Forced to give up sailing

[LEOCAT66]

Wife and I are both 73, and still feel able to take her out with full confidence. We sail an older full keel cutter, with manual windless, which we call "ROSA'S" GYM". Been at this since 1961, always together.

We keep it as simple and as manual as possible, helps keep us feeling young.

We will be forced out sooner or later, as will we all.

[TrentePieds]

Bravo, Leocat :-)

At 77 I'm looking forward to at least another dozen years of coastal cruising. As each year passes, the more my opinion - that simple is best - is vindicated. As each year passes my opinion that brain conquers brawn is vindicated.

But then, "gunkholing" is my joy. Racing is a distant memory and was, even then, more like work than like pleasure. Blue-water stuff I can do, but why would I? That IS work, and I would have to be paid very, very handsomely to feel adequately compensated for the misery of it.

I am a very fortunate man. MyBeloved is a dozen years younger than I and in equally good health, so while she is, at this time, "my last sailing student", I expect that when the dozen years that I still expect to be the skipper have gone by, she will be a fit skipper and I can settle down to being just "deck cargo" :-)

TP

[silverbeard1]

My first sailboat, Arrow, a 42' wooden yawl, launched 1913, to my understanding is still sailing SF bay. @104 years old . I'd love to have her back so as she & I @ 75 can check out together for as long as we can last. She becomes a Habitat & I become Fish food.


I can not do anything, until I get everything else done. me 1976

[hpeer]

66 and 64, retired Jan 16. Left dock April 2. Did 5,000 miles so far.

Just getting started.

I want a stencil of this image, big, for the main!

[Kenomac]

There are many ways to solve the aging issue. These nice folks are my neighbors here in Italy. The fellow is 88 years old and has owned and captained his 55ft ketch since 1976, the yound lady is his close friend and symbiotic help who takes care of things he can no longer do. It's a relationship which has been working for them for three years. She is learning to sail and they go out cruising and fishing three days per week along with his two year old dog.

Watching them work together and sail is like poetry in motion.

[LEOCAT66]

The subject of this thread can certainly be depressing, unless we try and stay focused on the positive. Just like some of my favorite music. This morning I was listening to a song by "The Highway Men", Willie, Chris, Walon, and Johnny. The piece is, "Like Desperados Waiting For A Train". It is in my collection of songs which I listen to when sailing. Since this thread arrived I now think of the song in a completely way. Although not about sailing, to me, it certainly is all about life in the later years.


Thank You arch007 for starting this thread.