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Sailing as a senior

20K views 172 replies 34 participants last post by  Minnewaska 
#1 ·
Most people likely start sailing and boat owning when they are perhaps in their 30s to maybe 50 or so? A poll would be interesting. I began at the age of 37 and closed on Shiva which I still owe... a new Contest36s. We've grown old together. I have to work more and more and harder and harder to keep her in shape... because stuff gets old and needs attention or replacement... and often items are no longer supported... such as the MD17D engine. So even if I have a pump that fails.... it may no longer be available. Just finding a solution/work around is a project! All boat owners who own older boats know this. New boats, new cars, they don't have THIS sort of problem.

Which brings me to the skipper / owners... They/we get old too. And not all our parts can be replaced and when they are work like what we were born with. Normal to aging are things like arthritis which caused problems with your joints... stiffness, limited range of motion... pain... lost flexibility and control. Balance is often slowly being effected as you age as you need good control of your leg muscles and feedback from the legs in your nerves to keep your balance without thinking about it. Older you get... the less steady you are on your feet. All you can do is be more conscious of your deficit and try to compensate.

Knee problems? You won't likely be jumping off your deck onto a dock. Single handing docking becomes more and more difficult when simply jumping from the dock is not possible. You will need to use more hand holds even when years before you didn't need them.

You can use helpers.... roller furled sails... electric windlass for anchoring.... an AP to steer.... and electric winches or a drill with a winch bit to hoist sails, OBs, dinks or anything heavy.

What are you doing as your body's old taken for granted abilities are disappearing? When is too much and time to turn in your deck shoes? How viable is it to sail with crew? Helpers to do boat maintenance.... Or do you pay mechanics? Do you sail less and evolve into a fair weather sailor avoiding the more challenges days out there?

Have you even a plan/exit strategy for ending your sailing and boat ownership?

Share your thoughts about sailing and owning a boat as a senior.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
I'm 75. Fortunately in good health with mostly just the aches and pains of aging. Balance isn't what it used to be but just move slower and make good use of the kneepads to lower the center of gravity. Have bought my downsized replacement boat, a Sabre 28. Way easier to maneuver though not much less to maintain. It's easier to take the Sabre out of its twin finger pier slip than the Med Moor of the Pearson in Hawaii so actually sail the Sabre a lot more. It's not a lot easier to actually sail from the cockpit but find getting around on the deck more of a challenge because of narrow walkways, curved cabin top, and quicker motion. Have set the boat up so that I can do most everything from the cockpit except set the spinnaker which has only been out of its turtle once in the little over a year I've owned the boat. Actual labor between the 28 and 35 isn't that much different until it comes to anchoring and changing sails. Actually for anchoring, the 35 is way easier because of an electric windlass. If I do more anchoring in the future will have to explore adding a windlass to the Sabre.

Still have my Pearson 35 that I've owned for nearly 20 years. Have to finish rebuilding the chart table/ice box before I can try and sell it. Not making much progress on it because we are spending half our time in our 40 year long time home in Kona, HI and a Condo in Carlsbad, CA. Haven't been pressed to sell it especially since the old boat market is so depressed. Have thought about donating it or finding an enthusiastic young person to make a deal on the boat.
 
#4 ·
My neighbor, now passed, single handed his 42' catch into his early 90's. He would go get the boat himself in the spring from a boat yard over in Buzzards Bay and bring the boat over to Vineyard Sound himself. I offered to go with him as he got older, but he always turned the help down, not for company, but somehow it was important to him to do it. An incredibly capable sailor.

He had in mast hood furl, and roller furling main, but the mizzen was conventional pull it up by halyard.

My other neighbor in his 80's still sails with his grand kids. He recently replaced his 130 with a 100 or so, we get a lot of wind around here in the afternoon, he's more comfortable going a bit slower with a bit less heal. His view is rig your boat for geriatric sailing and keep going as long as you can. He also has a hood furl main.

Ted Hood once said, most of what happens on a sailboat is more about planning and knowing rather than raw strength.

That said, a health problem is a health problem, and some day it gets all of us. That age is different for all of us.

My personal plan is to continue to be active with exercise and healthy living for as long as I can. Some day I know I'll have to stop. Not yet.
 
#5 ·
I started sailing when in my 20s. Now 73. I have been lucky physically so far, with only a few aches and pains and still good balance. I also began skiing in my 20s and continue to do that at a pretty high level. I ski over 60 days every winter and actually ski terrain I would avoid in my 40s. I think that keeping active with these two sports I love has had a lot to do with pushing back the effects of getting older.
 
#6 ·
Another aspect of aging is loss of cognitive function. This is very slow, hard to miss and it is insidious. Everyone expects to become forgetful as they age. But what other cognitive (if any) degrade? Response time? There is also a difference between short and long term memory. How would short term memory impact on owning, maintaining and sailing a boat? Does this mean you can't find things you stowed? Does it mean that you forget little protocols?

My sense is that we accept and expect that we will lose our old physical capabilities less than the loss of cognitive function which may even be hard to see in ourselves. Here is what MAY??? be an example of this.

You have a garage with an remote controlled door operation. When you drive up to the garage you obviously realize the door has to be opened. So you press the remote and the door opens. You drive in. And then get out of the car. You KNOW that you brought of even bought some things to take into your home. It's second nature and obvious to take keys, phone etc. You KNOW this. Yet... you might grab the phone off the seat get out and realize you forgot the keys? Were you pre occupied thinking about something? But why would such a routine not go an "automatic" Why does it require more purposeful attention. Same for closing the garage door. You know it's to be closed but might walk away go into the apartment of house etc.... forgetting to press the remote and leave the garage open. You never look back because the system is reliable and makes some noise to tell you its closing which is processed typically almost subconsciously. Mind do management in the background.

This is not unlike balance. As we lose it in the background we are forced to be mindful of keeping our balance. The adaptive behavior is to get some "support" or sense of balance by holding on to things... making other muscles do the work of stability.

My sister has dementia. I had witnessed her cognitive decline over about 5 years. It is interesting because she was a brilliant, educated well read person. She might do something like this. I pick her up at assisted living to take her for a doctor exam. She brings her little shoulder bag... habit when going outside. I assume she has her ID's, wallet, keys and so on and say nothing. We get to the doctor's office and of course they request ID and perhaps a co pay. She opens her bag and it's not there... but she had put in an old "wallet" with nothing in it.

or

We return to her assisted living apartment and she takes off little should bag and places it over the back of a chair... something women often do in a restaurant. I think nothing of it. The chair was right there so why not. A few minutes later she is walking around the tiny apartment looking for something. What are you looking for? My bag she says... I put it somewhere. So look what happened. In her mind she knows normal people put things like hand bags somewhere. She couldn't find it because her mind was not only not reminding her where would TYPICALLY puts it... but it failed to see the bag which was in plain sight... or remember that a minute before SHE had put it THERE.

How often to I get up from my desk wanting a drink or a coffee... only to arrive at the kitchen and forget why I went there. My mind will semi panic and find some kitchen task to do... could be eating or drinking or washing dishes or taking something frozen out of the freezer to defrost for dinner. It's not hard to find some kitchen appropriate thing to do once there... but it may not be why we went there in the first place. Our mind will find some reason!

I am forever increasingly lately trying to remember where some things are stowed. Everything has a place... but it's place is changed by me from time to time probably thinking the new place is better for n number of reasons than its old place. It may be true but we may still look in the old place! And then not finding it there.... try to figure out why and then where we moved it. hahahahahaha (if we can)

++++

For sure sailing involves lots of awareness of the environment. I would imagine that a fair amount of the information about the environment is being processed in our brains/minds subconsciously. It may only come into our consciousness when it exceeds some parameter. So may fail to notice wind changes without some other cues (tell tales, flagging sail, wave pattern etc.) Does old age impact our sub conscious minds ability to "perform on auto pilot"? I think so.

And I think people develop work arounds such as not having to remember where your keys are but having a key hook by the door. Routines don't require the same level of consciousness? But this can be dangerous too. It can lead to letting down our guard and not paying full attention.

I think that the insidious nature of the loss of cognitive function makes it hard to see in oneself, hard to accept, and could lead to "problems" operating a boat. So single handing makes less sense... not because the sailor can't single hand... but having another person there changes the mental and physical environment... so 1+1 is actually greater than 2 in a sense.
 
#149 ·
Another aspect of aging is loss of cognitive function. This is very slow, hard to miss and it is insidious. Everyone expects to become forgetful as they age. But what other cognitive (if any) degrade? Response time? There is also a difference between short and long term memory. How would short term memory impact on owning, maintaining and sailing a boat? Does this mean you can't find things you stowed? Does it mean that you forget little protocols?

My sense is that we accept and expect that we will lose our old physical capabilities less than the loss of cognitive function which may even be hard to see in ourselves. Here is what MAY??? be an example of this.

You have a garage with an remote controlled door operation. When you drive up to the garage you obviously realize the door has to be opened. So you press the remote and the door opens. You drive in. And then get out of the car. You KNOW that you brought of even bought some things to take into your home. It's second nature and obvious to take keys, phone etc. You KNOW this. Yet... you might grab the phone off the seat get out and realize you forgot the keys? Were you pre occupied thinking about something? But why would such a routine not go an "automatic" Why does it require more purposeful attention. Same for closing the garage door. You know it's to be closed but might walk away go into the apartment of house etc.... forgetting to press the remote and leave the garage open. You never look back because the system is reliable and makes some noise to tell you its closing which is processed typically almost subconsciously. Mind do management in the background.

This is not unlike balance. As we lose it in the background we are forced to be mindful of keeping our balance. The adaptive behavior is to get some "support" or sense of balance by holding on to things... making other muscles do the work of stability.

My sister has dementia. I had witnessed her cognitive decline over about 5 years. It is interesting because she was a brilliant, educated well read person. She might do something like this. I pick her up at assisted living to take her for a doctor exam. She brings her little shoulder bag... habit when going outside. I assume she has her ID's, wallet, keys and so on and say nothing. We get to the doctor's office and of course they request ID and perhaps a co pay. She opens her bag and it's not there... but she had put in an old "wallet" with nothing in it.

or

We return to her assisted living apartment and she takes off little should bag and places it over the back of a chair... something women often do in a restaurant. I think nothing of it. The chair was right there so why not. A few minutes later she is walking around the tiny apartment looking for something. What are you looking for? My bag she says... I put it somewhere. So look what happened. In her mind she knows normal people put things like hand bags somewhere. She couldn't find it because her mind was not only not reminding her where would TYPICALLY puts it... but it failed to see the bag which was in plain sight... or remember that a minute before SHE had put it THERE.

How often to I get up from my desk wanting a drink or a coffee... only to arrive at the kitchen and forget why I went there. My mind will semi panic and find some kitchen task to do... could be eating or drinking or washing dishes or taking something frozen out of the freezer to defrost for dinner. It's not hard to find some kitchen appropriate thing to do once there... but it may not be why we went there in the first place. Our mind will find some reason!

I am forever increasingly lately trying to remember where some things are stowed. Everything has a place... but it's place is changed by me from time to time probably thinking the new place is better for n number of reasons than its old place. It may be true but we may still look in the old place! And then not finding it there.... try to figure out why and then where we moved it. hahahahahaha (if we can)

++++

For sure sailing involves lots of awareness of the environment. I would imagine that a fair amount of the information about the environment is being processed in our brains/minds subconsciously. It may only come into our consciousness when it exceeds some parameter. So may fail to notice wind changes without some other cues (tell tales, flagging sail, wave pattern etc.) Does old age impact our sub conscious minds ability to "perform on auto pilot"? I think so.

And I think people develop work arounds such as not having to remember where your keys are but having a key hook by the door. Routines don't require the same level of consciousness? But this can be dangerous too. It can lead to letting down our guard and not paying full attention.

I think that the insidious nature of the loss of cognitive function makes it hard to see in oneself, hard to accept, and could lead to "problems" operating a boat. So single handing makes less sense... not because the sailor can't single hand... but having another person there changes the mental and physical environment... so 1+1 is actually greater than 2 in a sense.
Good post and very pertinent. Cognitive decline is not always easily definable as it's so gradual. However I believe the person has some sense of it on different levels.

One of the reasons I continue to work vs retire is that I manage 60 other high level managers. It requires I constantly think and problem solve and keeps my mind active and challenged. Taking the genetic component out of it, I believe that you use it......or you lose it.

I am constantly looking for alternatives to use my cognitive functions after/ when I retire to maintain my level or some facsimile of it. Many retirement communities have college course taught at them recognizing its importance to wellness.

While I'd love to remove the daily grind of arising at 4:45, I don't want to remove my daily challenges as well as my social interactions. The last two are why I would never consider long term cruising.

People say stress kills you. I disagree ....it's how you deal with the stress.
Inactivity kills you. Loss of cognition kills you. Loss of social interaction kills you.
 
#7 ·
I just had some restorative knee surgery, not a full replacement, but a tear and arthritis. It has me pretty focused on what's next. Thankfully, this round has all indications it will be successful.

It's always been intuitive that I'd get weaker as I age, that comes as no surprise. What eats at me is that ten years ago, I had no way of really knowing what that would mean today, so probably have no idea what ten more years will bring.

My doc tells me that my metabolic health is excellent. Perfect blood pressure, cholesterol, and on and on. It's my musculoskeletal system that is creeping up to it's use-by date.

Mentally, I'm 100% prepared to take it on and do what I must to keep sailing. Love the geriatric setup comment above, but so be it. I'll electrify or modify whatever necessary. Even today, while I get aches and pains that keep me from wanting to do anything else, the prospect of a cruise eliminates all interference. Let's go.

On a routine basis, I'm much more careful with how I stand, pull, lift, climb, etc. In the moment of crisis, however, I see little difference. It's probably adrenaline. This summer, we had our furling main bolt rope fully pull out of the track, while underway, in 15kts of breeze and offshore seas of a few feet. I immediately sprung out on the deck to deal with it, pulled it down and lashed it to the rails, with no reservation, nor sense of pain. Later, I was pretty sore.

I think the only way I can deal with the inevitable onset is to take measures to prevent as much of it as possible. The boat is a natural environment for exercising your balance and staying active. Not much more. I think strength training, especially core muscles and those around major joints, is critical. Aerobic secondary to strength.

We also need to better protect ourselves against injury. I wear knee pads anytime I need to kneel down. I wear hearing protection, eye protections, etc, etc, with significant diligence above what I did as a younger man. Funny, I even do a much better job of flossing my teeth today. Prevention is key.
 
#8 ·
There are some physiological things one can do to prevent or slow down cognitive decline. I think the most relevant is oxygen availability. Sleep apnea is probably far more prevalent than we believe. Even snoring reduces oxygen saturation over night. Try to deal with it, whether by losing weight, get a CPAP or whatever. They also say one reason aerobic exercise is useful is that it increases oxygen saturation, which is good for your brain.

The other thing that I've recently read is potentially useful in staving off cognitive delcine is being a lifetime learner. They think that continually learning new things expands some neural capacity. You may lose some, but make new. Not sure this has been proven yet, but I've read some very interesting articles on the idea. Intuitively, I find many "old folks" are stuck in a rut. They just repeat everything they already know and do all the same things. They don't often take on new hobbies, learn new things, engage in serious intellectual curiosity. I think this atrophies the brain.
 
#9 ·
great thinking/ideas in these last two posts.

How about "forgetting fatigue'? As you age you will fatigue more and perhaps sooner than when you were younger. You lift something that before never strained your muscles and even if you accomplish the task you feel it the next morning you feel it. You forget about your decreased capacity and become reminded after the fact!

We tend to be sedentary because of your work or life style... and as far as sailing and goes... it is not sedentary... So we forget and move lift, pull, stretch bend as we did when we were younger and more fit and feel it the next day!

Some things we learn... like not to lift the heavy things we did when we were younger. Lift the OB? Best to get help! Your machine aging fasting than what you think it is????? Or you know it and you simply forget?
 
#10 ·
There was a time I had myself convinced I could mange my knee, by being disciplined enough not to do the things that hurt it. I’d make a mistake and then remind myself to focus. Took a while to realize it had nothing to do with my actions. A movement would set me back that hadn’t been a problem before. It was broken and needed to be fixed. That’s part of the deal too. I know many who’ve refused obvious needs for care. The excuse not to typically seems to be either fear or financial, both of which I understand. Not that you run to the operating room, as a first reaction. However, if you wait too long, the repair becomes more severe and the recovery less assured.

Next addition should be what stress does to ones overall health and vitality. Spoiler alert, it’s probably the worst functional disease.
 
#11 ·
Joints undoubtedly will degrade. Many factors determine the rate and severity. Joints are complex! Knees support I believe up to 3x effective (don't recall their actual value) body weight then they simply flex such as when squatting or walking down stairs. Healthy knees and strong enough muscles make us unaware of the effective load increase. You won't see many old folks squatting for this reason!

Strengthening leg muscles can provide more support and help compensate for the under performing knee joint. Unfortunately the exercise requires using the sub par joint!

There are number medial / surgical interventions for knee problems... but surgeons may be conservative in their approach to intervention.

++++

I was experiencing some problems with walking... stair use. It was very gradual and the orthopedist focus on the spine. Walking problems are often felt symptomatically as lower back pain. Of course I could have also had knees a the source for my walking issues. Lo and behold spine surgeon at perhaps the best hospital in the US HSS failed to do a comprehensive evaluation of my leg and foot... in addition to my spine and missed that I had arthritis. Don't look and don't see.

Back surgery hasn't removed my walking problems and not I am recovering from a huge surgery... which also damaged my sciatic nerve creating other problems like. Treat may have been worse that the "disease/problem". It should be noted that spine surgery is all about mechanical "fixes" for "nerve involvement. Out of whack spine bugs the nerves that are inside your spinal column.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Im 70 now, and have been sailing all my life. I have done several things to extend my sailing time:

I bought a boat with a roller furling main. It works very well, and keeps main reefing and furling as a one man job.
Roller fulrling jib for sure.
I installed electric jib winches. Yes, it sounds like too much, but wow, what a difference. I can tack and trim so easily.
Yes, the main sheet and halyard are on an electric winch. Bet you can guess that I have an electric windlass.
I spend a lot of time on maintenance. If I have less breakdowns, I have better odds.

Reef early and whenever I think about it. Funny how it often not only eases the motion, but often is just as fast, or faster.
I don't sail at night as much now. I went blind in my left eye last year, and my night vision suffers. So I adapt.
I don't go out as much if the wind is above 20 knots. The boat can handle it, but I try to have more margin for error.
I plan ahead. Lines ready, food and drink ready, clothes ready. I just try to plan out what I might need.
Mindfullness. Being in the now. I try to keep myself involved in the sailing of the boat so that I notice the things around me.

So I'm still sailing quite a bit - a few day sails per week, racing on Tuesday Nights, cruises for a few days or weeks when I (and my wife) can schedule it. I've difinately slowed down, but I'm still enjoying the hell out of it. When this boat gets to be too much to handle because of physical abilities, we've considered getting a run-about, or a Ranger Tug or some such thing. If I can't handle that, I'll just go down to the harbor and watch. I do plan to have a big smile on my face.
 
#13 ·
What stood out to me about @Scotty C-M's post was the line about mindfulness. I think as we age our internal "auto pilot" is no longer working as it once was. We can't depend on it as we did. Short term memory is slipping... even maintaining balance is not working as well any longer so we have to PAY ATTENTION... and take over. Mindfulness is just that! More thought and planning/preparation. More conscious attention on the present moment. More acceptance / awareness of our evolving limitations and strategies for work arounds.

Great post Scotty!

Be here now!
 
#14 ·
I'll be 60 in June, and I haven't sailed since my teen years. My plan is to get a 17' - 20' boat with a small cabin so I can trailer it to lakes (maybe the Gulf of Mexico not too far from shore), and sail leisurely. No racing, I'm done with the frantic stuff.

My workout program involves exercises that help me do the household and yard work I want to do -- cutting dead trees, carrying wood, etc. Same with sailing -- it should be age appropriate.

When I'm too fragile to sail, I might just try to find a host so I can be a passenger (maybe my son if he gets interested), or sit on the docks and smoke a pipe while I watch the ships come and go.

At my current age, all I want is a small mental and physical challenge combined with a peaceful environment. I hope I'll have the good sense to know when to quit.

Greg
 
#15 ·
Started sailing in late 50’s.

Retired at 65, now live aboard 6 months in Caribbean. Now thinking about what to do when we retire from sailing. But who knows when that will be. In no rush to return to the USA anymore.

I’ll be 69 in November, still single hand when necessary. Don’t have the stamina I used to. But I’m getting around. This whole idea of “death” is mind boggling to me. Yuck!
 
#17 ·
I have read that gardening is the hobby that correlates most with long life and good health while aging. Probably because it’s active enough to keep you physically fit without being so demanding that it actually damages you, and it keeps your mind active.

If sailing was a common enough hobby to be studied I’m sure it would have ranked high as well, for the same reasons.

I’m still in my 40s. If family history is any guide I’ll live till my mid-to-upper 90s, and have about a 50% chance of keeping my mind till the end.

I think yoga is good for aging, because it helps with strength, flexibility, and balance.
 
#18 ·
I’m a neurologist but will avoid a diatribe concerning AD beyond saying
Pick the right parents.
Use your brain
Exercise

I see many of my friends go over to the dark side. I’ve always have had an appreciation for trawlers. A Norhavn or lady Krogen May be in my future. I don’t want to give up Caribbean in winter and New England in summer if I can. Perhaps it will be on my sailboat. Perhaps not. But last week had dinner with a couple in their 80s. They still run their Amel by themselves. I know two other couples in their 80 on sisterships. One has a live aboard crew to help out. The other takes on crew as necessary.
Many of my friends are as old or older than me and the bride but still sailing. Several have much more ambitious programs than us. I learned a lot of my sailing skills from an elderly town librarian when I was less than half my current age. She was <100lbs soaking wet. She told me “if it’s hard to do....you are doing it wrong “. It was true then and is true now. Good body mechanics and an ergonomic boat takes the need for strength away.
Think you need to do different stuff. I row, kayak, fish, hunt and sail. Can’t run anymore nor climb so figure out things I can do to remain somewhat active. Your menu should require different skills, new learning, some socializing, and use your muscles differently. Can’t be the same old same old.
Recent studies say for men social isolation is now a leading direct or indirect cause of death. Forums help to a minor degree but true face time with another human remains key. Unfortunately among cruisers I see alcohol consumption as the excuse for getting together. That results in morbidity and premature mortality for some cruisers. It’s unfortunate so many people, especially men, need an excuse to get together.
 
#19 ·
I'm a neurologist but will avoid a diatribe concerning AD beyond saying
Pick the right parents.
Use your brain
Exercise

.....

social isolation is now a leading direct or indirect cause of death. Forums help to a minor degree but true face time with another human remains key. Unfortunately among cruisers I see alcohol consumption as the excuse for getting together. That results in morbidity and premature mortality for some cruisers. It's unfortunate so many people, especially men, need an excuse to get together.
Isolation does lead to inactivity. Makes perfect sense. Older people get the less opportunity they have to socialize and "do things" outside. Decreased mobility doesn't help either. For those who live in a city there are all manner of events to attend... concerts, performances, theater, museums. sporting events, dancing, street fairs, window shopping, dining out, walking, sports, volunteering, even political demonstrations. If you have children or grand children this may also get you out.

I have never been a drinker social or otherwise and going to a bar to chat up the regulars is not even on my radar. Sad that this may be the things that people socialize around. I do go to one bar restaurant but to dine whether i sit a table or the bar and I observe how many drink there.

Being an audience member is not active. But it does get you out, you can meet and interact during intermission. Performances should be mental stimulation. Seeing athletes or dancers is a reminder of what a fit body is. It can be and often inspires people to be active. I encourage attending the arts as being therapeutic for seniors!

Boats operating and maintaining is an unusual type of exercise. I find that it involves brief periods of intensity followed by lots of nothing. It does / can be mentally stimulating... One should be constantly observing and thinking and not passive. Sailing can be therapeutic.

You don't realize what you had til it's gone.
 
#25 ·
I feel comfortable in most "reasonable" conditions as a senior. This has made me more of a fair weather sailor. With a heeled boat and seas running going forward is way more difficult as a senior with my balance deficit from nerve damage during spine surgery. Steadiness, sure footedness is required. Moving down below in a heeled boat is not a problem because of the hand holds.

Two years were were coming back from a nice sail with a mile to go to the inner harbor where I drop the sail. A very very dark sky was coming right at us and I was pretty sure we see very strong wings in a brief squall. I expected a lee shore.... fired up the engine, rolled in the genny and went forward to muscle down the sail. Got it down just before the sky opened up. Zero visibility. Tying the main is not something I want to do ever and especially now on a pitching deck.

If you have sea room you can run until things calm down... Head up, release the main halyard, get it down quickly to the deepest reef and fall off and run with no genny. Coastal this is not always possible.
 
#28 ·
Making life easier aboard is the not the exclusive domain of the senior, it just becomes more necessary. Good you were ahead of the curve. No doubt it's one of the reasons you've kept her so long.

I'm thinking about whether I would want a Dutchman on a future boat. I like the system, especially the fact that one can retain a full battened, traditional main.

My only hesitation is whether the main would be too big to flake without the dutchman, which is the case now, with just my wife and me aboard. Any failure of our current furling system and the whole main must come down on deck and wait for calm conditions to correct. I can not flake it alone, while my wife is at the helm. The last time I did need to flake it and tie it to the boom, it took four of us. Two strapping 30 yr olds, plus me and my wife.

I've been thinking about boom furling the next go around, but they can fail too and can also be temperamental to furl. If the boom is not at exactly the correct angle to the mast, it will start to extend, as it rolls, like a bad carpet roll, and jam.

I wonder if there is anyway to suggest whether boom furling or the dutchman would be more reliable. Everything fails eventually. The Dutchman might be easier to correct, if it does fail, in a remote place.
 
#30 ·
Making life easier aboard is the not the exclusive domain of the senior, it just becomes more necessary. Good you were ahead of the curve. No doubt it's one of the reasons you've kept her so long.

I'm thinking about whether I would want a Dutchman on a future boat. I like the system, especially the fact that one can retain a full battened, traditional main.

My only hesitation is whether the main would be too big to flake without the dutchman, which is the case now, with just my wife and me aboard. Any failure of our current furling system and the whole main must come down on deck and wait for calm conditions to correct. I can not flake it alone, while my wife is at the helm. The last time I did need to flake it and tie it to the boom, it took four of us. Two strapping 30 yr olds, plus me and my wife.

I've been thinking about boom furling the next go around, but they can fail too and can also be temperamental to furl. If the boom is not at exactly the correct angle to the mast, it will start to extend, as it rolls, like a bad carpet roll, and jam.

I wonder if there is anyway to suggest whether boom furling or the dutchman would be more reliable. Everything fails eventually. The Dutchman might be easier to correct, if it does fail, in a remote place.[/QUOTE

I have very very limited experience with other boats... raising, dropping, flacking, reefing and covering the main. So I can't compare one system to another. I can say this.

Dutchy is easy to repair and adjust... and inexpensive. Once the sail is "prepped"... the only fail would be the monofiliament.

Cisually you don't see it except from pretty close. Stack pack and lazy jacks you do.

Dutchy trains the sail to flake. It pretty much drops in correct flakes... All you do when it's down is:

Pull the leach aft a bit if necessary...
put on a few sail ties... not needed actually as the sail will not come off the boom. Ties permit a better fitting cover.

Cover needs to have slits and zips... no big deal... modify existing one.

Super for reefing as no sail spills onto the deck.

Our track has a bit too much friction so the weight of the sail will not drop it down onto the boom. A light breeze is a help.... more breeze helps more. Wife does forward and pulls the sail a bit and guides the flakes. Easy peasy but I don't let her go up there unless seas are calm... which means we do the drop clear of stink pots.

We have leach loaded full batts.... much easier to install than luff loaded ones.

No impact on sail shape or trim. Of course the sail maker has to properly install the grommets. Long foot means more lines. We had two we now have 3 with the last few mainsails.

Set it up and fiddle with lines etc. on calm day with main hoisted.

After than it's pretty bullet proof.

You can use single or double line reefing...

There are no noticeable chafe issues.
 
#29 ·
For kicks and giggles went to ballet school when doing med school. Fellow student/roommate explained the exercise of ballet was so intense that that many don’t have their period. He thought is was the ideal group of ladies to date. He wrestled in college but I didn’t do organize sports preferring long distance bike rides and rock/ice climbing. Still the ladies were amazingly fit, and quite intelligent. Unfortunately now can’t watch ballet in comfort knowing how much pain, injury and wear it puts on a body.
Mom was an art historian. Wrote books, and was a professor. Ruined art for me. Spent much of my childhood being dragged around to museums. Only recently can go into a museum and enjoy it.

There’s three ways to get old in my humble opinion.
The boomer fight - do everything possible to retard it. Weird diets and supplements. Train like you’re fighting for an Olympic spot. Dress like your 20 something.
Go gently into the night- focus on kids and grandkids. Reminisce about the past. Work your AARP card. Do herd activities. Cruises, tours, RV, red hat etc.
You get one pass- acknowledge the process. Figure out what you can/need to do to continue to be independent, self reliant and do what you want. Stay vigorous to the extent possible intellectually, physically and socially but be realistic to avoid injury. Enjoy the passage of the torch to descendants and the wonder of the circle of life.
Death and taxes. Get over it.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Here’s our thinking on this S. I envisioned troubles I’ve had or heard about on “other peoples boats”.
In boom- angle is wrong. Was correct at start of passage but with loading and time wandered. Luff of sail migrates aft as it’s rolled up. Puts strain on feeder and track. It breaks. No main.
Halyard chafes and breaks. ?how? Don’t know but suspect jumped out of block at masthead. Sail dumps and ends up in the water to leeward. Hard and scary to get it back on board with 4 working at it.
In mast- jams in groove. Try to work it out but mandrill bent. No joy. Take knife to it as wind continues to build.
Dutchman- have old school cringles sew in/blocks on sail and cleats on boom. Can fall back to old school slab reefing anytime it’s necessary. Can do that by myself although it requires me to go to the foot of the mast.otherwise everything is handled in the cockpit. As long as wind isn’t behind the mast can let out main and reef without turning on the engine in any strength wind. Total belt and suspenders system. Very unlikely both Dutchman reefing and old school slab will fail but if it does we can jury rig as a mom and pop team with whats already on the boat not requiring strength.
KISS. Have power on the winch we use for the main halyard. Only potential screw up is if bad crew leave their finger on the button so even pretty safe with crew. Both in boom and in mast require a fine touch. No problem for the owner but I know several owners who don’t let crew reef and need to wake up every time main is let out or taken in. We are a mom and pop. Need something we can maintain, use in any circumstance, and ideally let others use for passage.
 
#36 ·
Here's our thinking on this S. I envisioned troubles I've had or heard about on "other peoples boats".
In boom- angle is wrong. Was correct at start of passage but with loading and time wandered. Luff of sail migrates aft as it's rolled up. Puts strain on feeder and track. It breaks. No main.
Halyard chafes and breaks. ?how? Don't know but suspect jumped out of block at masthead. Sail dumps and ends up in the water to leeward. Hard and scary to get it back on board with 4 working at it.
In mast- jams in groove. Try to work it out but mandrill bent. No joy. Take knife to it as wind continues to build.
Dutchman- have old school cringles sew in/blocks on sail and cleats on boom. Can fall back to old school slab reefing anytime it's necessary. Can do that by myself although it requires me to go to the foot of the mast.otherwise everything is handled in the cockpit. As long as wind isn't behind the mast can let out main and reef without turning on the engine in any strength wind. Total belt and suspenders system. Very unlikely both Dutchman reefing and old school slab will fail but if it does we can jury rig as a mom and pop team with whats already on the boat not requiring strength.
KISS. Have power on the winch we use for the main halyard. Only potential screw up is if bad crew leave their finger on the button so even pretty safe with crew. Both in boom and in mast require a fine touch. No problem for the owner but I know several owners who don't let crew reef and need to wake up every time main is let out or taken in. We are a mom and pop. Need something we can maintain, use in any circumstance, and ideally let others use for passage.
And or course the ez Jacks / lazy jack system most have..There must be a reason it appeals to the majority of non- furling main users.

inexpensive, never breaks like monofilament, no holes in the sails serving as a weakening point, foolproof, easy to deploy, durable, can be deployed from the cockpit, no special modifications of the sail cover, it also trains the sail to flake.
 
#32 ·
One other issue for traditional sails on larger boats is whether the boom can be reached at all. From the cockpit, our boom must be 8ft overhead. In order to do anything on the aft half of the boom, it needs to be eased off to the side, so you can stand on the coaming. The traveler is just about good enough, but if you use the mainsheet, it becomes a free swinging boom, which is not good in windy or wavy conditions.

Another boat I'm interested in has a traditional mainsail, but the boom is even harder to access than the one I have now. Could even be a hassle to install the sailcover back at the slip. The mast furling system surely makes this all a ton easier, in the context of senior sailing.
 
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