Do you older guys (40+) find you can't do it all any more?

im 40 and im just getting started, solo to the med next year then on to the Bahamas!

not sure why you dislike autohelms, they are literally unpaid, non moaning crew who just crack on with steering the boat.

i have a wind vane too, but by time i've faffed about with setting that up its time to change heading, the wind vane is for serious offshore stuff where im not changing heading for days, and only then because it uses zero power!, the rest of the time its folded up and packed away and i use the electronic autohelm, click a button and forget about it and do what you need to do - my autohelm has steered 95% of my mileage I'm sure!

the unfounded views that electronic autohelms will make your keel fall off are usually reserved for the old salty pirates who sail their armchairs around the living room.
 
TLUKC said:
I feel like I am getting to the point where singlehanding is a struggle, perhaps I should get some strong, young crew? Or windvane self-steering? (I dislike autohelms)
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You've certainly got everyone going! Age is not the deciding factor but a few adaptations and maybe lowering your expectations should keep you singlehanding for another 40 years, I hope.

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
I first sailed singlehanded on a 34ft yacht when I was 15. Next year I am sailing singlehanded up the East Coast and stopping when I get to the Shetland Isles before coming down the other side. By then I will be 68, so TLUKC you must be a feeble specimin of a sailor or troll. So tell us more or you go on "ignore".
 
I'm 64 and I sail single handed when I can, I don't do anymore overnighters, but that's only because I am still working full time, but if I needed to it wouldn't be a problem. I think the problems would start if I hit some heavy weather, my endurance is not what it was 20 years ago
 
fredrussell said:
Not the nicest welcome to a new member.
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OP posted a contensious first message at 9.47 and last visited at 11.29. By this time there had been 8 replies, yet no comment from the OP. It has now reached 31 replies without any comment from the OP. He has not given any information about himself, how long he has been sailing, the type of boat he sails or where he sails from, hence my comment. It does seem like the OP's original comment has got a lot of you to post, or is this thread just about getting forumites to participte - hence the troll comment, if so the he goes on "ignore". There have been a number of this type of threads recently where the OP never returns. I shall wait and see if this OP reappears.
 
I am 180 and not out,
I eat autopilots for breakfast.

Wheelchairs are for wimps, to misquote Gordon Ghecko.

In the afternoon I troll for mackerel , at least they are useful !
 
My wife's brother is just under 80 and still races. His wife doesn't crew his fireball now when racing and I think that task has fallen to a young guy in his late 50s or early 60s. He does race his cat. near home and regularly trailed it from Canada to USA for races pre-Covid.

He goes skiiing most of the winter with his wife and friends but I thought he might be getting a bit past that about 4-5 years ago. I was chatting to him and he'd just spent the day skiing and admitted to having had a tiring day. He'd been keeping up (or trying to) with a friend's young sons.

I mentioned it to my wife a few days later and she told me it was to be expected at his age. Trying to keep up with two youngsters who were on the American Olympic downhill racing team wasn't a great idea. I had to agree that would be ambitious at any age.:D

I thought that I might get a dinghy in a few years if using my boat in Greece becomes too much effort. Perhaps that's not such a great idea either even though I'm only in my 70s.
 
TLUKC said:
I feel like I am getting to the point where singlehanding is a struggle, perhaps I should get some strong, young crew? Or windvane self-steering? (I dislike autohelms)
Click to expand...

40+? LOL. What do you imagine the average age is? In the US at least, the average for sailboat ownership is about 59.

"The oldest person to sail around the world singlehandedly and non-stop is Bill Hatfield (Australia, b. 14 January 1939), who was aged 81 years 39 days when he sailed into The Spit on Australia's Gold Coast on 22 February 2020."

And yes, autohelm. If you can type a forum post, you are from this century.
 
We have two octogenerians in our club who are seriously thinking of slowing up a bit boating wise.
Watching them chase one of their great great grandchilden round the clubhouse recently, doubt they have plans to do so immediately.
 
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