adapting to getting older

Birdseye

Birdseye

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I am 71. I see myself as a reasonably fit 71, not overweight, gym twice a week, dont smoke , maybe drink a bit too much. And I am beginning to wonder if my boat isnt too much for me despite Knox Johnson circumnavigating in a 60?? footer at a similar age.

My boat is a Starlight 35, a medium displacement masthead rigged Bowman built sloop. Yesterday I sailed her single handed across the Bristol channel and back. Beam reaching in 20kn of wind I found it hard going winching the genoa in despite Lewmar 44s, decent winch handles and the genoa being reefed to no 1. The boat was over pressed a bit, but I didnt fancy my chances of reefing the main which is not led aft - my balance isnt that good as a visit to my wife's yoga class showed. Clambering around the decks to anchor for lunch wasnt that easy and neither was picking up the pontoons in the locks. No longer do I move about like a mountain goat!

All in all, it was hard work and not the fun it used to be when I started 30 years ago. Nothing specific that I simply cannot do, just lots of things that arent that easy any longer. Sure the boat was pressed doing hull speed plus a bit but you cannot always predict and sail in easy conditions. Indeed yesterday showed that . 20kn from the north when the forecast was 4kn from the south.

I am sure that I am not alone so I wondered what other people have done to address these sorts of issues. Maybe some will have mechanised - electric winches for example. Others will have sold up. Some will have downsized. Maybe a few will simply have worked harder at the gym, my least favoured option.

So if you too are an old phrrt, what have you done in response to age to make sailing fun again. And to fend off the transition to cruising by campervan :ambivalence:
 
Has a dreadful familiarity. We have in mast reefing and roller reefing Genoa.
Not great for perfect sailing, but it means I can manage the boat and cope with most things.


Regarding balance I have noticed this change and do use the jack stays if things are boisterous and at night.

Otto, the auto helm, is getting more and more use these days too!
I need to develop a technique for anchoring and moving off.

If I get a choice of coming in starboard to and some help from the wind then I can park the boat without too many issues. Tide and wind not on my side and there is always a chance of things going very much OFF!
As others have observed the gap between grace and chaos is wafer thin.
 
Get an HR34. I know a good one just for sail in Bruinisse. I'm 76 and a bit wonky, not very strong and with a painful back, not to mention double vision and a few other things, but sailing is still a pleasure every time we take ours out. Winching the 110% jib is seldom a problem, and all control lines are in the cockpit, so reefing is not something to worry about. I can even hoist the main all the way without winching except for tensioning. A little smaller inside than the Starlight, which I know well, and less demanding to sail without being much slower. Not that I'm biased of course.
 
Thanks for the suggestion but if I went through the painful process of selling the boat I think I might go for a campervan rather than another boat.
 
I'm 70 and have a 31ftr. All lines back to the cockpit makes a big difference as you needn't compromise. I don't mind single handing for a few hours but sailing is more enjoyable with crew even though they are hard to find sometimes.

Winching left-handed is difficult as my shoulder complains. Otherwise not bad.
 
Winching a large overlapping genoa in a breeze on a beam reach is quite a strain for most people, much more so in my experience than when tacking - when generally would hold the boat close to the wind to aid sheeting.
So don't over worry in that aspect.
And boat change would be a very expensive option, compared to some selective optimisations.

Electric genny winches are an option - but the new Pontos 4 speed winches would be worth a look and are getting rave reviews.
Personally I would want the halyards and reefing lines led back to the cockpit - but could be a hassle doing this if not a design option on this boat type. However, many seem to like controls at mast so there must be ways of doing it.

Assuming you have a stack pack main, if sailing solo I might have simply headed up and dumped the entire main into the stack pack (should happen without going on deck), unfurled the full genoa to sail under jib only - and then put the kettle on for a cuppa. That's the big benefit of larger genny compared to a small blade jib - can generally do a lot of lazy sailing with the mainsail cover still on - though this is where better winches are needed, as more tricky to sheet in when tacking with no mainsail up

Keep sailing, keep enjoying
 
My aim is to keep my existing boat until the bitter end. I have had it for 20 years from new and know everything about the way she moves, the amount of sail she likes and how to fix most things. She has become a sort of family friend and has so far never let me down.
I think to downsize is not the answer as smaller boats are less forgiving and move around more. I just take things more slowly and persuade one of my sons or a friend to come along if I am going any distance.
Yes, there will come a day when ...... but that will be the day to 'shuffle off' and my wife can sell the boat.
 
Sounds familiar - just the sort of experience I was having with my 37', particularly handling the large genoa with marginal size winches - plus the difficulty of getting it in and out of the tight marina berth. increasing maintenance and upgrading on a 15 year old boat was also becoming hard.

Fortunately I am in a position to buy a new boat that I could manage while still maintaining the broad cruising cap[ability of the old boat. So the key things are a mainsail biased rig with in mast and 110% jib and primary winches alongside the wheel. All lines are of course lead aft and a cockpit mounted mainsheet. All of this plus instruments and plotter at the helm mean I can "drive" the boat from the wheel and only have to move forward in the cockpit to reef the main, when the autopilot takes over control of the boat. Bow thruster and big engine deals with the parking bit.

While ultimate sailing ability is compromised, the reduction in effort required means passage times are largely unaffected because you sail within your capabilities rather than fighting the boat. Tacking up and down the harbour is now a pleasure rather than something to be avoided, thus extending sailing time.

If I had not been able to afford a new boat, I would probably have bought an older boat of a similar type such as a Hanse with a self tacking jib, and dealt with the inevitable increased maintenance of an older boat.
 
My trick was electric capstan in cockpit, with bit of thought it is easily another crew member, over time it has hauled sheets, lifted twisted mooring chain, put rib on fore deck, hoisted sails with a bit of thought its ability is endless. It has extended my sailing so far by at least 5 years although I think trickery will be beaten by arthritus but must not give in.
Sigma 362 and 68 yo
 
I have now met many boat owners in similar positions to you; finding that sailing has become a bit more difficult but being very reluctant to give up boats that they know well.

As others have said above , there are a lot of things you can do to reduce effort and increase comfort in your sailing. Some involve changing how you sail, e.g. being a lot more selective over when to go sailing and changing aspirations, others involve upgrading systems and equipment.

However, before deciding which bits of gear might need to be upgraded, it is important to ensure that your existing equipment is performing optimally. This means doing all you can to reduce friction in your systems, especially winches, deck organisers, roller reefing systems, sheaves in the mast etc. It is important to also check that you are rope of a suitable diameter for the size of the fittings.

It may also be possible to increase your physical security on the boat, for example, by renewing non-slip surfaces, or by increasing the number of handholds or supports when moving around the boat e.g. additional handles in the companionway or outside of the spray hood, and in the cockpit area

After this, I would agree with other posters that it is a good idea to have as few reasons as possible to leave the cockpit for sail-handling, so taking halyards and reefing lines etc back to the cockpit would be a worthwhile investment.

When all this is done, then it may be worthwhile making more expensive changes, such as reducing the sail plan or upgrading winches, either to electric or fourspeed. This is particularly important if the original winches were somewhat underspecified by the boat builder in order to keep costs low.

We will be showing the range of Pontos winches on stand J398 at Southampton Boat Show from Friday, and we would be pleased to meet you or any other forum members. If you want to look at electric winches, other manufacturers such as Lewmar, Harken and Andersen will all be at the show as well.
 
birdseye said:
I am 71. I see myself as a reasonably fit 71, not overweight, gym twice a week, dont smoke , maybe drink a bit too much. And I am beginning to wonder if my boat isnt too much for me despite Knox Johnson circumnavigating in a 60?? footer at a similar age.

My boat is a Starlight 35, a medium displacement masthead rigged Bowman built sloop. Yesterday I sailed her single handed across the Bristol channel and back. Beam reaching in 20kn of wind I found it hard going winching the genoa in despite Lewmar 44s, decent winch handles and the genoa being reefed to no 1. The boat was over pressed a bit, but I didnt fancy my chances of reefing the main which is not led aft - my balance isnt that good as a visit to my wife's yoga class showed. Clambering around the decks to anchor for lunch wasnt that easy and neither was picking up the pontoons in the locks. No longer do I move about like a mountain goat!

All in all, it was hard work and not the fun it used to be when I started 30 years ago. Nothing specific that I simply cannot do, just lots of things that arent that easy any longer. Sure the boat was pressed doing hull speed plus a bit but you cannot always predict and sail in easy conditions. Indeed yesterday showed that . 20kn from the north when the forecast was 4kn from the south.

I am sure that I am not alone so I wondered what other people have done to address these sorts of issues. Maybe some will have mechanised - electric winches for example. Others will have sold up. Some will have downsized. Maybe a few will simply have worked harder at the gym, my least favoured option.

So if you too are an old phrrt, what have you done in response to age to make sailing fun again. And to fend off the transition to cruising by campervan :ambivalence:
Click to expand...

I don't know. I have a decade and a half or so to go.
I bought my boat my boat not so long ago to start doing instead of dreaming before it was to late.
I single hand quit a bit and she is a similar size. The Sadler 34 if I remember right has a relatively smaller rig. The Starlight a bit taller.
20kn is on the edge for my boat with cruising sails. Fun but on the edge.

My first suggestion would be change your reefing system. I am still quite happy to nip up to the mast. and I stow it traditionally. But its some thing I could change. If I have to.
perhaps changing to a single line reefing system from your cockpit would give you the sense of security to deal with the main in a stiff breeze.

A second option would be a slightly smaller furling sail.

After all a stiff wind as you get older is not something to waste.

If you have a nice boat you want to enjoy it as long as possible.

As the cowboys used to say in the old westerns. I want to have my boots on.
 
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Plus one for lines led aft... Gladys has a small rig and certainly for ease of sail handling short handed I wouldn't want anything bigger, being 9 years your junior, and wanting to stay with the same boat until I give up sailing... Also take your time. is you want to sheet the genny, don't just grind it, luff a few degrees then bear off afterwards..
 
9 years ago in my mid sixties we decided to downsize, the exercise was not entirely successful as the Finngulf 33 that I just could not resist had a taller mast and more sail area than the Sigma 38 she replaced. I do not regret it, she was a fantastic sailing boat, in 2015, our last season with her we found that we motored almost as much as we sailed though the highlight was whitesail at WHYWeek with my wife, son and grandaughter. My wife who has always cruised with me had considerable pain that summer from a dodgy knee exacerbated when the boat heeled. In this village everything is DIY, very cheap but unstepping, putting up and rigging a 50' keel stepped mast is a lot of work, particularly the trips up to the top to fit transducers, adjust spreader angles etc. I decided it was time to give up and put the boat on the market, this time last year I accepted an offer.
About a month after accepting the offer with the boat ashore and still in my care I started to feel bereft, I live by the sea, the local boat club yard is outside our front window, we went to look at camper vans, then motor boats. In December I purchased a Nimbus 27, comfy wee semi displacement cruiser, well capable of Skye or Stornaway but perhaps not St. Kilda, spent a few months fettling and updating and launched in May. Our first trip was just up the Sound of Mull. Oban, Loch Aline, Tobermory and back, it was like going in the bus. Meanwhile my wife had her knee joint replaced and after a month of real pain started to recover her mobility, we have now both decided that the mobo will be sold, it will be replaced with a small (30-31ft.) sailing boat, this time with tiller steering and a deck stepped mast. Simple rig, everything coming back to the cockpit. There is just nothing (at my age) that feels as good as when you turn the engine off, adjust the sails, heel over and take off in silence. With hindsight selling the Finngulf was the big mistake, we will never be able to match her and many of the issues would have been solved by wintering her in a commercial yard where they would step the mast and set up the rig. It was not that we could not afford this but my perception that no one would set her up as well as I did. Even if we were motoring too much, where was the harm in that?
So based on my recent experience I would advise, keep sailing, look at ways to make it easier but if you are like me you might discover that you are an addict, you will not be happy without your fix, learning this lesson has been very expensive for us so I hope it helps someone avoid the same mistake.
 
do it every day for a fortnight and you'll find it a lot easier

slightly glib answer but when we had my dad away with us towards the end of the fortnight the difference in his strength was amazing

(he nearly flattened me with the hard dinghy when i asked for a hand up the beach with it!)
 
Thank you for this post, it has made me feel so much better! Was out racing last weekend, two-up, both in our seventieth year, full sail, gusting over 30kts, ok - it was only white sail. Single-hand quite a bit but it takes a bit more willpower now to hoist the spinnaker, head out into >F5, shake out reefs (putting them in is earlier though). I'm a bit feart that if I don't use it, I'll lose it so push myself to do it.
I admit I don't look forward to things like SIPR or Scottish Series quite so enthusiastically but having young ladies as runners and crew is almost an elixir of youth.
 
birdseye said:
...I am sure that I am not alone so I wondered what other people have done to address these sorts of issues. Maybe some will have mechanised - electric winches for example. Others will have sold up. Some will have downsized. Maybe a few will simply have worked harder at the gym, my least favoured option.

So if you too are an old phrrt, what have you done in response to age to make sailing fun again. And to fend off the transition to cruising by campervan :ambivalence:
Click to expand...



Well you did ask, in another thread:

"What is the point, for example, in owning a Tradewind for just pootling across the channel? Very slowly. "

Now you have your answer. :-)

More seriously. Get smaller sails or for zero cost, reef before you get going. A permanent reef in your main will mean you rarely have to bother at sea. You won't lose a lot of speed. I had sail damage this summer and did 400 miles with two reefs in the main, not great in very light airs but you get there
 
doug748 said:
Well you did ask, in another thread:

"What is the point, for example, in owning a Tradewind for just pootling across the channel? Very slowly. "

Now you have your answer. :-)

More seriously. Get smaller sails or for zero cost, reef before you get going. A permanent reef in your main will mean you rarely have to bother at sea. You won't lose a lot of speed. I had sail damage this summer and did 400 miles with two reefs in the main, not great in very light airs but you get there
Click to expand...
I don't like that idea. For many of us, an important component of sailing pleasure is the feeling of driving the boat at its best, and making passages efficiently. Particularly with fractional rigs, a reefed main will take a lot of power away, and one result is an uncomfortable wallowing motion. With reefing lines to the cockpit, and an autopilot to assist, reefing is something I am happy to put off until it is absolutely necessary, and it only takes a minute or so to do. In fact, unreefing I find harder. My attitude is partly affected by the fact that I only have two reefs, both deeper than the first two on a three reef system.
 
dunedin said:
Assuming you have a stack pack main, if sailing solo I might have simply headed up and dumped the entire main into the stack pack (should happen without going on deck)...
Click to expand...
This was my expectation when I got a stack pack but unfortunately the sail only comes about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way down under its own weight so I still have to go up on the cabin roof to pull the last part down. This in spite of copious Mclube annd changing to a smaller diameter rope for the halyard.
 
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