Any Sailors Under Thirty Out There ?

[jenny.caron]

I have been living aboard since I was 24 and my fiance was 27. We are now 27 and 29. We live in Boston and we have a lot of friends who are liveaboards/sailors. Our marina alone has a few dozen 30 and unders, but everyone has such a great view on life that age really doesn't matter.

Aboard Madrigal

[seacap]

There are tons of sailors down here in St. Thomas under 30. A few own there own boats. I don't think any of them have there boats in marinas. Not at a $1+/ft/day. We have quit a few who come down to work on charter boats.

[theonecalledtom]

We're just past your age limit (33) but a few years ago were under it

Definitely at the younger end of our marina's age scale but there are some other people around our age out there.

Personally I like being surrounded by the experience, at some point we'll leave the marina and hopefully enough of it will have rubbed off!

[captain58sailin]

I had to grow older, but I refuse to grow up!

[highseas]

The younger crowd these days are into the extreme sport mindset,or muscle(things with big motors).I grew up sailing my entire youth and didnt really enjoy it at the time,although later on the dream took over my thoughts.It took till my forties before I could afford or had the desire to re enter the pastime of sailing.Part of the reason is my back can no longer handle extreme mountainbiking,so sailing became my focus,part of getting older I think.

[getlostonpurpose]

I turned 31 on Tuesday but I was 27 when I started cruising. Margie is 27 now. We're in Bora Bora on the way across the Pacific. As someone else in this thread already mentioned, the one thing all other cruisers out here say to me is "man, I wish I would have done it when I was your age." I'll never regret giving up my "prime earning years" to be out here doing this. It all kinda fell together for me financially with a couple of good investments when things were good, a perfect job for outfitting a boat, and a failed marriage with a divorce settlement. When I go out and spend money it's hard to watch it go but I figure I can always make more whenever I need to.

We routinely hang out with people twice our age out here but in all reality this lifestyle keeps people young at heart and sometimes we have trouble keeping up. There are more young cruisers out here in the Pacific than I saw in the Caribbean (with the exception of St John in the USVI). Most of them French. They live on rusting hulks that somehow made the crossing, eat a lot of coconuts and fruit, and many of them have babies or young kids. Every time I see them all I can think is...at least they're out here doing it!

drew

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

Or else just do your own thing and don't listen to the scoffers. Who are you living your life for anyway?

Jeez, I just said it bums me out not that it ruined my life. Good to hear you are young at heart though. What do they say? "Beneath my dignity to climb a tree, I won't grow up not me!"

[Little Otter]

I'm still looking for a boat but i'm 17 so i'm not as old as dirt yet do I count in this.

[Irwin325]

Hey Otter your in the perfect place. Probably still in school, so probably still have one more year with the folks manditory. Man just save all you can and if coastal or maybe Bahamas-Carribean sailing, buy small then rebuild what needs to be done yourself.(If true blue water is your ambition you just have to save a little more). Then liveaboard or live at home with the folks and save for acouple years. Then take off till the money runs out. Thats my plan eventhough Im over ten years older. Just over one more year and Im out.
Matt

[anotherT34C]

I'm going to guess that there aren't really fewer young cruisers than there were, but rather that there are many many more older cruisers these days, and that's what's new.

What you were expected to be doing at age 60+ was very different 30 years ago than it is today. Plus, cruising boats are much more amenable to older folks in how they are appointed now.

[jimking100]

Paraphrasing Leonard Cohen, we are always 25 in our minds eye. Though my body says 62 (ouch), I still think of myself as 25. Cohen also said we "don't get invited to play anymore." I think that is where the pain comes in. I think I'll take a previous posters offer to help grind my winches and pull night watches but the important thing is I'll be out there.
jim

[mlcroy20]

Well I just joined the boards here, but me and my girlfriend are 27 and looking to buy our first boat next year, we have been doing some education this year and look to do some chartering this winter in FL, but finally looking to finally make the full time leap...

[ZolaSail]

Well, my wife and I are 28 and just got back from our six month honeymoon cruise through the bahamas on board our 35' hunter legend. I would'nt trade the experience for anything and had an amazing time but now it is back to work to save up for the next adventure.
I think the post above is correct in that I dont think there are fewer younger cruisers but rather that there are a lot more older cuirsers these days.

[malbert73]

I am 35 and my wife is 29. I grew up cruising with my family since I was in diapers all the way through high school, then the racing and extreme bug bit in college so I raced planing dinghies and windsurfed, and scoffed at "leadmines."

Then I bareboat chartered in BVI with my wife and friends, and the cruising bug but me BIG TIME. Within 6 months I had my boat, which we cruise in the Chesapeake and hopefully further in the future.
Also race it in Wednesday night racing from time to time to scratch that itch.

I think the cost of ownership and maintenance keeps younger sailors out of the fray. As we start a family we will look forward to cruising friends with kids the same age, but I haven't found too many yet.

[Arch Stanton]

I am 29 and 11/12ths!