Another newbie

[elf]

I figured I would get rid of the "you've never posted here" banner by posting! In short, my husband and I are just testing the sailing waters. We are 45 (me) and nearly 53 (him), and our sailing experience consists of the "Learn to Sail" (Basic Keelboat) US Sailing certification, a couple of day sails by ourselves on 19-22' monohulls at the Bitter End Yacht Club, and a few times out on Hobie Cats (including a few capsizes - oops!) We are going down to Key Largo soon and will have use of a 22' boat for five days so are looking forward to getting more practice then. We would eventually like to buy our own boat (currently intrigued by cats) and do some cruising, but we are coming to sailing (and boating in general) rather late in life.

Is it too late? Does everyone here have 20, 30, 40 years of experience sailing, or is it possible to learn this skill later in life and sail off into your golden years?!

Thanks, and I look forward to learning from you all!

[Weyalan]

Welcome aboard.

Never too late to learn how to sail & cruise. If you have the enthusiasm, age will be no barrier. Good luck.

[Entlie]

Welcome! We are North Carolina sailors, with a catamaran. You will like this site - much good information, for beginners and experienced alike.

Entlie
Sailing Catamaran Sunspot Baby

[Pblais]

It's good news for you. You started about the same time as my wife and I started sooner than your husband. I would not say you arrived late in life. It's mostly about showing up! So don't stop now. There is a lot to learn but when it's mostly fun it goes faster than you think and you like it even more.

I would say 3 to 5 years is all it takes if you have a desire and can get out on the water as much as possible. You do need to get out there and work on what you already know. You won't learn more until you do. My wife and I did the ASA courses together and the US Sail courses are really very similar. If you both enjoy it you can start at any time.

The key is finding a way that works - for you both. That means actual sailing and in a way that does not break the budget. It after all is said and done supposed to be fun. I suggest you sail the 22 ft boat as much as you can. My wife and I sailed a J22 and a Catalina Capri 22 for a while and I would really love to sail a J22 again sometime soon. They teach you faster than about any other boat and it's why they are a favorite for teaching.

If you really like to sail it's not hard to convince people that have boats to bring you along. Take all the chances you get to go.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Elf,
Welcome aboard!! It's never too late and you're in a great area for boaters in general. Hope you enjoy this forum as much as I do. Just visited New Bern this last summer for the first time. Pretty nice!!
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[swagman]

Welcome and as others have said - it is absolutely never ever too late to get out sailing.
We've met hundred of lovely people who started later than you guys and are now out there cruising.
So go for it - enjoy - and hope to see you on the water someday.
JOHN

[Tropic Cat]

Heck, I started out later than your husband has. Just go and have fun. If you have questions about Cats, there are several of us Cat owners that would be happy to answer them.

Rick in Florida

[salvor111]

I have been sailing before I was born. (fisherman never lie) my wife has only been on dive boats, she's 43 years old, I am 53 I have been off the ocean for 6 years, we have a boat spirit driving us off land, heres What I see in you if you have allready rolled a boat over and got wet, thats a good sign you two will travel far and safe

[Weaverani]

Originally Posted by elf

I figured I would get rid of the "you've never posted here" banner by posting! In short, my husband and I are just testing the sailing waters. We are 45 (me) and nearly 53 (him), and our sailing experience consists of the "Learn to Sail" (Basic Keelboat) US Sailing certification, a couple of day sails by ourselves on 19-22' monohulls at the Bitter End Yacht Club, and a few times out on Hobie Cats (including a few capsizes - oops!) We are going down to Key Largo soon and will have use of a 22' boat for five days so are looking forward to getting more practice then. We would eventually like to buy our own boat (currently intrigued by cats) and do some cruising, but we are coming to sailing (and boating in general) rather late in life.

Is it too late? Does everyone here have 20, 30, 40 years of experience sailing, or is it possible to learn this skill later in life and sail off into your golden years?!

Thanks, and I look forward to learning from you all!

Hey, Elf, It's never too late. We plan to sail off in a couple of years when the youngest is finished highschool.

I have, what, 6-7 years of sailing experience. Started on a "tub" on a local lake, graduated to a 22 MacGregor, and then along the way we picked up some other smaller boats for our 1/2 mile away lake. The current count is 6, I think, which includes an 8foot piece of styrofoam, an 8 foot sailing/rowing dinghy, an 10-11 foot hard shell "leaf and handkerchief", a 14 foot racing sloop for the lake, the 26 foot MacGregor, and now the 39 foot O'day. We never get new boats.

I like sailing in small dinghies because #1 I am in control, and #2 if I capsize, it's not far to fall, and #3 it's a great way to learn how to control the sails and tiller and get immediate feedback.

The bigger boats are much more stable, and there's less fear of capsizing. On the other hand, I still need to get accustomed to how much heel I feel comfortable with on each boat, and part of that comes from understanding what each boat is capable of .

This past summer, I took a friend out on her 12 foot sailboat on our lake, and we had a lot of fun learning together. I'm coming to the conclusion that it's like driving: the more you do it, the more you understand what you need to do to do it safely and well. And I'm always pushing myself just a little bit each time to attempt something I haven't done before (the day the wind was blowing 25 knots and I had no choice but to go along was not my idea of fun, but I did it, and survived, and learned how well our O'day can handle in those conditions, which all serves to increase my confidence.)
Weaverani