Too old for sailing?

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by Flightdeck

I am 68 yrs old and getting close to thinking about retirement in the next year or two. I am a longtime sailor and owner of the 38 foot Shannon thinking about casting off the dock lines and heading out to blue water from the Great Lakes. Lots of blue water experience as a deck officer in the service of the government and IOR sailing/racing since grade school days.
However, I am finding that I am getting a bit slower, a bit stiff and a little more unsteady underfoot. I am in reasonably good shape (with the exception of this year when I took major dive on the ski hill and banged up my hip), but I am curious if anyone has gone through the same sort of decision of if/when to fold up the sails and head off to a new adventure. Real experience comments and sound advice are welcomed. Thanks.

get into yoga- particularly hot yoga or Bikram yoga

[Sailorbob8599]

Take it from someone who left it too late, Dennis G. has given you the best advice. By the time I decided to "go" my body had given out on me. Osteoarthritis in the lower spine, & more recently quadruple heart bypass surgery . . . So don't even give it further thought, loose the dock lines & go … NOW.

I've paid out thousands of dollars to various 'specialists' who claimed they could help with the arthritis, all to no avail. I've now come to the conclusion there's little or nothing can be done other than to keep moving. If anyone knows of a 'fix' I'm willing to listen, just to lessen the pain.
Can't climb aboard my boat anymore so it is on the market. A nice little coastal cruiser, very similar to the Pardy's "Serraffyn", including the lay-out below deck.
Located in Point Roberts, WA.

[GerryL]

You guys (and ladies) are making me optimistic! I'm 55, and never sailed, but the experience of caring for a parent with dementia is changing my vision and desires for the future. We recently bought a Montgomery 17 to learn with; I figured I can't lose too much on a small boat like that; it's worth the money to see how we like it. And I agree with the staying active program as much as one can. 9 years ago I found that I had let myself slide downhill physically like many people do. I then lost 50 pounds and now work hard to keep it off. That's always a struggle as we age. A lot of you are great examples to aspire to; there was mention of Jeanne Socrates earlier in the thread. A ham radio friend told me about her a few months ago and I was very impressed to read her story. Since then I've followed her blog and tried to connect on the radio. We had a successful contact last night in marginal conditions. Go for it if you can!

[ffelker]

We are acquiring a catamaran for our elderly cruising. One reason that we have chosen a cat is that the greatly reduced motion while underway (and at anchor) will significantly reduce our chances of falling.

[jkindredpdx]

My opinion may not count cuz I'm only 64 years young. I "retired" two years ago fearing that "if I waited too long I wouldn't be in shape to go on exploring." According to my partner, when I quit working, I got a lot healthier, lost weight, gained endurance, have no digestion issues, less headaches, gained flexibility, etc. I have aches and pains, but those are well earned skiing, mountain biking, fly-fishing, hiking, kayaking, and sailing. I also chop wood, shovel snow, play golf, and play guitar... so there's really no time to grow old. I am lucky to have active friends and a dog.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my challenging and stimulating career, but IMO, one can expect to gain strength and agility when you quit being sedentary and stressed out at work...

[wtmf]

you have two choices, buy a BIG TV and DIE watching that OR go out and live.

[SFer]

There are some interesting options for home fitness these days. I happen to use a Total Gym, which has hundreds of exercises in one unit, mostly focused on core and upper body, which is great of for sailing. There are others that involve interacting with trainers that are interesting:

https://boatific.com/2019/01/3-boati...-on-the-water/

[A CheeseHead]

I retired at age 65 and, in the next years, sailed Greece to France, Las Palmas to Trinidad, Hong Kong to Manila, cruised the San Blas for 2 years, sailed El Salvador to Mexico, cruised the Sea of Cortez for 2 years, sailed Mexico to San Diego .. mostly with folks about my age. I'm now 78 and pissed because I can't get rides on long distance races. So don't give up quite yet.

[rick bertram]

A new song by Toby Keith is worth listening to, ”Don’t Let the Old Man In”.

[4palmer]

Sit and sail, then tack. Tack again and again and again, then go wing and wing back to the start and do it again and again.

[NorthStar82]

Wow! What a great thread and superb advice. I am fast approaching 75 and my Shannon 38 is 37 years young. Last summer returned from two Atlantic crossings, England to Canaries, St. Lucia to Rhode Island. For offshore runs I crewed up but for coastal it was just the Admiral and me. In the midst of the voyage I had bi-lateral knee replacements. I resonate with the following advice:

1. Safety - Never go to sea without jacklines rigged, or without life jacket and safety lines. Plan carefully any operation outside of cockpit, have a spotter and all lights on deck at night offshore. Reef earlier and often.

2. Physical Condition - muscle mass will seem to disappear overnight if you let it. Getting sufficient sleep, eating right, nutritional supplements, and resistance exercise critical to health and strength. Yoga is great when at anchor for balance.

3. Weather - a neat benefit of retirement is not having to rush. If the weather is not favorable, don’t chance it. Wait for the right window. Make sure you have multiple weather sources, e.g. in situ observation, SSB shore based like Chris Parker, weather fax, or satellite. Take a weather course or two.

4. Emergency Procedures - This probably falls in line with generally good seamanship. Think through and write down procedure for all the major emergencies such as fire, flooding, abandon ship, etc. and for normal operations so you are ready (and so your crew can bring your boat home) if need be.

5. Boat Maintenance - If something breaks, fix it as soon as possible. Don’t let a backlog of repairs build. With a boat as old as my Shannon, equipment does fail so identifying and avoiding becomes more critical as we slow down and loose some youthful endurance.

I always look for other Shannon 38’s, hope to see you out on the pond.

[Sailor 99]

Originally Posted by Flightdeck

I am 68 yrs old and getting close to thinking about retirement in the next year or two. I am a longtime sailor and owner of the 38 foot Shannon thinking about casting off the dock lines and heading out to blue water from the Great Lakes. Lots of blue water experience as a deck officer in the service of the government and IOR sailing/racing since grade school days.
However, I am finding that I am getting a bit slower, a bit stiff and a little more unsteady underfoot. I am in reasonably good shape (with the exception of this year when I took major dive on the ski hill and banged up my hip), but I am curious if anyone has gone through the same sort of decision of if/when to fold up the sails and head off to a new adventure. Real experience comments and sound advice are welcomed. Thanks.

Time to go flight deck If you can do it do it this summer. Your not going to do it any younger and you only have so much string...


If you look to your parents and they did not die of cancer or an accident, and see how they aged, that will give you an idea of what you in you. Regardless fight on by all means but I would not waste another winter up on the Great Lakes.

[nycswashbuckler]

As a sailor you are as old as you feel. I went racing with a cap in his 70s who has four bypasses. The cap I'm sailing with since twelve years is - hold on - 99 years old and he just signed up for the new season. I know several sailors who are bound to wheelchairs.



The key im my humble opinion are these two points:



- Don't bite more off than you can chew. Be responsible to yourself and everyone who could be impacted. If I felt that I couldn't set a reef in a gale anymore by myself, I probably wouldn't consider a solo navigation. As simple as that. Your experience should by now be a good advisor what you can take on by yourself, and where it is advisable to have some help. Passing your knowledge on to a another sailor is a rewarding experience in itself, whether that is a peer or a new generation sailor. I know since I also teach sailing - and never stop learning.



- Extend your abilities with one or more cosailors and all is well. My cap with the coronary issues has a dependable, engaged crew for races as well as for pleasure trips. My actual cap (the 99 yo gentleman) is taking the wheel once in a while but mostly enjoys being out on a sailboat and share this joy with others. We don't go out in rough weather anymore, but did so countless times here in the Northeast. We added handle bars and other small items to facilitate movement and safety on the vessel. I'm kind of his extension for his sailing, but in fact it is so much more. Worth considering?



If you are lucky, you can keep in shape for a long time, but there will be a time when tasks will be too exhausting. Get company = help = safety = extension!

[capnJ]

I didn't see a single negative answer to your question in this thread.

I'm 69. In my 50s I was laid up with back problems and sciatica. Now I'm older and I've been to Maine and Trinidad and Bermuda and everything in between. I no longer have a house; I'm writing from Antigua.

Sailing is all a matter of perceiving and estimating and mitigating risk. Every sailor has a few physical or mental or behavioural or medical quirks that need to be factored into the stream of decision-making that makes up a sailing trip. If your muscles are a tad less muscly than they were 20 years ago, then reef a little earlier, be a tad more conservative about weather windows, lower your main a little further out of a harbour, keep your gear in better shape,... yadda yadda yadda. There are hundreds ways of shifting your strategies to stay within your capabilities.

You need your mind more than you need your body.
Experience is worth more than muscle. Yay for geezerhood!

[Sailor 99]

Originally Posted by capnJ

I didn't see a single negative answer to your question in this thread.


Sailing is all a matter of perceiving and estimating and mitigating risk. Every sailor has a few physical or mental or behavioural or medical quirks that need to be factored into the stream of decision-making that makes up a sailing trip. If your muscles are a tad less muscly than they were 20 years ago, then reef a little earlier, be a tad more conservative about weather windows, lower your main a little further out of a harbour, keep your gear in better shape,... yadda yadda yadda. There are hundreds ways of shifting your strategies to stay within your capabilities.

You need your mind more than you need your body.
Experience is worth more than muscle. Yay for geezerhood!

This ^^^^^^ Sailing is not about physical power or there is no way we could sail the large boats we do. It is about being prepared and as capnJ said mitigating risk. If your getting a little less strong. Get one of these.


https://www.thecranker.com/the%20ult...web%20page.htm


We use it to lift our sails, to grind the big sails in, lots of stuff. Even as a drill sometimes