Concerned

[Schmacko]

So here is the dilema in brief;
You are 55 years old and fit enough.
You work as hard as a lizard drinking water with no time for anything else.
You have but one passion, maybe two, and that is to sail the Sth Western Pacific Islands.
You are prepared to indulge your passion by selling the power boats and getting into a 42 or 43' catamaran.
You cannot breakaway from your work commitments for another 5 years.
You have no interest in joining the other Grey Nomads and driving around Australia.
So here are the questions in brief;
Is 60 or 63 too old to do the sailing.
Will you still be motivated.
Can you handle the trip as one couple where the wife does'nt sail.
Too many other questions.

Regards from Schmacko the concerned !

[St Anna]

Go for it smacko,
I keep in touch (on the HF) with a bunch of old salts who do what you are doing. they range in age from 62 to 78. The 78 year old sailed solo from Hawaii to Brisbane last year.

There is a 60 something yo on a peterson whose wife flies in to wherever he is. Many families have the 'fly-in' wife.

All the best and keep in touch - like to hear of your progress.

DC

[eryka]

Hi Schmak

If you're fit and stay that way, the age won't be a problem - our dock-neighbors are (finally) hanging it up - he's in his mid-70s, and their selling their boat not because of their ages but to spend more energy on her music!

As for staying motivated, I suggest the best thing to do is take classes, lessons (BOTH of you), sailing vacations, read, read, read - keep the ideas in the forefront.

I'd be much more concerned about the fact that wife doesn't sail - you're planning a pretty long passage, if you can't count on her to take the helm at some point, when will you sleep? Will she stand watch? Does she even share this dream?

Good luck!

[SSBN506]

Only you can answer that question. Sum people die at 55 other live to be over 100. My father is 65 and his dad is 91 and they both sale. My father in law is suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and can really only handle the tiller on our boat.

[tommays]

53 and 91 whats the problem

[smackdaddy]

Tom - that's a great pic.

Schmak - go fer it, dude! 63 is the new 30!

[johnnyandjebus]

schmacko

I hope so or my plans are going to need some serious adjustment


Good luck!!

John

[tdw]

Originally Posted by Schmacko

So here is the dilema in brief;
You are 55 years old and fit enough. (you are never going to be any fitter)
You work as hard as a lizard drinking water with no time for anything else. (then you'd better start making time)
You have but one passion, maybe two, and that is to sail the Sth Western Pacific Islands. (that's for the good)
You are prepared to indulge your passion by selling the power boats and getting into a 42 or 43' catamaran. (makes sense)
You cannot breakaway from your work commitments for another 5 years. (you really need to move that schedule forward)
You have no interest in joining the other Grey Nomads and driving around Australia. (that's a relief...the hordes of GN MotorHomers is starting to get depressing)
So here are the questions in brief;
Is 60 or 63 too old to do the sailing. (I hope not cos I'm 57 but like many a dreamer I wish I had started the wind down sooner)
Will you still be motivated. (yep, but maybe not quite as agile)
Can you handle the trip as one couple where the wife does'nt sail. (if wife doesn't sail then you are going to need crew)
Too many other questions.

Regards from Schmacko the concerned !

This year I have had for the first time health issues purely related to bits of me wearing out. Nothing major but it does give one pause for thought and I am seriously giving myself a good kicking for not making it happen at least two years ago.

Now I know that some couples have made the fly in wife thing work but while not knocking the concept it does mean you will be doing a lot of single handing or constantly on the lookout for crew. You might just need to factor that into your choice of boat.

[xort]

My knees and elbows are starting to act up a bit. I can get a power driver for the winches and releive my elbows of winching but the knee scares me. Gotta get going!

[Omatako]

Shmacko

I turned 60 this year. While I have done a few longish voyages in the past, my ultimate cruising plans are on hold for another 5 years. The reason for that is that whilst we have have some cash reserves it will be nice to have the annuities and pensions kick in as well (my wife's too). In short, our planning for a financially sorted old age weren't as good as we thought so some compromise is required.

That said, I will spend the next 5 years sailing locally, maybe a trip or two to Fiji or Vanuatu and taking care of the boat with some upgrades and good quality maintenance. The local trips will serve to shake out any remaining bugs.

We will then set sail for a circumnavigation and will keep going until we're not enjoying it anymore. I am blessed with great health and long may it endure. My missus on the other hand is not all that great with some long standing health issues which whilst not life-threatening are a continual nuisance. But history has proven that she suffers much less from her hereditry ailments when we're at sea.

Our current vision is 5 years at sea from age 65 and we'll see whether we stay that long and if so, then we'll see how much further.

So at 55 you're still in a strong age position. I have met and spoken to many sailors over time that are way older than me and still having a trouble-free time at sea. It seems from these discussions that when things on the boat become physically unmanageable (too big, too heavy), it's time to go home. Mostly it's not about health but about physical strength.

Sailing without my wife though would be a daunting prospect - I have no real further comment on that subject.

Be positive.