Cruising and the aging sailor

[dancor01]

Age and time is Relative.
My dad was still playing tennis at 80.
Did meet fellow cruisers they where in there 80.
I have a cousin that sail the med they are over 70.


It all come to one thing. Do you still have the health and fitness to do it?
At one point we all die. Do I want to die in an hospital bed? Or while doing what I want to do? Only you can answer that question.


Only word of wisdom I can offer you. Never trust anyone with your bank account.

[mjscottinnc]

Originally Posted by slide

It would entirely depend on the person. I can confidently state that very few 65 year-olds can single hand a sailboat. That doesn't mean you won't be able to at 65 - but you'd be a very rare bird indeed.

Wow, I'm not sure how I feel about being called a dinosaur. You really believe that?



I've been single handing since I was 10, I'm 65 1/2 now and see no point in the future where I'll stop.


I never envisioned that I had become such an oddity.

[mjscottinnc]

Originally Posted by JohnAdams

Am a decade behind but was thinking about this the other day, having completed a blustery return trip to Jervis Bay the weekend before last, both passages at night. I started sailing by myself - the whole tiller between the knees/mainsheet between the teeth thing kids can do - and with a wonky shoulder on once-strongest arm and not much cartilage in the knees it's about leveraging mechanical advantage, reefing early and teamwork. While it was tedious climbing home against that bloody on/off nor-wester am itching to get out there again.

It's also about maturity. A story as old as mankind, young men who haven't live long enough use brawn to overcome obstetricals, where as old guys use brain. But I do agree that there is a minimum physical standard that is needed. That minimum will be different for everyone, based on the kind of sailing and lifestyle that is planned. In my case, I knew 2 years before my last offshore trip that I was going to need a new knee and shoulder surgery if I was going to keep sailing. A year's worth of daily pain-in-the-butt rehab and I can see myself sailing for 20 more years. 1 year to get 20, not a bad trade-off. In the long run, it's all about what you want.

[dancor01]

Originally Posted by mjscottinnc

Wow, I'm not sure how I feel about being called a dinosaur. You really believe that?



I've been single handing since I was 10, I'm 65 1/2 now and see no point in the future where I'll stop.


I never envisioned that I had become such an oddity.

Beet you by a bit more then a year.
I single handle a 46 trimaran.

[sailorcherry]

If you want some inspiration, check out this amazing couple:

http://wingssail.blogspot.com/?m=1

Fred and Judy are early 70s/late 60s. They are not only still cruising (oldest running blog to my knowledge, includes a leisurely 18yr long rtw) but also still winning regattas on their 43' performance cruiser.

I sense their longevity comes from them truly loving sailing itself and Fred relays also it's because they have a boat that sails just so very well either in light, moderate or heavy offshore wind/seastate (I'd know, sistership). He has told me he thinks they are in better shape than most ashore due to their cruising and racing lifestyle. It's a nice blog for photography lovers too, with decades worth of good quality shots from around the world.

[Adagio01]

Don55 I agree with it being a personal decision. However I would add that you should focus on what you love about being on the water. If you love the scenic anchorage, adventure, the freedom and comrotery but physically can't handle the demands of sailing the get the trawler. You will find many sailors who have made the same transition.

[Don55]

Originally Posted by Adagio01

Don55 I agree with it being a personal decision. However I would add that you should focus on what you love about being on the water. If you love the scenic anchorage, adventure, the freedom and comrotery but physically can't handle the demands of sailing the get the trawler. You will find many sailors who have made the same transition.

In my own case there is no question. I am a sailor and will continue to sail as long as I can. I do own a powerboat, a 16 foot center console I use for jaunts on the New river, trips to Las Olas, beach parties on Whiskey Creek and so on. It is a wonderfully useful little boat. And yet when I walk off the dock it is my sailboat I look back at. She is alive to me in a way the powerboat isn’t.

I do see the attraction of trawlers, but it’s not enough of a lure to tempt me yet. Was curious what you good people had to say on the subject. You folks have expressed some interesting and useful opinions.

Regarding single handing sailing, my previous boat was a Beneteau First 210 which I single handed all the time. Not keen at all to single hand my current boat if only because negotiating the open on demand bridges from the ICW to my dock on the canal behind my house is a bit too challenging at my skill level to be fun. Plus I enjoy company when I sail.

[Don55]

In latest news the current leader of the 2018 Golden Globe Race is 73 year old Jean-Luc Van Den Heede.

[mjscottinnc]

Originally Posted by Adagio01

Don55 I agree with it being a personal decision. However I would add that you should focus on what you love about being on the water. If you love the scenic anchorage, adventure, the freedom and comrotery but physically can't handle the demands of sailing the get the trawler. You will find many sailors who have made the same transition.

I have met many aged gentlemen who have sold their sailboats and moved on to Trawlers or worse yet (IMHO) mobile homes (caravans for our European followers).


If you talk to them at any length the conversation always makes it way to their previous sailing adventures, and they are always smiling telling to stories. That speaks volumes to me.

[GrahamO]

Caution: The Medicare supplement overseas coverage only applies for the first sixty days of any trip.

Originally Posted by s/v Moondancer

As an older cruiser, almost 70, and about to sail Japan to Alaska and a retired doctor I do not feel that age is limiting but that disease is very limiting. You need to get a complete medical work-up before you leave the American Medical system including colonoscopy and a cardiac stress test.

While many cruisers praise medical care in other countries I do not share their view when it comes to serious medical problems. Yes, care is often cheap but when it comes to serious problems you need to be in a ‘first world country!’

I have organized three medical evacuations from Panama, Mexico and the Caribbean and in two of the cases, a cardiac problem and a serious infection the local care was very poor.

If you are of Medicare age there is a Medicare supplement policy that provides $50,000 of care outside the US...From memory it is supplement F.

You should also carry medical repatriation insurance, we get our’s from DAN the scuba insurance company, they now have a sailor’s policy.

A friend who burst his appendix in Panama was handed a $43,000 bill.

Enjoy your retirement.

[JPA Cate]

A burst appendix is not really an aging issue. I don't know this for certain, but am under the impression that antibiotics will control an infected appendix long enough for someone to be flown back to the States, from most locations.

And $43,000 is actually pretty reasonable for emergency surgery, these days. "The laborer is worthy of his hire", and all; although the greater portion goes to the hospital with the facilities for the surgeons and anesthetist, and nursing staff.

Ann

[DumnMad]

Originally Posted by MHW382

At 88 years, I am probably the senior in these replies. I grew up in Florida and spent most of my teen years messing around in sailboats. After 8 years in the military and 5 years in college, finally got back to sailing again in 1965. Over the next few years acquired a 33' Ranger and later a 38' Morgan 382. Divorced, I retired in 1998 and immediately moved aboard the Morgan as a full time liveaboard and sailed over from Texas to Florida with a crew. From Florida, I spent several years cruising to the Bahamas, Isla Mujeres, Belize, Guatemala, local locations on Florida West Coast, and Cuba. In 2005 I moved full time to the Western Caribbean and have been there since. Usually, I spend 6 months in the Rio Dulce in Guatemala (hurricane season) and then 6 months cruising to different places in the Western Caribbean. Usually cruise to Isla Mujeres, Belize, Honduras and the Bay Islands, Panama and Cartagena, Colombia. I usually have crew if the trip is longer than 36 hours. Fortunately, I have been in good health and have medicals yearly during my trips back to the US to see family. There is a lot of balance and physical requirements in sailing and living on a boat, and I think this helps in maintaining reasonable physical condition. This is not necessarily for everyone, but works for me.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

A burst appendix is not really an aging issue. I don't know this for certain, but am under the impression that antibiotics will control an infected appendix long enough for someone to be flown back to the States, from most locations.

And $43,000 is actually pretty reasonable for emergency surgery, these days. "The laborer is worthy of his hire", and all; although the greater portion goes to the hospital with the facilities for the surgeons and anesthetist, and nursing staff.

Ann

lol... no its not reasonable. Far from it.

Cost for appendectomy in Uk is: Surgical instruments used for a conventional appendicectomy are fairly basic. The cost of the procedure at the Wellington Hospital, including a three-night stay, ultra-sound and laparoscopy, is about £2,600, plus £800 in fees for the surgeon and anaesthetist. The procedure would cost the NHS approximately £2,300.

USA costs are a ripoff.

[Dymaxion]

Knee and hip implants vary widely. Make sure your doc knows you intend to be a "high demand" patient and intend to remain fully active post-op. Another factor is how many implants of the same type/ brand has the surgeon installed and how have his/her patients done on 3-5 years follow up. I used to work in orthopaedics research, saw both the good and the bad that can be done.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by weavis

lol... no its not reasonable. Far from it.

Cost for appendectomy in Uk is: Surgical instruments used for a conventional appendicectomy are fairly basic. The cost of the procedure at the Wellington Hospital, including a three-night stay, ultra-sound and laparoscopy, is about £2,600, plus £800 in fees for the surgeon and anaesthetist. The procedure would cost the NHS approximately £2,300.

USA costs are a ripoff.

I agree that costs are way too high in the US. It is not uncommon for there to be multiple thousands of dollars difference between what is accepted by hospitals between those with insurance of some sort and those with none.

Overseas visitors are charged at different rates than citizens who are covered under a national health cover scheme. Some places, you can buy travelers insurance within the first week of being in a country foreign to you, which will cover some of the costs. Do not expect cover for pre-existing conditions.

Ann