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How Many Young People (say 36 or over) Are Out There?

3K views 28 replies 17 participants last post by  waaarghh 
#1 ·
I couldn't resist. I don't feel at all old and I felt left out of the under 35 thread. As a matter of fact, I felt I hit my stride at 30 and have had more fun since than I ever had prior.

John and I are in our mid-forties, no children (by choice - I am not that responsible) and enjoying sailing our Catalina 30 on the Chesapeake.

It's our second boat, the first being a Venture 2-22 that I bought in 1999 as a project boat before meeting John. My only criteria was that it floated. I wanted to figure out how to do stuff. I got the fiberglass down, I made another rudder out of mahogany (beautiful but HEAVY), I re-rigged with swageless fittings and I painted the hull. One week after I began reading the book on marine electrical systems I was introduced to John. Instead of wooing me with wine and flowers he (an electrician) re-wired my boat for me, almost guaranteeing that I didn't blow myself up on the Bay. Four years later, tired of stooping in the Venture (we're both tall), he bought us the Catalina. I figured he's a keeper.

I gave the Venture to a couple who have since become friends.

Today, while scrubbing the Catalina inside and out, I did wish for a couple of kids to borrow for the task. But, wait! I have a couple of bored teenaged nieces and nephews who I think can be bribed.

I suppose I started this topic because the fun doesn't end at 30.
 
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#3 ·
I love meeting/reading about people still sailing into their senior years. It makes me happy that I might have another 30 or more years left to sail (health willing).
 
#18 ·
Owner of the Boat I race the Mackinaw race on every year is owned and until last year skippered by an 86 y/o man who didn't even start sailing until his late 40's. No reason to stop until you can't do it anymore.
 
#4 · (Edited)
My wife and I are in our 40s(mid for me and early for her!). I have been sailing since childhood and she learned when she met me. We also have no children by choice(except for a hairy black child named Shamus) and are going through our mid-life crisis. We sold our house and all earthly belongings and bought a bigger boat to live aboard. We entertain the dream of someday throwing off the lines and exploring the world together.

Shortly after we got married and moved to Portland, we started sailing on the bay in a San Juan 21. Then came the Pearson 28 and next an Ericson 35-3. With each boat came more and better memories while exploring the Maine coast together.
 
#5 ·
I'm 45 and my Catalina 25 is my first sailboat. I chose it because my criteria for a first boat was:

1. Affordable - Pay cash for it
2. Easy and forgiving to learn on.
3. Big enough to spend the weekend on. (reasonable cabin)
4. Small enough to singlehand for a newbie.

I'll keep her for 3 years then move up to a bigger boat, probably a 32 -36 footer that will be my boat until I retire, (20 years away) and buy my big blue water home to explore the world.

I haven't dropped alot of coin on my C25, nor will I....and the next 3 years will teach me so much more of what I really want/need for my next boat. I'm setting my budget up so that I'll have $30 - $40k to spend on my next boat, and by the time I retire will have $150k to spend on that boat plus $50k or so for refit/repairs, etc....
 
#6 ·
Catalinas

When we decided to move up from the Venture 2-22 I did a lot of research for two years. The Catalina offered the biggest cabin size, best owners association and the best company support for out-of-production boats. We also joined an all-Catalina club and find it well worth it in tips from others who have owned the same boat and to scope out our next boat.

She ain't the fastest boat on the Bay, but she's comfortable and gets us back safely.

I think my dream retirement would be to not sell everything and sail the world (I love the property we live on now), but to own a nice piece of wooded waterfront property with no house but just a dock with water and electrical hook up and keep our boat tied there. When we feel a bit of wanderlust beyond the Bay or the Islands, there's always charters.
 
#7 ·
No worries DeFerron, you are definently not the minority. Being the only 23 yr old I know with his own sailboat I find myself in a class all by myself. I am about to go devote the next 6-7 hours to interior wood work. I swear I better not have to do anything but slap some teak oil on this wood for a few years after all this crap is done. Plus Pauls going to want his rent for the slip and I still owe the Marina a couple hundo.
I wish I had one of you "older" folks jobs. have 150 K for a boat and refit. Sheesh man, give me twenty G's and I start the dream tomorrow! I've been poor since I moved out of my moms house after high school. It can suck having to save up money for every little project that needs doing. Haha, guess your priorities change with age.
I do like having you old folks around for the knowledge you usually have. Nice to have loads of experience tied up all around me.
Would be nice if I discovered a fellow salty pup like me...
 
#8 ·
I wish I had one of you "older" folks jobs. have 150 K for a boat and refit.
Age doesn't guarantee you money or a job. It only guarantees that you're older.

Sheesh man, give me twenty G's and I start the dream tomorrow! I've been poor since I moved out of my moms house after high school. It can suck having to save up money for every little project that needs doing.
Depends on your perspective. It could also mean that you spend less frivolously and you place more value on what you own. In our case, we also discovered a few boat-related items that just aren't crucial to safe sailing in our home waters.

Haha, guess your priorities change with age.
Or with maturity, which often has nothing to do with age.

I do like having you old folks around for the knowledge you usually have.
I can't wait until you are in your forties and fifties to see if you still consider it "old." :laugher
 
#10 ·
Not quite 50, will not say how old spouse is, from it might get me in trouble, other than meow!?!?!?!?

finally after one marriage, spouse would not step on a boat, Sheryl will overall, altho a bit timid, she at least grew up on stink pots. I built two boats as a teen, sailed them on lake washington, not have the dream boat per say from the time a 30' IOR style half ton, altho a post fastnet version.......

As far as having money at my age, I think I had more in college and out of college with newborn twin sons etc. THe current depression has hit those of us in the contracting area, and Sheryl who is an escrow office, both own our own companies. One of those hanging on by toe nails or threads or some such thing............hopefully things get better.

oh yeah, no kids tween us, I have 4, she as none. I suppose mr winston, the rather spoiled King charles cavalier is the kid we have, along with three cats.......

Marty
 
#11 ·
I'm 46 and enjoying my young age, I keep fit via bicycling and Hiking in the Pacific Northwest.
I'm ex Navy and when I lived in Hawaii I sailed a Ranger 26, now that my Girls are grown up and on their own I have a Grandson that I want to spend time with and Sailing I hope will be our pastime.
 
#12 ·
Good luck with sailing with your grandson!

I have to admit, it kind of freaks me out when people my age (I'm 44) have grandchildren. My best friend from 10th grade is a great-grandmother!

My teenage nephew wants to sail our boat on Saturday to the anchorage I chose. He took the auxiliary sail class a few years ago but has almost no experience at the helm. I'm giving him the paper chart, tools, etc and everything he needs to plan the trip in advance to reinforce that there is more to boating than jumping behind the wheel and taking off. I'll put his course in the netbook and see if we can sail it.

His younger sister, who also took the course, is in charge of weather monitoring and figuring out the tides. She already told me that sailing is too much work and why can't she just pay one of her friends to do it. I should make her scrub the boat.

It's supposed to be in the 90s on the Bay and I suspect there will be almost no wind.

Should be interesting.
 
#14 ·
Ayup

I'm 42 and have definitely had more fun since I turned 35.

Luckily (and strangely) people say "no way" when they find out I am over 30yrs old, and freak out when I tell them I'm 42.

Of course, I'm not sure if they're referring to my level of maturity of how well I've held up :)
 
#15 ·
The kids are grown and pretty much out of the house. My wife had been putting quite a few miles on her old wal-mart bike so I bought her one of those fancy road/racing bikes for her birthday this year (her 49th.) She also decided to start sailing with me.

Now, after riding 100 miles a week, she happily jumps on either a Hobie 16 or a 420 with me on the weekends and hikes out with the best of them.
 
#16 ·
My wife loves sailing as much as I do. She's not actually sailed the boat too much though.

We went out on our 14' Super Snark Mach 5 today and she actually handled the main sheet while I had the tiller.

Even though it was pretty gusty out there she did a great job and didn't put her on her side once. My 13yr old daughter had control of the main sheet today as well and also did great. I think they're both proud of themselves :)

I'm hoping that soon both of them will attempt to sail her on their own or at least with me just going along for the ride. They both have a pretty good idea of how to read and use the wind and have seen me sail a LOT, I think that they just need more confidence.

I'll bet that in another couple of weeks at least one of them will give it a shot.
 
#17 ·
In our marina there is a nice looking Catalina Capri with an outboard. Every now and then I see a couple drive down with kids, the man leaves the woman and one of the kids off and she maneuvers that boat out of the dock like a champ. I think the boat is called Mom's Bayby or something like that.

I like to think that Mom is having quality time with her kids, although, of course I have no idea.
 
#19 ·
I'm 47, the wife is 40 and we had a heart-to-heart talk a couple of weeks ago. I can retire in 10 years (unless they screw around with things at work) and we made the commitment to sell everything and head out. The boat will be paid off by then, I'll add items as needed until then and we're off. Just hope our health holds out until then and beyond. Still feel like I'm in my early 30's, she still gets carded when buying alcohol! Having no kids helps!
 
#20 ·
...we made the commitment to sell everything and head out. The boat will be paid off by then, I'll add items as needed until then and we're off. Just hope our health holds out until then and beyond....
Good luck!

50 is the new 30.
 
#23 ·
46 3/4....... been sailing for nearly 2 years. If I had the $$ & time I would be out there in the deep blue but, I have teenagers and well, they like to eat and all that stuff so... Me and the first mate will get out there some day, soon.

:cool:
 
#24 ·
Oldies is a term of endearment not disrespect. I do wonder reading these posts though... Where will I be in 20 years? I can only hope since I am starting so young I will be far away from the daily hustle and bustle. Far off from the wars of oppression and wars of aggression. Nook and crannied in a place where politics consist of where i am and not the world over. Settled into a routine that embodies freedom and expounds living and free-thinking. Surrounded by the people whom I love and who hopefully love me. Lastly, to be somewhere I as an individual truly make a difference. Where the rank and file is still non-existent and the tribe, not the individual, is the greatest commitment.
I read your posts sailors and I wonder. I wonder what you people do and have done with your lives. What places HAVE you seen and what places have you not. Why you are not already far-off and how and why you plan to do so. A part of me uses forums like this and the sailors I am anchored with as motivation to never let the burdens of modern life keep me tied to the dock. Reading your posts makes me more determined than ever to set off into the final frontier and make life into what ever it may.
I sincerely hope you all get out and do whatever dreams have propelled you thus far. One poster put a quote on this site which I read yesterday speaking about how we all set out with the best of intentions but in the end wind up like the countless other multitudes stuck in the quagmire of a bureaucratic world that revolves around pesos, deutch marks, dollars and yen.
No thanks. If Antarctic is the last place on earth where I can escape the current condition in which we live then I'll drop you guys a post card from my igloo.
Cheers.
 
#25 ·
Harborless, my comments below are only my opinion and not meant to be antagonistic in any way. I'm open to other opinions and a good discussion and willing to hold a mirror to my own to see if I need a reboot. After the recent Radio Check thread I feel like I have to preface all my posts with that disclaimer.

Oldies is a term of endearment not disrespect. I do wonder reading these posts though... Where will I be in 20 years?
I can only hope since I am starting so young I will be far away from the daily hustle and bustle. Far off from the wars of oppression and wars of aggression. Nook and crannied in a place where politics consist of where i am and not the world over. Settled into a routine that embodies freedom and expounds living and free-thinking. Surrounded by the people whom I love and who hopefully love me.
I think I understand what you're saying because, well, it isn't new. As I see it, however, to do that means you're foregoing a chance to potentially change the very thing you're running from. If everyone followed your course, what you're running from would eventually turn up where you are.

Lastly, to be somewhere I as an individual truly make a difference. Where the rank and file is still non-existent and the tribe, not the individual, is the greatest commitment.
Good luck with that because now aren't you back to where you started before you left to be your own person? Tribes have issues, too. :)

I read your posts sailors and I wonder. I wonder what you people do and have done with your lives. What places HAVE you seen and what places have you not. Why you are not already far-off and how and why you plan to do so.
Because someone is here does not mean he or she never left. I've been plenty of places in and out of the US. I'll go plenty of places in and out of the US in the future. I happen to love this region (except for the cold part. I HATE being cold. Don't get me started.) and when I think of where else I'd want to live, I always circle back to home (I happen to have three of them so I have options). That does not mean that I don't enjoy experiencing new places and meeting new people, because I do. But not everyone wants or needs to throw off the lines and sail the ocean blue to feel content.

What have I done with my life? Plenty. I don't think anyone should have to justify his or her life to anyone, however. Justification probably wasn't your intent, you might just be curious, but it's a tricky question to ask strangers of whom you have no clue of their background.

A part of me uses forums like this and the sailors I am anchored with as motivation to never let the burdens of modern life keep me tied to the dock. Reading your posts makes me more determined than ever to set off into the final frontier and make life into what ever it may.
I see life as a gift and a challenge more than a burden. A couple of years ago I had 3/4 of my lung removed because of a tumor that the medical profession has no idea why it occurs. All they know is that it normally shows up in women in their sixties (so in theory I was about 20 years too early for it) and it usually kills them because there are no clear warning signs before it gets too big and does damage. That tumor was my challenge. The fact that I almost passed out driving to work, pulled over and called 911, went to an ER that did random tests to figure out what happened and thus found the spot and it not being cancerous was my gift. Now I feel like I have the strength to deal with anything else that comes my way.

I sincerely hope you all get out and do whatever dreams have propelled you thus far.
What makes you think we aren't? We're on this forum so the majority of us are sailing and living at least one of the dreams. Not all dreams come true. That's life. Sometimes one dream has to be sacrificed to make another come true. You can't throw a tantrum about it. Re-group and move on.

One poster put a quote on this site which I read yesterday speaking about how we all set out with the best of intentions but in the end wind up like the countless other multitudes stuck in the quagmire of a bureaucratic world that revolves around pesos, deutch marks, dollars and yen.
No thanks. If Antarctic is the last place on earth where I can escape the current condition in which we live then I'll drop you guys a post card from my igloo.
Cheers.
In the end I guess you decided to f*** the tribe, eh? :)
 
#27 ·
Screw this. Donna you would not believe. Twice now right before I am finished with my post I hit backspace and it takes me to the previous page! I lost it all twice! So screw it, there will be no reply to your wonderfully thoughtful post, I am sorry but my patience is currently exhausted!
I will say this however; I am thankful you won your fight against cancer. What a blessing that was and an experience that I am sure added more than a little intestinal fortitude to person.
Lastly, My mantra is that success is happiness. If YOU are happy, then who cares what the world thinks?

I swear I had a pretty solid reply typed up that address each point specifically. Anywhoo, laptops wanna play games and I dont feel like playing anymore.
Cheers
 
#28 ·
Ha! Sorry. The longer you live the more data you'll lose. :) Choose your battles, Harborless, choose your battles.

I never had cancer, so I don't consider myself as one who fought it. But the tumor was something significant that gave me another perspective and I am thankful.

It did not, however, make me brave enough to test the shoaling near Kent Narrows (Chesapeake Bay) recently and to reach the Wye River we figured in an extra day to sail around the outside of the island. I think we're the last boat in our marina to not go aground there. Maybe we should just get it over with.

Anyway, like you, I do enjoy reading posts from those with more experience. Reading this forum I always find something to add to my notebook.
 
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