How Old Are We?

[jimisbell]

At 82, I am in the last group. Started in the first group. Just went over to the Dark Side and got a Trawler because my wife wont do her foredeck duties any more and I am tired of fishing her out of the water....LOL When we were younger we always hung around with older people, at least 30 years older than ourselves. But that is a problem when you get to be 82. There are not many people 30 years older than you and they are not very active. My goal is to go sailing on Mars in the year 2097.

[StuartWeibel]

I have a wooden Atkins cutter. Only 26 feet on deck, but I maintain her myself, and as such, the limit to my sailing career is defined by how limber I can stay in order to maintain her... that is far and away the greatest challenge of my continued boat ownership.

Turning 70 this summer... I expect to be somewhere in SE Alaska at the time.

[Davy J]

I just voted, thinking it would put my demographic, (51-60) in the lead. However a couple of you geezers added a couple more votes.............

[ronbo1]

At a young age 73 I think most people in this age group know enough they don’t need to read cruisersforum so aren’t voting!

Ronbo

[stephenblitch]

Wow. Another sodden reminder that we are very different from the next generations. And, that the next generations are not really into owning boats, motorcycles, cars, houses, or just about anything else we were into. I would venture to say a majority of us owned our first boats in our twenties (1% now?), as I did. Maybe another poll asking that question?

Me, I'm almost 72 and recently boatless for the first time in 25 years, but looking hard now because selling my boat may have been the hardest thing I've done (and one of the worst mistakes I've made) as a grownup.

[FuzzyFeat]

Passing through 78.
It all started when i first felt the thundering horn of an outbound ship. I looked across the water as it passed through the narrows by Ft Lafayette (an old brick civil war fort razed and replaced by a footing for the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge). I was around six years old. At that age i began stocking my sea chest.

[Davy J]

Wow. Another sodden reminder that we are very different from the next generations. And, that the next generations are not really into owning boats, motorcycles, cars, houses, or just about anything else we were into. I would venture to say a majority of us owned our first boats in our twenties (1% now?), as I did. Maybe another poll asking that question?

I think it may be more complicated than that. It does seem that younger folks just want to thumb punch their phone, though.

I've owned boats and motorcycles my entire adult life. However, being able to cruise, like take a month or two and sail around is something that I have only been able to do for about the last ten years. Before that, and especially when I started my business, I sometimes worked seven days a week for months at a time. I still owned a boat, just couldn't use it the way I do now...........

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by stephenblitch

Wow. Another sodden reminder that we are very different from the next generations. And, that the next generations are not really into owning boats, motorcycles, cars, houses, or just about anything else we were into. I would venture to say a majority of us owned our first boats in our twenties (1% now?), as I did. Maybe another poll asking that question?

The new poll is a good idea. Be sure to use the same age categories. Something like:

At what age did you get your first cruising level* boat?

(*I'd leave the definition open, but add it to avoid including boats like canoes or small fishing boats).

Of course, this won’t answer the WHY question, but the data would still be interesting.

For me, I didn’t get my first cruising boat until age late 30s/early 40s.

[DirtMcGirt]

Well I'm one of the few in the youngest category (barely made the cutoff).

I know a lot of young people with sailboats. They just don't hang out on this site. They sail their boats frequently and use cruisersforum as a resource when they have questions/projects.

So the question being answered here is, "how old are the lurkers?"

[Kalinowski]

The costs of owning and maintaining a cruising yacht keep younger sailors away, so the age distribution is not surprising. I retired at 53 and am now 71. Those years of boat yoga and West Marine trips have kept me (and my yacht) in great shape.

[Davy J]

At what age did you get your first cruising level* boat?

This is really a good question. While I stated that I've owned boats my entire adult life, Some, most actually, were day boats. Many being bow riders or day sailers. We sped out to the local island and drank beer. Learned a lot about drinking beer and a little bit about boats............

The cruising part, the part, where you stay away from home for days or months came later.

Edited to add........... you geezers keep upping the ante.........

[saltfree]

My wife and I are both 42, our daughters are 10 and 12. We may be in our prime earning years, but we've chosen to invest in a boat, and in our kids' childhoods instead of retirement investments...

[ShawnLeary]

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

What's your condition? I am 40 and was diagnosed with bicuspid aortic valve several years ago. It's genetic apparently and I've developed it via my maternal grandfather who had surgery in the '80s. At that time they cut him open from clavicles to sternum and left quite a big scar. I'm told that now they can do the whole surgery through a dime sized hole off to the side, maybe through the armpit.

I don't know if my tiredness is just lazy/out-of-shape, or if I'm starting to feel the effects of reduced valve function.

Good luck with your future surgery.

I work with heart valves, implanted Transcatheter if you have any questions. bicuspids have a higher probability of needing repair later in life. I am supporting a trial with a Sievers 0 and 1 bicuspid cohort for intermediate risk. Hope all is well.

[tompdx]

Originally Posted by jimisbell

At 82, I am in the last group. Started in the first group. Just went over to the Dark Side and got a Trawler because my wife wont do her foredeck duties any more and I am tired of fishing her out of the water....LOL When we were younger we always hung around with older people, at least 30 years older than ourselves. But that is a problem when you get to be 82. There are not many people 30 years older than you and they are not very active. My goal is to go sailing on Mars in the year 2097.

My 53 year-old-wife already refuses all sailing duties, and insists on cruising under power. We plan to do so full time starting in two years.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Davy J

This is really a good question. While I stated that I've owned boats my entire adult life, Some, most actually, were day boats. Many being bow riders or day sailers. We sped out to the local island and drank beer. Learned a lot about drinking beer and a little bit about boats............

The cruising part, the part, where you stay away from home for days or months came later.

Yes, I think so too. I don’t want to steal stephenblitch’s thunder since it was his idea though.