What experience made you think about giving up sailing ?

[Daydream believer]

On 25Th May 2023 my engine gave up the ghost & I became violently sea sick- as usual. I managed to sail home & felt that was the end. But on the following day my wife ordered a brand new engine, saying that at 77, life was too short to faff with repairing the old one. No way can I give up now inspite of falling & breaking my femour. Somehow, I have to carry on a bit longer.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

The end came with a long long beat across the North Sea from Den Helder forced by both my crew of one and my own need to be back in the UK 3 days later.We set off into a good SW F6 which transformed into a full gale 12 hours later. It took 58 hours with the crew going down with Mal de Mer for the better part of the passage only perking up as we beat down the English coast outside the wind farms to the Orwell.
The problem was my neck which had become increasingly problematic during the preceding 18 months and years of relying on anti-inflammatories and various pain killers had reached the point of being largely ineffective and so I struggled with the associated severe headache, immobile neck and referred pain in neck and shoulders. I realised that the sailing and passages that attracted me were now becoming too difficult if as occasionally happened to one that is time poor and I made what turned out to be a premature decision to sell the boat. A few months afterwards I went under the knife and had two discs replaced in my neck which to all intents and purposes cured the problem albeit with reduced rotational movement in my neck.
As for that journey there were a lot of things that could have made it easier like going south through the canals, not going etc but I knew even with the potential for greater wind strength there would be no problem for the boat, it's just that my neck had reached the end of its durability which wasn't anticipated, we had made more difficult and longer passages in the past.

 

[Wansworth]

On 25Th May 2023 my engine gave up the ghost & I became violently sea sick- as usual. I managed to sail home & felt that was the end. But on the following day my wife ordered a brand new engine, saying that at 77, life was too short to faff with repairing the old one. No way can I give up now inspite of falling & breaking my femour. Somehow, I have to carry on a bit longer.

What a sensible wife you have

 

[Daydream believer]

What a sensible wife you have

Yes, She encourages me to go single handed sailing, whilst she plays golf

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Yes, She encourages me to go single handed sailing, whilst she plays golf

And dusts off the will and insurance policies. My wife knowing that if I started sailing again of which she has little interest or appetite for I would be gone for 3 to 6 months at a time or even longer, she prefers that I stay land locked and whilst I have looked at a few boats and tried to change her mind I have resolved to call it a day, Sailing in the Med and coastal day sailing has no appeal to me which would be the nearest (200 km) ports or more likely a 1000km and a days driving away all makes it rather impracticable.

 

[Wansworth]

Yes, She encourages me to go single handed sailing, whilst she plays golf

I think my wife gets more out of sailing than I do,she likes it windy and when it’s calm

 

[Wansworth]

I think my wife gets more out of sailing than I do,she likes it windy and when it’s calm

But still not got the hang of a bowline

 

[Fr J Hackett]

But still not got the hang of a bowline

What about grannie knots

 

[Wansworth]

What about grannie knots

Not yet

 

[Stemar]

On what grounds do they have "no business to be there" & how do they get that "experience", that you deem necessary if they cannot go on them? Furthermore, what is wrong with E-bikes as a transition to a more modern form of the sport?

While I agree with you on principle, I read Baggy's comment as referring to the same kind of people who think it's a good idea to go up Snowdon or Helvellyn in flip flops and a T shirt

 

[Baggywrinkle]

On what grounds do they have "no business to be there" & how do they get that "experience", that you deem necessary if they cannot go on them? Furthermore, what is wrong with E-bikes as a transition to a more modern form of the sport?

They allow people without the cycling experience to travel at high speeds and get to places they previously couldn't reach, which exacerbates overcrowding and accidents - fitness level and experience used to be a natural barrier to prevent overcrowding on the more interesting trails ... here in the Bavarian alps the increasing numbers of e-bikers are a constant danger to walkers and other bikers as they pilot out-of control 30kg bikes down narrow paths and mountain roads. Basically the same issue as with skiing when all the ski-lifts got upgraded to transport more people up the slopes resulting in overcrowded and dangerous pistes. It's the same as with any adventure sport when it becomes commercialised ... e.g. climbing Everest - who would want to bother these days? The problems highlighted in this apply to every adventure sport to a greater or lesser extent.

 

[steveeasy]

Another night at Crinan with no internet. I’m done.

Steveeasy

 

[dunedin]

Another night at Crinan with no internet. I’m done.

Steveeasy

Don’t give up boating yet …….. get another SIM card on a different network
Or move up above Lock 14 where signal is better

 

[steveeasy]

Don’t give up boating yet …….. get another SIM card on a different network
Or move up above Lock 14 where signal is better

All I could get was some bubble basher from Nova Scotia preaching till midnight.

Steveeasy

 

[capnsensible]

Is bubble bashing noisy?

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Is bubble bashing noisy?

One hesitates to ask or enquire exactly what's involved.

 

[Daydream believer]

While I agree with you on principle, I read Baggy's comment as referring to the same kind of people who think it's a good idea to go up Snowdon or Helvellyn in flip flops and a T shirt

You mean that they go mountain biking when they are clearly "past it"

 

[Stemar]

You mean that they go mountain biking when they are clearly "past it"

Well, yes, that too, but I was thinking of those who never got anywhere near it, but thought it was a good idea. OTOH, depending on their chosen moronitude, they do provide good practical training for Mountain Rescue or the RNLI

 

[Daydream believer]

They allow people without the cycling experience to travel at high speeds and get to places they previously couldn't reach, which exacerbates overcrowding and accidents - fitness level and experience used to be a natural barrier to prevent overcrowding on the more interesting trails ... here in the Bavarian alps the increasing numbers of e-bikers are a constant danger to walkers and other bikers as they pilot out-of control 30kg bikes down narrow paths and mountain roads. Basically the same issue as with skiing when all the ski-lifts got upgraded to transport more people up the slopes resulting in overcrowded and dangerous pistes. It's the same as with any adventure sport when it becomes commercialised ... e.g. climbing Everest - who would want to bother these days? The problems highlighted in this apply to every adventure sport to a greater or lesser extent.

But it is OK for you to go mountain biking because you do not have an e bike.

 

[Baggywrinkle]

But it is OK for you to go mountain biking because you do not have an e bike.

I know what I am doing. A combination of fitness, experience, and skill enable you to get a conventional bike up a steep and difficult climb, and the skill you develop while slogging away to get fit means you have more hours in the saddle - which makes you a more skilled rider.

With new-to-the-sport E-Bike riders, investing the time required to reach an appropriate fitness level is no longer necessary - so the skill and experience is lacking. Not true for all E-Bike riders, but the cost-of-entry to access more of the mountains in terms of fitness and skill has dropped.

The explosion of E-Bikes means many (but not all) e-bike riders have simply bypassed the learning curve, they can get themselves to the top of mountains and then launch themselves down with little or no experience, on a bike weighing twice as much as a conventional bike. Complete recipe for disaster, both for themselves and the other bikers and hikers.

So there are more clueless numpties out there than previously, and they are finding their way onto the more difficult trails.

As the cost of entry to any adventure sport drops, the skill level drops too, and then it becomes less fun for the rest of us.

Happens in sailing too, sitting in an anchorage watching the charter boats come in with their less experienced skippers trying to set anchors in reverse at 6 knots, drifting in the night across the anchorage, anchoring too close to other boats with no understanding of their swing circle.

It's simply the downside of pastimes becoming more accessible.