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Butler · 19-05-2011, 15:02

58 here... so far so good.
My fifties have been my favorite time actually. Still fit enough to take on any aspect of sailing and patient/smart enough to make better decisions in any number of ways.

From Latitude 38:
Heckel Completes Second Circumnavigation at Age 89

June 10 - Jacksonville, FL
That's right, for on June 4, 89-year-old Harry Heckel, frequently written up in Latitude 38, docked his Dreadnought 32 at Jacksonville, Florida, marking the end of his second circumnavigation.
"The event marked more than just the end of 16 years of solo sailing," said Heckel, "it marked time for me to get off the bridge and become a passenger. At age 89, it's best to let someone else do the heavy lifting aboard Idle Queen.
"The 10-year period of my second trip around the world has been a time of significant learning for me," continued Heckel. "It became apparent that people who travel to new places in small boats are, as a group, the finest in the world. They are interested in people, places, and events, cognizant of the need to be on the lookout for trouble, and always ready to assist a fellow traveler. My belief that on a one-to-one basis, people from whatever country can be friendly and helpful, particularly to the elderly, was amply confirmed. My traveling now will be limited to U.S. waters and with a companion. Regards to all my friends."
Well done, Harry!

The pic is from WOODEN BOAT

**boatman61** · 19-05-2011, 15:17

$hit.... now I'm really depressed.... I look 89 now... judging by that picture of Heckel....

smallyachts · 19-05-2011, 16:44

Yes, I just had the 26th annual celebration of my 29th birthday.

I am from the generation that does not trust anyone over 30.

And I celebrated the millennium on Dec 31st 2000, as well as in 1999 which I considered the warmup.

**hummingway** · 19-05-2011, 18:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by boatman61

$hit.... now I'm really depressed.... I look 89 now... judging by that picture of Heckel....

Don't worry Phil, you don't look a day over 88!

**boatman61** · 19-05-2011, 18:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by hummingway

Don't worry Phil, you don't look a day over 88!

Phew.... Cheers mate.. I was really worried for a while then...

blueayes · 23-05-2011, 11:21

Double nickel plus 10, retiring in Sept. My secret to staying in shape? Admiral is 56.

capttman · 23-05-2011, 11:57

Yes I too am Beyond the double nickle, each year goes by I subtract a year....

bumoko · 25-05-2011, 17:55

yup we are both double knickles... I am 56 and my man is 55 will be 56 in Aug. Just starting on our sailing adventure together and we wish we would have done this 20 years ago. However it wasn't feasible then. Family stuff ya know. Now we are rippin and rarin to begin this new adventure.. My grandpappy used to say... You are only old when your mind makes a promise your body can't keep. It just keeps gettin better baby!!!

delmarrey · 25-05-2011, 19:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by smallyachts

I am from the generation that does not trust anyone over 30.

I'm at the age that;
I don't trust the doctors or insurance companies.
If I get pulled over by the police they don't ask if I've been drinking, any more and they call me Sir.
I can park in the handicapped spots and no one even looks to see if I have a sticker.
AARP has been spamming me for so long I don't even bother to open their envelopes.
I receive junk mail from funeral homes, assisted living homes and retirement communities every month.
When the telemarketers call, I tell them I'm just baby sitting the great grand kids.
People open doors for me now.
When I talk to young people I can pull the wool over their eyes so far that it'll be years before they find out the truth.
I don't worry about what I eat anymore. If it hasn't killed me yet, why worry now.

And, if I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.

Little do they all know I sail a 40' racing boat singlehanded.

Me-and-Boo · 17-07-2011, 14:44

I don't tell the kids how old I am, they actually think I am under 40. When pressed I tell 'em I was born when Truman was president. A few recognize the name, but many others do not. Pressed further, or more frequently when they see me writing with a fountain pen, I explain that I learned to write with a real pen; and that was before ball point pens were available for school kids.

A couple months ago the office held a cake and sing party for one of my co-workers - she turned 30 - and the leader of the pack (hehe if you are my age you know what that refers to) asked us all to name something that happened the year they turned 30; almost all of them were within a couple years of 30, with several looking forward to that day so they had all sorts of good answers.

I had a bit of a problem, I couldn't remember when I turned 30 - I had to go do a quick wiki search of that year. Quite a surprise that so much happened that was wild that year. I took my time getting back so I would not have to tell them.

As for sailing - oh - at least I don't have to say the America's Cup was won by two drunk sailors in a dingy trying to get back to the USS Constitution. I grew up on the Great Lakes and it was well before the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. Kapok was the filling of choice for life jackets, which just replaced cork.

Yeah, I saw double nickles. Now I need to wait for knee replacements and cataract surgery so I can walk in the line to watch the kids learn how to tie a half hitch.

edit: I just saw that Kon Tiki was a favorite reading for many kids. My (insert your favorite whatever including deity) I watched the daily reports in the newspaper as they crossed the Pacific.

JusDreaming · 17-07-2011, 14:51

hittng the big 60 this week, but how old would I be if there were no calender?

zeehag · 17-07-2011, 15:07

same age..LOL
i dont remember who presidunce was when i was born--i was too young to care. i am too old to give a tinkers damn now--lol so i am sailing.....dont even tellme about knee replacements-aint happening..lol.... cataracts--yeah-- got that----mebbe i will get that fixed-- i do need to see, after all.....and i already hit big six-oh..LOL... past history. and i never will be able to typo decent.. so give that up, ok!!?? office--i neer worked in one. bedside--yes i did work there----looong number of years....intensively so....

LETS GO SAILING!!!!!

Wavewacker · 24-08-2011, 18:51

Geeez! At 60, and thinkin I'm 40, I'm just a pup! Wasn't that long ago I was in diapers.....isn't it funny how things go full circle?

Bruce626 · 24-08-2011, 19:03

"I learned to write with a real pen" - Would this be one you made yourself with a 'penknife' from the flight feather of a domestic fowl? Before my time I guess as I think we had metal nibs that one dipped in the bottle of ink for which there was a cutout in the desk to keep it relatively secure. The nibs were held in the end of the pen handle by four inset curved metal springs so one could remove and clean the nib. When I started work, they still used pencil extenders - the fancy kind that one could put a new cylinder of eraser into when the old one wore out - and to get a new pencil, one had to turn in the old stub. Gee, I haven't thought of this stuff in a half century - computers rule (no mess, easy to correct - especially with a spell checker, typically legible).