How Old Is 'Too Old' to Sail ?

[semperdog]

This forum is awesome!! There is so much knowledge here, and you guys are great!!

I have another question:

What do you do for health insurance once you depart the US? Does Medicare/Medicaid cover you still? If not, how much does coverage normally cost for seniors?

Thanks!!

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by semperdog

This forum is awesome!! There is so much knowledge here, and you guys are great!!

I have another question:

What do you do for health insurance once you depart the US? Does Medicare/Medicaid cover you still? If not, how much does coverage normally cost for seniors?

Thanks!!

Someone will chime in on that, I am not there yet but a guess in the dark. Does semperdog indicate retired military?

If you have access and commisary privileges there are lots and lots of US facilites scattered around the world. Had a guy working for me in Japan. He used to shop in the Atsugi px for like 20% of tokyo prices... Also doc and dentist...

[wolfenzee]

I have known people that were too old to sail by age 40 ...... and people sailing along quite comfortably in their late 80's. The builder of my boat started it when he was 65 (his last boat so he was building it for himself), launched it when he was 70 and sailed it till he was 80, the main reason he sold her was because he didn't feel he was up to the sort of sailing the boat was designed/built...I am not sure what or for how long but he probably kept sailing something for some time after.

[sailcruiser]

Originally Posted by semperdog

This forum is awesome!! There is so much knowledge here, and you guys are great!!

I have another question:

What do you do for health insurance once you depart the US? Does Medicare/Medicaid cover you still? If not, how much does coverage normally cost for seniors?

Thanks!!

Semper I don't know the answer to this but I can suggest you look into travel insurance. Something that will get you medi-vaced back to the US. I've read stories about heart attacks and big bills to just get home. ($30k). Something else to factor in IMHO.

SC

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by semperdog

This forum is awesome!! There is so much knowledge here, and you guys are great!!

I have another question:

What do you do for health insurance once you depart the US? Does Medicare/Medicaid cover you still? If not, how much does coverage normally cost for seniors?

Thanks!!

Medicare/Medicaid only work with doctors and hospitals that accept them (not even all the ones in the US do). Considering how much medical costs in alot of countries other than the US, it would probably cost alot less than paying a US based insurance company...better to set up your own fund.

[zeehag]

my great uncle sailed a gaff rigged sloop sans engine until age 95, at which age he died. he taught most of us "youngsters" to sail when he was in his 50-70's age range. on that same boat.... her name is eleanor, and will be 110 in 2013, still a national historic place/treasure, under restoration ...

too old to sail?? is there such a thing?? i dont think so----

when yer cold and moldering in the grave is too oold to sail.



what i use for health ins is cash if i need to see a md or such. i have medicare as a disabled soul, but isnt worth the effort-----

[wolfenzee]

Joshua Slocum was a retired whaling captain when he sailed around the world, Francis Chinchester was 72 when he did his first solo non-stop circumnavigation.
Some day I may be too old to sail....at which time I will have someone else do all the work and sit back and enjoy the sail.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by wolfenzee

Joshua Slocum was a retired whaling captain when he sailed around the world, Francis Chinchester was 72 when he did his first solo non-stop circumnavigation.
Some day I may be too old to sail....at which time I will have someone else do all the work and sit back and enjoy the sail.

I'm thinking Slocum was a freighter Captain.

"My voyages were all foreign. I sailed as a feighter and trader principally to China, Japan and Australia and the spice islands."

Point taken though, he was "experienced" during the Spray journey.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by webejammin

How did this get off topic about loosing a hallard up the mast, I find the older I get the more time I take making sure things like loosing a hallard doesn't happen. Anyway we have a set of climbing assenders to go up a hallard if needed just never needed to actually do anything other than practice, I love our stable cat when up the mast.

It's not off-topic. Someone asked when it's too old to sail. One example of something an older sailor might face could be accidentally flying the halyard up the mast. Then supportive people offered other solutions for someone who is not up to climbing up his/her mast.

The point being, there are solutions to most sailing problems, especially if you can afford things like windlasses, in-mast furling, or whatever other aid a person might need to keep on sailing.

I have seen sailboats rigged so paraplegics can sail. Problems have solutions.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by holmek

I am a 63 years young single-hander. I use a Mastmate, - a set of webbing steps hauled up the main track and a harness around the mast so the most I can fall is to the spreaders. Climbing at anchor or in a marina is a cinch, I once climbed at sea to re-reeve a halyard and that was less fun! You could haul yourself using a bosun's chair and a 4 purchase tackle but that requires a line 4 times longer than your mast height and I can only imagine that fouling somewhere when you're halfway up! I would be very averse to the bridge idea, imagine the anchor dragging just a few feet, - you've lost your rig. And if you're hanging on to the mast at the time. Ouch! Still, first prize IMO is mast steps if you don't mind the windage and aesthetics.

I know people who do this, but they always have someone at the winch watching out for them, with a safety line.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by semperdog

This forum is awesome!! There is so much knowledge here, and you guys are great!!

I have another question:

What do you do for health insurance once you depart the US? Does Medicare/Medicaid cover you still? If not, how much does coverage normally cost for seniors?

Thanks!!

I only worry about Health Care when I get TO the States...
Found it cheap as chips most places else...

[perchance]

Originally Posted by colemj

This is probably an upper limit...

Isn't that a freeze dried sailor?

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by holmek

I am a 63 years young single-hander. I use a Mastmate, - a set of webbing steps hauled up the main track and a harness around the mast so the most I can fall is to the spreaders.

I can just imagine a future tv ad - "Help! I've fallen and I can't get DOWN!"

On a serious note. When hoisting someone we always try to use two halyards, two hoist teams and the second halyard is bent into a rope chair not clipped on the prime harness. No single point failure can lose the climber.

Yeah - we are pretty anal about it.

[Aegean Skipper]

Roy, there has been such a good response to your question that you probably realize you fit right in. If I may add though, there will be some mental pressure at times of challenge, that may make you ask the same question. Then remember, second time is always easier to do a better job. Most of the sailing skills are empirical and need time and practice to feel comfortable. As long as you maintain safe practices you'll get there and enjoy it.

[kaimusailing]

I retired last year and I'll be 63 next month. About 10 years ago I bought a project boat and started construction with a deadline. I had some reservations as I tried to work all those big pieces, mostly by myself. There was a big sportfisherman next door on the hard in the marina and an old Afican American man was grinding the bronze props smooth. He was a hard worker, his hair was white, and he wore a leather bomber jacket. I started moving some deck pieces around and he came over to help me. I didn't ask him, he just came over. He seemed very eager to move this stuff, so I said "I'm 52, so I'd like to take it easy with these things, my back isn't what it used to be." He said, "How old do you think I am?". Well, what are you going to say? Polite is to take some years off the estimate. "42?", but I knew he must be a bit older. "82". We moved the deck boxes and I found out the big sportfisherman was his boat. He was a Tuskeegee airman from WWII. A few days later I was trudging over to the ship's store, actually quite a distance from where they put my boat project. The marina manager came riding up in the golf cart with the sportfisherman as a passenger. "How come you get to ride and I have to walk?" I said. He said, "When you get to 82 you get to ride in the cart".