Sailing very dangerous--for the elderly!

[El Pinguino]

Sailing isn't dangerous... terra not so firma is the scary place... ladders can kill!... never mind all the other scary shoreside stuff..

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by Butler

Should have just left it with your initial comment Hudson. Just me pickin' a fight where there is none.
Excuse the assumption Leo and I hope your friend heals quickly.

'no problem! I continue to risk misunderstanding comments on any forum where I am unable to see and hear the poster. It's usually best for me to ask.

[bruce v]

LOL! The reality is, getting old is inherently dangerous. (I can say that as I am just a young 68 now and old doesn't even start til 70 does it? As some have mentioned, "dangerous things happen or are done even at an early age. And to think my wife and I are about to start our next life adventure - sailing the Great Loop. Wait, maybe we should reconsider. She turns old before me at the end of this year. Perhaps I should not expose the one I so dearly love to the inherent dangers of sailing. LOL!!!

[kellyp08]

Well, I'm 74 and single-hand a Hinckley 50 yawl in Maine and a classic 15 meter schooner in Mallorca. Potentially dangerous irrespective of age. Being older one becomes more careful in general than I was in my reckless youth. I used to sail with an old friend in Maine. He, like me, was on blood thinners, also rode a Harley and when I once pointed out to him that sailing, motorcycling and on drugs that stopped blood clotting could be a dangerous combination. He answered in his Downeast drawl, " Way-al, yah gotta die a somethin' , may as well die doin' somethin' ya like."

[hamburking]

Sailing can be dangerous for anyone, any age, and experience. I've seen very experienced sailors slip on the dock and right into the water. Any time you end up in the water its a life/death situation...you don't need to be 70.

My local marina, Confederation basin, is usually in the news 2 or 3 times a year, as they fish a body out from a finger dock. Usually a drunk who slipped, or something like that. Last fall, a guy slipped in, drowned, and his Grampian 23 sat there, open, unattended, until just about freeze up...when the marina took custody so it wouldn't freeze in (and be destroyed by the ice).

I have also found looking to purchase an old sailboat can also be very sad. Too many boats for sale because of poor health, sudden death, alzheimers, cancer, heart attack, etc. I've viewed too many boats shown by the widow. Breaks my heart.

[sammyo]

This headline and post and some replies make me mad. No one should be jumping on a boat or dock in a storm, on a sunny day for a swim sure.

If you want to jump get a pogo stick or bmx bike or trampoline, a twenty year old has no business jumping in the rain in a storm in the dark.

Sailing (and most other activities) are dangerous for idjets, age only one factor.

[Scorpius]

I'm with the guy who says "Don't EVER jump from a boat to a dock" or vice versa. Here in the Pacific Northwest docks get real slimy real fast and if they haven't been powerwashed recently can be as slippery as a curling rink (much more slippery than a hockey rink).

If I can't lay the boat alongside close enough for you to STEP ashore, it's time for me to hang up my skipper's hat.

Rule #1 aboard Scorpius: "NEVER leave a moving boat". This includes jumping, falling, etc.

Bill (69 1/2), S/V Scorpius, Lund, BC

[1HappySailor]

Hey.. watch the age bashing. Lol

The real problem is not a problem. Overweight people put their bones and bodies at risk everywhere, especially if they jump down onto hard surfaces.

[Hudson Force]

I don't often do well accepting unconditional rules such as, "Don't ever jump from a boat to a dock".

The deck at the bottom of my sheer and at my lifeline gate is about 18" above the typical floating dock. If a "jump" means that your trailing foot leaves the deck before your leading foot touches the dock, then I'm a frequent jumper! If the "jump" is made with the boat moving at about 1 ft/sec, then I'm likely to take the "leap" too; often backwards with a grip on my shrouds so the leap is a few inches. 'maybe it's a hop!

I just can't accept "Don't ever jump from a boat to a dock"; however, I'm all for evaluating agility, experience, height, motion, rain, landing surface, lighting, or zombies on shore!

[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

[sailingfarmer]

The problem with getting older is.... at times you feel 18 years old when you get up in the morning and then 200 years old at night. It's when you feel 18....that is when you get hurt.

[MaxWebXperienZ]

Resistance exercise builds bones. I like to do a side straddle stance while I'm grinding my coffee beans. A minute and a half of that a few times a day will build up some leg strength...

[Cheechako]

Wow, what a night mare. Someone better go down and check the boat, if it was extra high tide and he snugged the lines and now it's down... the boat may be hanging by the dock lines!

[cjsfsm]

This is a good post, and something for those of us who have a few years behind us to think about. I feel for your friend and at 78 yrs I understand what it means as a long time sailor (55 yrs) whose passion for the sea and things nautical continues. I've given this issue of age much thought during the past 10 years. There's no question that we need to "be more careful" but that's a admonishment which applies to a very broad population. However in the case of aging sailors -- and others with similar pursuits -- there is clearly a disconnect between our brain and our body. You see, our brain is full of things that we have been doing for 50-60 years. But our body essentially doesn't care about all that. Our body only cares about what we do now! It happens all the time; we lift our leg to climb a stair and our brain says OK that doesn't take much effort. AHA! the foot doesn't come up high enough and we stumble. Or maybe we just lift a box. It really doesn't matter what we do physically, it's the same disconnect between brain and body. We just have to train our brain to think about our body before we undertake anything questionable. Sounds simple, but it's not. Well, that's all I have to say about that! Good luck and best wishes to all of us who MUST go down to the sea.

[Dave22q]

Stupidity is very dangerous for all ages. Sorry but jumping 4'+ to a wet dock is just not smart and should never be necessary. As for the age thing, I once jumped down 2' from a stone wall and tore an Achilles tendon. Stupid me, I didn't realize that in my early 40's I was too old to move!