved aboard on the day of the Watergate break in and we're moving off on the day of Donald Trump's inauguration. ...infamous bookends!

[phydeaux]

Agree with most. We're over 70, and cruise US/Mexican west coast, but prefer in-boom furling (Leisure Furl)for the main. I have to cop to growing interest in a Grand Banks, with conditions often a little more varsity than we like as we get creakier.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by calin1967

I would look for a nice girl in her 20's in search for mile building. I bet that you will pull the ropes easier.

Dream on! Why not two and a threesome with an old man.