Sailing very dangerous--for the elderly!

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Manos1955

We sailors, know that the most dangerous thing can happen on a sail boat is to get injured.
Can't underline enough the need to have a second person on board just in case

The NEED to have? I find that unusual. I singlehand a lot, never lonesome. Been doing it for 35 years. Also take friends and family along, too.

I certainly don't think of it as a NEED.

BTW, I, too, am 70.

[fatherchronica]

That could have happened anywhere, it was not necessarily marine related. I am young by comparison at 63 years, but I have fractured S-1 and L's 1 thru 5, 3 times, have had 3 fusions and 2 laminectomies, I have no bursa in my right shoulder nor the last couple of inches of the same side clavacle, numerous other broken and even sawed off bones in my body over the years, plus I am chock full of arthritus. As you can imagine I still get my Norcos with a minimum of hassle. It took me until I was in my 60's to finally attempt to not lift anything anymore, and to tell folks " sorry I cannot help you lift that". That said, we are off the boat on an extended camping trip right now and on my departed fathers birthday, June 22, while my wife was rock collecting in the desert I started rolling 100 lb. rocks off of the hillside. They didn't have the weight to gather enough enertia to travel very far on the flat. So I started working about a 30" sort of jagged piece of granite, about 300 plus pounds to the edge. As I exerted the big push to launch it it rolled back onto my right ring finger which was above a jagged boulder of granite. It crushed the last finger tip bone and yanked off the flesh from the last knuckle out, only attached by the finger nail. 3 weeks later I still have stitches in because they think it is still to messed up to take them all out. Long story even longer, yesterday as we hiked above Mammoth Lakes, California, I was showing my wife how well I learn lessons by showing her nice round boulders of granite that would be pretty easy to roll. I hope by the time I am in my 70's that I will have common sense. I am pretty sure we will still be living aboard and cruising then.

[Hudson Force]

We may be less likely to harm ourselves if we do things that we are accustomed too and continue to be active withing the limits of our capability. I go skating about four or five hours a week when I'm at a suitable location and I do much by bicycling. I'm fortunate now, but I'm aware that my abilities will decline over time.

My judgement is that it's best to remain physically active within your abilities, but keep mindful not to gamble with the activities that become risky. These activities and risks are very individualized and there can't be specific rules that are right for everyone.

[buzzstar]

Despite your friend's youth he should have been more careful. I am a few years older. Fortunately, thus far sailing itself has not been harmful for me. Land and docks, when mixed with sailing vessels provide enhanced opportunities for injury, my last serious one involving that combination occurred when I was in my 40's. Most of us are less impetuous as we mature.

[Butler]

Holy Moly fatherchronica!! Some living going on there with a healthy (or not! ;~>) shot of foolishness!! Envy you the Cape George. Wonderful boats.

Some interviewer got cheeky asking a 70+ yr old Jack Lalane if he and his wife still had sex and he said "We can do anything a teenager can do. It just takes a little longer."

The view from 60+ can be wonderful even if the machine is creaking.

[grantmc]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

The NEED to have? I find that unusual. I singlehand a lot, never lonesome. Been doing it for 35 years. Also take friends and family along, too.
I certainly don't think of it as a NEED.
BTW, I, too, am 70.

I agree, there’s nothing dangerous about single handing.

Also ‘winds of 30-48 mph’ are hardly storm force. What’s that in knots? 26-41. I was racing Saturday with a steady breeze of 30 knots (strong breeze on the Beaufort scale).

The lesson I take away is to keep your mobile phone in a sealed plastic bag on your person.

Great that the guy is OK.

[TomAndLee]

Holy Cow! So glad he was able to get help! When my dad was in his late 60's, he use to say how his mind would tell him he could do whatever it was he was trying to do, but when his body would attempt it, it did not agree. He was always hurting himself because of it, he never learned. Luckily he wasn't a sailor!

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by Butler

Some interviewer got cheeky asking a 70+ yr old Jack Lalane if he and his wife still had sex and he said "We can do anything a teenager can do. It just takes a little longer."

Butler's post reminded me of two things:

1. I do not typically think of myself as elderly, but at 73 I admit I am approaching middle age.

2. I may not be as good as I once was; but once I am as good as I ever was.

[zedpassway]

As we get older, we have to learn what we simply cannot do anymore. Lifting heavy things; going out to the boat all alone in galeforce winds, always carrying your sell phone just in case, etc.

Heck I fell off my 19 foot sailboat in my yard. Somehow I stepped back off the fender of the trailer and no longer had hold of the boat. I fell on my side. If I had been 22 rather than 65 I would have simply had the wind knocked out of me. But in this case I broke two or three ribs(sailing that season was over), and two years later its finally not bothering me when it gets damp. I didn't go to the hospital since they would have simply sent me home and told me to take Tylenol. Wrapping is no longer done because it encourages pneumonia.

Its a hard lesson for most of us, especially those of us who have been very active all our lives(67 year old here).

[zedpassway]

Originally Posted by Butler

Some interviewer got cheeky asking a 70+ yr old Jack LaLane if he and his wife still had sex and he said "We can do anything a teenager can do. It just takes a little longer."

Jack was run over by a car(and killed) at age 95 while he was out for a run in prep for a marathon. Of course he didn't have the V chest figure that he had in the TV exercise videos of the 1950's. Like all of us, he didn't look good naked anymore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6m_Fq6dsIo

[jrbogie]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

From a mortality viewpoint just living is dangerous if you make it past 70 (72 this December) Gutsy old guy, that 150 yards to the car must have hurt like hell.

this 67 year old is thinkin' that if there was no danger in sailing it wouldn't hold the same attraction. for me anyway. impressive that ANYBODY can snap a hip and get himself out of a marina in the dark of night. eh, when life gets boring, risk it.

[Maka]

Sailing is less dangerous for us elderly folks than the youngsters. We have the advantage of wisdom, which always trumps youth.

As long as I take one of the grand kids along, to keep the cell phone and electronics functioning, I'm safer on the water than any upstart.

~Laughing ~

[svinvictus2]

As a long term sailor of a similar age this had nothing to do with sailing.
We have had boats in the Caribbean for 25+ years and regularly need to go through storms.
Under difficult conditions it is best to be off the boat!
What your friend did was foolish and could have cost him his life.
Under those and all conditions obey the three rules: SAFETY first, SAFETY first, SAFETY first!
This is why we buy insurance.

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by geoleo

...My friend John went to his marina to adjust the dock lines on his 35ft sailboat at 11 PM in the evening. It was raining heavily and wind blowing 30-40 mph. It was also high tide and the storm pushed an additional surge on it of 2ft so his boat was way up higher than usual. When leaving he decided to 'jump' the 4+ft down to the finger dock. He is 70yo...

Everything can be very dangerous when you have extremely poor judgement. This falls under the category of 'foolish stunt'.

[Don C L]

Sailing is safe, docks are dangerous. And by the way, is 70 elderly?