Armchair Sailor

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

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15 Jul 2009
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Nothing is wrong with becoming an Armchair Sailor or perhaps there are many fellow forumites here who have decided many years ago to pack up sailing and become yachting spectators and peripheral sailors.

When I retire, which is very imminent, I will embrace retirement as much as I have embraced my professional career for over forty years. Like many here, I have been sailing since I was ten or so and I intend to carry on sailing for many many years; or not? because the question I am asking myself is; Is it inevitable that eventually we drift and we all become Armchair Sailor?
 
There's no need to get all mawkish when you've hardly even started. Most people don't realise that sailing is a geriatric sport and that working folk are only playing at it. Unless you are one of those layabouts who defer their pensions by going off round the world, retirement is the first time most of us get a chance to set off without constraints of time or even weather. I enjoyed holiday sailing with the family when I was working, with a maximum of three weeks at a time, but my cruising really only got going after retirement, when I got the chance to go as far as my inclination and wife would allow.

There was some film a on TV a year or two ago of a chap in his 90s setting off into the Solent on his own, and clearly very contented, so my advice is not to age yourself before it actually happens, or you will find that time passes too quickly.
 
when I got the chance to go as far as my inclination and wife would allow.

That's the limiting factor for a lot of people. For the sake of inclusivity, maybe I should substitute spouse for wife as there are ladies of the (sail)cloth with reluctant husbands too.

I made the mistake once of thinking F4-6 South becoming Southwest was an OK forecast to bring my Sanpdragon 24 back from Weymouth to the Solent. We had a solid F7, which cost me every sailing brownie point I'd ever earned and Milady was a very nervous sailor afterwards. She was just starting to enjoy it again when moving house cost us one season, we got out just a couple of times in the next season, partly due to refurbishing the house and partly due to the weather, then I was seriously ill, which cost us another season. Such a long time with next to no sailing means she's now extremely nervous about going out again, even for just pottering around the Solent. Actually, so am I, as my illness has weakened me and I don't have the stamina I did.
 
Stemar said:
when I got the chance to go as far as my inclination and wife would allow.

That's the limiting factor for a lot of people. For the sake of inclusivity, maybe I should substitute spouse for wife as there are ladies of the (sail)cloth with reluctant husbands too.

I made the mistake once of thinking F4-6 South becoming Southwest was an OK forecast to bring my Sanpdragon 24 back from Weymouth to the Solent. We had a solid F7, which cost me every sailing brownie point I'd ever earned and Milady was a very nervous sailor afterwards. She was just starting to enjoy it again when moving house cost us one season, we got out just a couple of times in the next season, partly due to refurbishing the house and partly due to the weather, then I was seriously ill, which cost us another season. Such a long time with next to no sailing means she's now extremely nervous about going out again, even for just pottering around the Solent. Actually, so am I, as my illness has weakened me and I don't have the stamina I did.
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That's a sad story, and I'm not sure what the way around it is. The nearest I can get to a sensible suggestion is to move to a motor-sailor and enjoy fairly modest trips locally for a while. I am lucky in that my wife, sorry - spouse, has been content to go where my ambitions led me, and that I don't think that I have frightened her during the last nearly half-century. I suspect that you may also have to limit your ambitions. Maybe it would help to go on short trips on larger boats with friends. My own plans now have to be modified somewhat, partly through lack of stamina, as you say, but also because for various reasons my wife doesn't want to be away for as long or so far away.
 
If I had the budget, we'd get a semi-displacement mobo, something like a baby trawler yacht, but there's a reason I bought a Snapdragon 24 instead of a Swan. Still, as someone said to us, with 28 HP under the bonnet, we've got a motor boat if we can't be bothered with sails.
 
Probably selling the boat and reviewing our life style now wife retired and not totally in good health.Owning a yacht especially a small one calls for lots of bending and twisting regarding the engine and strength regarding anchours etc.There are ways round problems so it’s a question of sitting down and sorting out a way to carry on......or adopt another activity.
 
Wansworth said:
Probably selling the boat and reviewing our life style now wife retired and not totally in good health.Owning a yacht especially a small one calls for lots of bending and twisting regarding the engine and strength regarding anchours etc.There are ways round problems so it’s a question of sitting down and sorting out a way to carry on......or adopt another activity.
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Come on guys, it is precisely the bending twisting winching hauling that keeps bits of the body working. Stop doing it and the body quickly stops as well.
Of course you could take up gardening instead - or as well.
 
Resolution said:
Come on guys, it is precisely the bending twisting winching hauling that keeps bits of the body working. Stop doing it and the body quickly stops as well.
Of course you could take up gardening instead - or as well.
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Or squash, or all three ;)
 
On my boat I cannot get at the fuel filter or the impeller on the cooling side so possible change would be a boatwith these things easy to get at.Certainly gardening would keep you fit but contortions once a year to fix the engine could put your back out for the season!
 
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC said:
Nothing is wrong with becoming an Armchair Sailor or perhaps there are many fellow forumites here who have decided many years ago to pack up sailing and become yachting spectators and peripheral sailors.

When I retire, which is very imminent, I will embrace retirement as much as I have embraced my professional career for over forty years. Like many here, I have been sailing since I was ten or so and I intend to carry on sailing for many many years; or not? because the question I am asking myself is; Is it inevitable that eventually we drift and we all become Armchair Sailor?
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You don't stop sailing when you get old, you get old when you stop sailing (or motorcycling too in my case)
 
Wansworth said:
On my boat I cannot get at the fuel filter or the impeller on the cooling side so possible change would be a boatwith these things easy to get at.Certainly gardening would keep you fit but contortions once a year to fix the engine could put your back out for the season!
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Or alternatively you could probably pay for somebody to do an annual engine service for a decade or so, which could be a lot cheaper than changing boats.
 
Coming up to my mid seventies, I still do all the maintenance on my boat (including antifoul), and still go out single handed for the day, but gave up racing single handed a couple of years ago. Plenty of aches and pains, and don’t have the strength that I used to have but ‘buggered’ if I’m giving up the boat until I find I can’t climb on board from the tender, then maybe.
 
Praxinoscope said:
Coming up to my mid seventies, I still do all the maintenance on my boat (including antifoul), and still go out single handed for the day, but gave up racing single handed a couple of years ago. Plenty of aches and pains, and don’t have the strength that I used to have but ‘buggered’ if I’m giving up the boat until I find I can’t climb on board from the tender, then maybe.
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+1, well early 70's in my case
 
dom said:
Or squash, or all three ;)
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Dom
Tomorrow, While you are keeping the wheels of industry oiled, I shall indeed do some gardening and play some squash. Afraid the nearest to sailing will be to plan anti foul servicing things. And to read the forum updates!
Peter
 
My user name reflects that I am oldest, and sometimes slowest, member of my climbing clubs, and I am now oldest member of staff in my office, though I note many forumites are much older than me. I see no reason to give up boats or sailing until I can no longer get from my tender to the cockpit and even then I will think of springtide only pontoon mudberth if possible. Sailing, walking and indeed working keeps you young.

Off course I am also an armchair sailor and enjoy the forum on the many days when I cant sail
 
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