Has anyone started sailing later in life ?
Posted by Own-Development2299@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 226 comments
Most of the sailors I’ve met have started sailing when they were todlers because of their family owning a boat or for other reasons. So I was wondering about people who starts learning later in life and reach a point where they sail by themselves on long haul trips.
NiagaraNautico@reddit
I started at 30, just local beercan racing. Fell in love with it. Took a sabbatical from work to sail internationally for 6 months. That six months turned into 2.5 years and 10,000 nautical miles. Obviously more in love. Now I'm a commercial sailboat captain running local charters in Ontario. Life changing.
Broke but happy hahaha.
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Do you need a lot of money to live 2.5 years on a boat? Sorry for the intrusive question, just curious. Thank you for sharing your story
NiagaraNautico@reddit
They were other people's boats and I was helping move them across oceans. So prob spent more on flights than anything else. Lots of boats will look for a daily contribution ($50 ish) but you can find boats that will pay for everything, sometimes even flights. It's a great way to learn as much about sailing as about boat maintenance etc.
phliff@reddit
Really got into it late 30s. Now charter big catamarans as skipper. It’s all classes, practice and learning. Now buying a little cat, meow.
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Wow! Was it very difficult to transition to a professionnal skipper?
phliff@reddit
You mean where I can be the skipper for my family and friends? Not hard, just time and building experience. The club we are in had a lagoon 40 so forgot trained on that, started weekend overnight trips…. Once you get a good log book going they will trust you - might need to take you in a proficiency sail. It’s all about experience and showing it through your log book. For them it’s a trust and risk management decision.
pathfinderjefe@reddit
77 1/2 time cruising. Even with frustration and challenges, being out on the water brings so much to life. Incredible cultures, extraordinary sailing community, dynamic nature, learning, solving problems .... It is a phenominal life!
colnago82@reddit
Started at 48. Crewed on a Henderson 30. Fortunately, another guy in board said “You really want to sail dinghies”. Had a $20 Sunfish - “Andrew Jackson”. Then joined the guy’s group sailing a Europe dingy - 11 ft. Great little boat. Alas parts became impossible to find so we switched to Sunfish. Then Sunfish with highly illegal custom sails. Then Rockets.
2abyssinians@reddit
I met an older couple (mid 70s) down in St. John who learned to sail after retiring. Literally no one would sail on their boat with them. Everyone I knew thought they were destined to wreck. They had sailed to the Mediterranean and back! They were tough. The man was handy and had done repairs on their boat. But I do not exaggerate the scorn they received from the community when people realized they had only been sailing less than a decade. They were viewed as morons who were destined to die by a horrible fate.
fluid164@reddit
The Old Salts can be brutal to newcomers… sailors can have some of the lowest emotional IQ I’ve ever experienced.
crosaby77@reddit
Lol for sure many are just engineers I’ve found or stem related fields and that social/empathy side of the brain is not functioning. I felt weird cuz I took a docking class this past summer and I’m 30 but everyone in class was 60 or older and not a single person could dock the boat except for me. Granted it was blowing like 20mph so I was surprised they had first timers trying. Backing down the fairway and into slip. Even the instructor couldn’t do it. They’re volunteer and lovely people. I owned a Catalina 30 for two years prior and got on the helm and was like “OK everyone we don’t need any power since it’s blowing so hard. Going to let the wind blow me down and maintain rudder authority since we are moving through the water already no throttle needed.” Parked it and one of the students was like “that was textbook” lol felt weird to be teaching people twice your age but everyone needs empathy. Also they crashed it into the dock HARD multiple times and you know what the boat was just fine. People act like there’s no room for messing up but the boats are strong you have to mess up to learn. That’s the biggest part of teaching. YOU HAVE TO LET THEM MESS UP. Can’t teach wisdom it can only be learned end of day.
the_fresh_cucumber@reddit
I did not know there are docking specific classes. I could really use such a class.
Docking has always been a weak point for me
crosaby77@reddit
If you're near maryland check out ANSA! Cheapest asa classes around and nicest people
Tommy-Schlaaang@reddit
And then they complain that the sport is dying and there’s no one young in the club
Fornicate_Yo_Mama@reddit
Sailing has always been this way. That didn’t stop younger people from flocking to it in the late 70’s and early eighties. Know why? Cus no one had student debt, a house didn’t cost 20 years salary, minimum wage was the equivalent of $12/hr, single-earner families were still common, young people only had one job and no side hustles killing their spare time, and the average worker’s productivity was 300% lower than ours today.
Young people had time and the ability to afford sailing if they chose it as their hobby or passion.
Extreme_Map9543@reddit
I mean you can still do all those great things from back in the day today. You don’t have to go to college and get student debt (or you could join the army like I did and go to college on the GI Bill). You can get a sailboat and live aboard and save tons on rent. You can live in one of the many parts of the country houses are still affordable. You can work in one of the very short handed trade jobs and make much better money comparatively to a tradesmen doing the same job in the 70s. And young people back in the 70s 100% still had side hustles. People also did more of there own stuff DIY and lived with less material items in general. People like to blame the economy or a million other reasons as to why they’re sitting at the office and not out cruising. But the truth is the only thing stopping you from cruising (with the exemption of tragic family or personal health issues) is people and there lack of sacrifice and willingness to take chances.
Fornicate_Yo_Mama@reddit
Your lack of understanding of socio-economic history and what the realities of today are for most young people should embarrass you. I’m sure it doesn’t, and I’m 80% sure you voted for Trump.
Brokenbowman@reddit
I will disagree with the argument about pay, debt and work hours in the 70s & 80s. We got paid crap, I worked in the restaurant business 50-60 hrs a week but bought a used sunfish for 200 bucks because I liked sailing. What I see in my local area are a lot of young people on the water on jet skis, small center console, Jon boats and pontoon boats as the entry level boats. They can usually finance those from Bass Pro or the Kawasaki dealer. Times are just different and most don’t want to put in the hard work for the perceived lesser boating experience of sailing vs power boating.
Imaginary-Data-6469@reddit
Right no one really makes an affordable new sailboat and most used boats are private sale. That means there isn't really a marketing push at the entry level to get people started.
You need a lot of random skills (in addition to sailing skills) to keep a sailboat running without losing your shirt, so it's intimidating for people who don't have at least some experience doing plumbing/electrical/mechanical/paint/etc. they're also hard to move, so a boat made little sense when I was moving lots early-career.
I've wanted to sail for years, but it didn't really make sense until my mid-30s. Now I have funds, a little more time, a stable address and a place I can store/work-on the boat.
Thadrach@reddit
And half the time they're the ones refusing to bring a first aid kit, a handheld radio, put up lifelines, etc, etc...
snowdrone@reddit
Yes I've found this offputting, totally rude behavior at my (former) club.
DeepwaterHorizon22@reddit
I guess im lucky im one of the youngers at my club and everyone is super nice to me but my club always trying to encourage new sailors.
fluid164@reddit
I started in my 50’s, nearly quit multiple times. Now, I teach complete noobs how to sail… very basic stuff but I love the teaching.
2abyssinians@reddit
I taught kids how to sail Sunfish and it was one of the most fun things I have ever done.
Ar7_Vandelay@reddit
Being able to Macgyver problems is huge. I know some great sailors but some can't change an impeller let alone show you where it is.
WhetherWitch@reddit
I definitely have the MacGyver gene. My solutions for fixing stuff have people asking me “how did you figure that out!” Sometimes I can see the solution and I just have to work it back to the problem.
FarAwaySailor@reddit
I met a family in Curacao who had recently bought. Leopard 56, not previously knowing how to sail. They sailed her down from the US. He said that he kept breaking genoa sheets (?!). He announced that they were departing on a specific date (2 months in the future) for Cartagena. I gently suggested he might check the weather first as it can be a rough passage. The appointed date arrived, they were dismasted near Santa Marta, thankfully they all survived the ordeal.
I crewed for a guy in his 50s who had been cruising around the Caribbean for a while. We spent Christmas exhausted west of Grenada because A) he didn't know there was a westerly set current between Trinidad and Grenada, and B) he had absolutely no idea how his Aires wind-vane worked. Later on the same trip we anchored in Chatham harbour in the dark, under sail due to an engine fire because he had been ignoring the engine temperature gauge.
These stories (I have more) are why salts are sceptical of people who just buy a boat and go for it - if they don't get decent training and advice, then although they don't realise it, they're leaving their safety up to luck.
2abyssinians@reddit
I have to say, I did not completely disagree with the general consensus that they were crazy. They had very little experience, and just seemed to have gotten lucky so far. They had been traveling around the islands extensively and every time they were at Skinny’s telling a story of their latest adventure, there would be so many heads shaking, and people just generally in a state of dismay at their tales that I believe it was well warranted when I was warned never to get on their boat. They often offered to take people with them even just to close by islands like Tortuga, but people would come out of the wood work to warn the would be travelers to stay away.
hellowiththepudding@reddit
I mean, did they earn that reputation for any other reason? Maybe the gossip down there is greater than any place I've been, but that seems very catty.
Disclaimer: I am not at a sailing club.
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Love their boldness! Thank you for sharing this story
psychedelicdonky@reddit
Bought my first boat two years ago, turning 30 this year. Always joked about how lame sail boats were, and all the work. Man has that changed, the serenity is bliss on a sunny day sailing
Entire-Ambassador-94@reddit
A friend took me out on his Nacra 18, and I decided to impulse buy a Hobie 18 the next weekend. The rest is history.
Spiritual-Sea-4995@reddit
I just returned from my first sailing trip on my new to me 39ft Catana Catamaran. I’m 54, i learned to sail for a week with the previous owner on a 1800km delivery trip and spent two weeks sailing in the gulfo de california with my family , was amazing. Going again in February for a month.
arodinpa@reddit
I started at 54. From zero to 104 in 2 years. Did Sailtime for the entire sail season last year. Getting asa114 this Feb. Just keep chugging and find your sailing opportunities when you can.
Fred_Derf_Jnr@reddit
People at our sailing club have taken up sailing well into their later lives, 50-60 is more common than you may realise.
argyle9000@reddit
Sports car? I'm thinking sailing may be my midlife crisis. It's calling me in spite of the fact that I get car sick while driving.
Fred_Derf_Jnr@reddit
You don’t know unless you try and that won’t cost much.
argyle9000@reddit
I agree! My uncle sails so I've got family help, too. I like the idea of joining a sailing club to learn the ropes or joining a crew.
As a teen I had some friends who sailed. They'd take me out on their small crafts to little islands off the coast of Kaneohe Bay on Oahu. I had no idea what they were doing, but I really enjoyed it. Why can't that be me?
mwax321@reddit
I meet cruisers all the time who just retired and bought a sailboat. They took some ASA courses, chartered a boat or two in their 50s, and decided to take the plunge.
I've even met a one who did one charter, were hooked, and bought a 40 foot cat. They learned as they went, hiring a captain on their first passages to learn the ropes and now have over 10,000 nm sailed in the carribean and east coast US. Fully enjoying life.
Angry_Hermitcrab@reddit
Lurker here. What would that lifestyle cost monthly?
NoxiousVaporwave@reddit
Depends on a whole bunch of factors. You can potentially liveaboard for just the cost of food. You can also spend 100k/year.
theplaceoflost@reddit
It's different for literally every boat you meet.
MapleDesperado@reddit
And every boater.
grumpvet87@reddit
my first boat (hobie 16) was $1200, second was $400 (hobie 18), third was $3200 (mystere 5.5)4th was $6000 (mystere 6.0) . about 1k a year avg in gear edits (new jib/main/misc parts) - used/legacy beach catamaran are not indicative of lead sled / leaners
mwax321@reddit
Fluctuates wildly. I've spent $150k in the last year on just refit items. Will have a near entire new boat. Probably should have just bought another boat! But we like ours a lot, and I know every inch of it.
The following year, we don't expect to need to haul out or do anything beyond normal maintenance. Anticipating a major breakdown, we probably will spend $20k on maintenance/repairs. Month-to-month, our expenses like food/diesel/fun should be around $3000/mo.
We are sailing to countries that should be very cheap to live in, so those costs can even be lower.
But yes, I won't lie: It's not the cheapest. But it IS sustainable. And plenty of people doing it WAY cheaper than we are!
Jay_Normous@reddit
This post gets into that topic https://www.reddit.com/r/sailing/comments/1gez2nd/cost_breakdown_for_our_first_7_months_full_time/
acciowaves@reddit
It’s an expensive hobby, I’ve always wanted to learn but just don’t have the money and/or time, so I’m wishing later in life I’ll be able to do so.
Naked_North77@reddit
65M. I took an ASA beginner’s class (101?) last spring on Tampa Bay. In my class, both of us were retired already. The instructor was a FT nurse up north. She told me slip fees & insurance where she keeps her Catalina 31 were almost $1K/month. Owning a big keelboat just isn’t in the cards for me so I let that dream go. Thinking of building a camp cruiser or just buy one instead, probably all the adventure I need.
Ar7_Vandelay@reddit
crew on race night. It's hard to get crew that's under 60 - Some of the best racers I know don't own a boat
LuckyErro@reddit
Boats need crew and crewing is not expensive.
PossiblyBefuddled@reddit
We took lessons at a municipal sailing center - it's associated with the local university, but lessons are available to the public, so prices were pretty affordable. Then we rented 14' sailboats for a few years. Absolutely affordable - about the same as dinner and a movie for the 2 of us. We had a ton of fun, and learned a lot.
And once you've learned the basics, it is always pretty easy to crew on a race boat, if there's any racing going on near you.
Thadrach@reddit
Find a friend with a boat.
Lots of sailors (powerboats, not so much) are on the lookout for crew who can go out on short notice, help out, kick in for lunch afterwards, etc.
Cape Cod, I've even seen ads looking to pay crew to go sailing.
brufleth@reddit
There's at least one guy in the class I'm in now (coastal navigation) who is retired and I think he said only started sailing recently.
Parlonny@reddit
Hey, what would you advice a 31yo who wants to start from scratch and make it professionally. Anything about course, class, experience. Any tips. I promise you any wise words you share can be life altering, I am in a desperate moment in life.
R_051@reddit
I am a sailing teacherand have seen people from all ages take up sailing. Some people start sailing once they have retired because they all of a sudden have loads of time to learn a new skill
Redox600@reddit
BandOne3100@reddit
35 when I started. Got married at 42 mrs doesn't enjoy it so night a moho instead. I do have a 18' little sailboat. I'd like a big one again but we also still race dirt bikes and that soaks up to much cash lol
robbinthehoodz@reddit
I’m 40, never sailed anything, and am taking the ASA 101/103 in June.
1director1@reddit
started at 56 on Lake Michigan by crewing (basically rail meat) on race boats (S2's and J boats). Learned the names of everything and how the stuff went up and down and when and why. After 3 years purchased a very heavy (opposite of race boat) ericson 29 with all new sails, new diesel motor new tanks etc. Having fun on Lake Michigan.
OrionH34@reddit
Must have been about 40 when a friend had a friend with a sailboat. Used to help as crew on races for a while until we made the leap and bought one. We've been boat owners for two decades now. It's kept our finances low and our sanity intact. We had never really given it much thought as motorbikes were our thing.
GoneSouth@reddit
I was 52 when I started sailing! Grew up completely landlocked. Now own my own catamaran and headed to Bahamas!
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
That’s amazing! And how old are you now, may I ask? ^^
GoneSouth@reddit
55
torenvalk@reddit
Started at 33. I had been on boats before many times, but just as a passenger/diver/champagne drinker.
Joined for a bareboat charter in Croatia with some friends who had just got their day skipper cert. It was just the four of us on the boat so we had to be real crew. Sailed all around the Croatian islands. The freedom!! My eyes were opened and a passion was born.
Booked a polyvalk (small boat) sailing course immediately as the start. Moved to an island within the year, with a small harbour, bought a starter sailboat from a friend's father for 5000. We learned so much on that project boat!!
We also chartered sailboat nearly every summer with those Day Skipper friends in Europe and BVI. Bought new to us Beneteau 361 in early 23 and have now sailed in 2500 miles on her since then, from Spain to Swedish Archipelago.
The boat is 100 steps from our front door. We both have full time jobs but can work some months remotely each year with Starlink AMS mobile phones. Living the dream until we can work fully remotely (husband is not yet convinced of this!) and sail fully in the summer and land locked in the winter.
I did the day RYA skipper theory, diesel engine and VHF cert but no official practical. Husband has his ICC now. We did have a delivery skipper with us as we brought the boat over the Bay of Biscay, but otherwise it's just been us two.
You can start late.
wkavinsky@reddit
Why not both?
Sweden -> Scotland -> Caledonian Canal (?) -> Ireland -> Wales -> Cornwall -> Scilly -> Channel Islands -> Normandy.
torenvalk@reddit
Not enough time! We have other non sailing travel plans this year so don't have the holiday time, and this would take a lot of sailing. We are coming from NL. This loop is on our list though.
wkavinsky@reddit
Ah, not to overly criticise, but that's useful information to put in the post (how much time you have) - there's a (natural) presumption when discussing journeys like this that the person is cruising full time, and time isn't a concern.
torenvalk@reddit
I literally said in the post (one paragraph after I mentioned Scotland or Normandy) that we work full time, but can cruise for a few months and work remotely. Full time working is still implied.
Not to overly criticize, but I didn't ask for advice, just said we were considering it. Happy to take your advice, but then don't get snippy when I say you hadn't read my post fully? Odd reaction that.
torenvalk@reddit
Well, Channel Islands were included, as we have friends there, but I agree Scotland is the more interesting option. We are coming from NL though so it's 5+ days to get to West Scotland which is pure sailing time.
So we might do Edinburgh (where we also have friends) and Orkneys this summer and save our holidays for next year. Or just go back to Sweden. :)
I'm over the cold though and France is a bit sunnier.
rainbowtoasti@reddit
I’m 37 and starting now. Does that count?
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Course!
iheartrms@reddit
I started sailing dinghies and taking classes two years ago at 48. A few months ago I started sailing a Catalina 30.
mwax321@reddit
Yes. 32
Francis-BLT@reddit
That’s not toddler, but, unless you are very unlucky, certainly not ‘later in life either 😏
mwax321@reddit
Fair, but I have met numerous cruisers out here who are in their 50s and 60s who have never sailed before.
Francis-BLT@reddit
I will be one of those, so know your good fortune. ( although I did have my first dingy lessons as a teenager, occasional trips in friends boats in subsequent decades and a few races as crew in my fifties, I have not sailed consistently nor owned a boat till this year)
Meowface_the_cat@reddit
Starting at retirement is enormously common in my part of the world. I won't lie and pretend that being youthful, spritely and sprig don't help, but I know people who started at 70.
Zyj@reddit
No. Noone.
MDdadbod@reddit
Is 4 later in life?
Compared with toddlers, yes.
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Ahaha fair enough !
romanohere@reddit
58 late enough?
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Early I’d say! :p
WhetherWitch@reddit
Turned 50, bought a 40’ catamaran. Zero experience, zero regrets 🙂⛵️
ohiopilot@reddit
53 and started last summer
Likeapuma24@reddit
I'd never been near a sailboat until my mid 30s, when I got invited to attend a "basic training" camp for disabled veterans (Warrior Sailing, gotta plug them because they're awesome!).
Got hooked, attended two more courses with them, & lucked my way onto a Wed night races with an older fella for a season.
Morall_tach@reddit
My dad didn't start sailing until my mom introduced him in his mid-20s and now he's doing the Northwest Passage next summer.
takeoff_power_set@reddit
I started in my 30's after I started earning enough to buy a boat.
I had always wanted to sail but it wasn't economically feasible. Now I make bank but I have the oldest, cheapest, tankiest oceangoing 31' boat I could buy for under $10k, lol.
ezbigdawg7@reddit
I started learning at 60. Bought my first sailboat (Bristol 41 CC) at 62. The only disadvantage is I will never get 20 years of experience. Doesn’t matter when you start. Only that you start.
Sea_Asparagus_526@reddit
Never been done. Zero people do this. Impossible
SouthernHiker1@reddit
I started at 45 by buying a Catalina 22. I kept it for a year and a half before upgrading to a Dufour 31. I just got back from bareboating a 41’ Beneteau in the BVI. I wish I had started sailing sooner in life, but there is no time like the present to get started.
permalink_child@reddit
Yes. I started late, when I was 24. Has served me well and 35 years later, I do enjoy single-handing, but for short outings, and I never caught the “sail around the world” bug. Coastal cruising has been fine for me.
frankysfree@reddit
I’m about to be 43 and started when I was 40 on a whim after seeing a video of Sam Holmes on YT. Had never sailed, never been on the ocean, nothing. Took ASA and within a year i bought a true blue water boat, a Baba 30. Just did our longest trip yet last month, 36hr straight in the GOM
Ar7_Vandelay@reddit
I started at 52
Efficient_Waltz_8023@reddit
I started after college, now a own racer cruiser and instructor.
maz356@reddit
I was 48. Took a basic keelboat class.
oaklicious@reddit
I started sailing at 32 FWIW
samstanley7@reddit
I got my first sailboat at 35, took five years to fix it up and start sailing.
LuckyErro@reddit
I started in my 50s.
vanatteveldt@reddit
I started sailing around 30, and I'm doing fine (so far :D). Bought my first proper boat about five years ago.
I always look with jealousy at how easily and intuitively some people handle their boats (but I'm also not above chucking at the mess some people make of their maneuvers in a lock).
offgridstories@reddit
Never set foot on deck until I was 27. Bought my first boat at 32.
sola_mia@reddit
53f here. Started started sailing education last year
unwhelming_potential@reddit
I started at 28 and have been at it for 4 years. I threw myself into racing with all of the flexibility of a mature aged uni student working full time. I'm about to board a plane and race internationally (admittedly, it's Australia to New Zealand, so like, only technically international). You can definitely start later in life and you don't need sailing connections - my dad is a sailor but I didn't sail as a kid and I only occasionally sail with my dad nowadays. Depending on the sort of sailing you want to do it may be as simple as finding your local yacht club and putting your name down on a crew list.
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Thank you for your story! Have fun on this adventure! :)
spinozasrobot@reddit
I started about 8 years ago at 55, and I'm now about to do my first ocean crossing.
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Wow! Are you going on your own boat ?!
spinozasrobot@reddit
No, a friend asked me to crew for him; delivering his new boat back to US from where it's manufactured.
jasonaimejouer@reddit
I am, let's say, past my 30s and have just started taking courses. I've done dingy and keelboat classes and have already signed up for navigation, boat maintence, diesel mechanics, and plan to sign up for a lot more. I'm not really a part of a sailing club yet but I grew up without a coast and havne't really had time to get into the hobby until now.
Most of my classmates are between 40 and 60 I'd say, even in the intro dingy class so I would say there are tons of people learning this late in life.
MrDiablerie@reddit
Hopefully because I plan it on when I retire
CaregiverNo1229@reddit
Is started in my late forties with my wife. We took a sailing class including classroom and on the water. Then bought our first boat, 27 Catalina. Had that for 2 years and then went to 32 ft beneteau which I had for 10 and sailed all over Long Island sound.
CaregiverNo1229@reddit
Hey. Thanks everyone for all the upvotes!
Jimbo571@reddit
This is me. We (46/45) did the sailing class last year and have recently just purchased a ComPac27 on a trailer. The plan is to learn on that for the next decade and then start cruising snowbird style when we retire. Thanks for the inspiration.
CaregiverNo1229@reddit
Good for u! Go for it!
SkiMonkey98@reddit
My dad bought a boat in his 30s, read some books on it, and otherwise figured it out by trial and error he's a great sailor and taught me a lot of what I know. I wouldn't necessarily recommend diving in blindly like that but it can be done. Lessons are a much safer and faster way to learn, at least at first
Unconsistent_dude@reddit
You absolutely can do that ! but chose a boat according to your physical capabilities (not too big or with electric windlasses).
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Thank you for your encouragement ! :)
Niss_UCL@reddit
My dad got his depression from the 50's and bought a boat, he sails all the time. How did he learn? No idea
mosmarc16@reddit
Yea, started at 55...lloving it...still get u easy when high speed winds blow...Hurricane Beryl ade that worse..lol.. i was in 280km/h wind...was not funny, boat sank....got out alive and bought another one.😜.. love sailing tho..
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Dear lord! Must have been terrifying… good on you to keep sailing 😅
mosmarc16@reddit
It was an experience worth living through, never ever thought I'd see catamarans flying like birds...hight up in the sky, and complete little wooden shops/houses just floating in the air, containers flying etc.... the power of the wind and the size/force of the waves were simply unbelievable... respect to nature!! One thing for sure tho...lol.. next time I hear a hurricane coming my way I'm the 1st to leave 🤣 Sailing life is wonderful in general, its exhilarating, you get to learn so much about yourself, you become resilient and a survivor of whatever cones your way, and you meet absolutely great lovely people...will sail till O drop dead..🤣⛵️
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
I know.. it is mad to look at those monsters! Only saw them flying on YT videos… looks like you have a lot of fun!
WhatIGot21@reddit
Started at 41.
ThinkerSailorDJSpy@reddit
I just bought a boat and basically taught myself at age 32.
To be clear, I lived on sailboats previously (from age 26-28 or so) but both were project boats and only sailed one of them maybe twice. So I started in this weird place of knowing a lot of vocabulary intimately and having a solid 8+ years of reading about it and watching videos for the theory of it, but basically no practical experience or formal lessons.
Thus my first day out on my new boat more than doubled my sailing time. Unfortunately, the boat is stored in a far away marina, so I haven't had much chance to expand upon that. Planning to sail it to a marina much closer to town so I can get at least a day or two in per week.
dwkfym@reddit
Plenty: like people older than me learn to become decent sailors (I'm turning 40 this year). I started as an adult at age 22 myself.
PrinceWalnut@reddit
I started at 27. I grew up and went to college in a landlocked desert (and also am not rich). Only moved to the coast for work right before the plague and after it was over got into sailing. Still not rich but I can afford the local sailing clubs now.
borschelrh@reddit
I started in my early 60’s and sail every day there is wind enough to sail. I self taught on a catamaran and then bought a 24 foot one design racer that I sail single handed 99% of the time. I also successfully obtained my ICC in Croatia. My boat is a 30 minute bike ride from our home. My wife doesn’t sail at all and suffers from severe vertigo but she bought me the boat.
deathlyxhallow@reddit
I was 25 when I first stepped foot on a sailboat, I’m 32 now and have been working and living nearly full time on sailboats for the last 7 years.
Important-Nobody_1@reddit
I started at 59. I'm 60 now with a small 21' boat and I'm learning. I sail in calm waters on the Indian River Lagoon and my boat seems pretty easy to handle. I took a class at the local sailing school to give me a jump start on the basics.
I think about age myself. What happens if I really love this and want bigger equipment, but my aging body refuses to hoist a sail or trailer a boat, etc? There will come a time when I can't do it, so I'll enjoy it for now.
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Enjoy it as much as possible! That’s very inspiring :)
a_RandomSquirrel@reddit
The best time to start was yesterday. The second best time is today.
Have fun, wear a PFD, and don't forget your sunblock!
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the tips!!
Standard_Grocery2518@reddit
I started sailing in my late 50s with a Machregor 26, then I moved up to a contessa 35, I now have a Lagoon 380. Be careful, it's an addiction.
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Best addiction although quite expensive! Thank you for sharing
dis0wn@reddit
I am starting this process now with no background in sailing. At 53 yrs old, I've spent most of my life in the mountains of Colorado. I'm taking ASA courses and chartering boats in Galveston Bay when I can. I'm about 6-7 weekend charters into it and loving it. I'm a car guy and went to college for Mechanical Engineering. I am actually looking forward to everything breaking on the boat.. :) I should have my first boat later this year or next year. I'm not going small either. I love the Beneteau Sense 55 layout and have some ideas to turn the guest rooms into offices for my wife and I to continue working onboard.
sfigone@reddit
I started in my late 30s. I'm now 60, have raced and cruised on 3 continents; have my own boat; have done many Blue water races; and have been a Commodore off my local club.
Never too late.
It took a while before things were instinctive like for those that started young. But I focused on being good technically and being able to setup, executed and pack up well. That made me valuable crew to get the house in, so the instincts developed.
rosbif1@reddit
Here's our 'virtual club" (i.e. not a club with a fixed home) demographics:
Members by Age: Age Group # Members by Age 18-20 0 20-30 3 30-40 1 40-50 7 50-60 16 60-70 23 70-80 13 80-100 6
Boat Owners by Age: Age Group # Boat Owners by Age 18-20 0 20-30 0 30-40 0 40-50 2 50-60 2 60-70 3 70-80 5 80-100 4
The first thing you notice when you come through the door to one of our meetings is a sea of grey hair and the reflections of the bald heads :>)
A fun and enthusiastic group - we call ourselves Chicagoland's Friendliest Sailing and Social Club"
BitemarksLeft@reddit
I sailed as a teenager. Stoped before 20. Started sailing keelers at 45. Now 50, planning an early retirement on the water and seeing some of the world!
Tdawg90@reddit
started at ~40, still starting, I've been focusing on club sailing right now, dinghies and <30' keel boats. getting certs (getting my small boat instructors license in June), have a US Sailing Keel boat cert, working on other certs. I'd get a boat now, but I'm too busy with other parts of life that I can't validate letting it sit for most of the year, so club sailing will suffice for now
OriginalHappyFunBall@reddit
I started at ~50. I have a 30 foot monohull I sail in the summer almost every weekend. I only damaged once in the second year running into a rock. I have been sailing it for around 7 years now.
I got my ASA certifications 2 years ago and have done two barefoot charters in the Caribbean since then.
bontempsfille@reddit
42 here. Started 2 years ago at 40.
garcilla1983@reddit
I started last year at 41. It's become one of the biggest passions in my life. It's never to late to start:)
grumpvet87@reddit
yes, i sailed sunfish at camp when i was 10 but couldnt tell you a jib from a main, really knew nothing. 25 years later i got a hobie 16 and used it a few times. then at 39 actually got into sailing (knew less than nothing on a catamaran) ... met the local superstar cat sailers and sailed every fri sat sun (avg 125 days a year).
sailed over 1000 days before my shoulders started to go out and catamaran sailing as a sport started to die out. entire fleet "retired".
OldRaggedScar@reddit
I'm 56m with a Yankee 30. I bought my first sailboat, a Catalina 22, for my 50th birthday. I fell in love with it, felt primal and connected to my ancestors. The first time I swung that boom over and caught the wind and that lil boat started moving... I knew I needed a bigger boat. Our plan now (the wife and aye) is in 2 years when our youngest graduates high school we just go. I live in the PNW, San Juan islands, orcas island, there's so much to see from the pulpit or the cockpit and that's our intention .
navi_jen@reddit
Never too late. Just learned to sail last week (asa 101-104 certs), definitely middle aged. As long as you are healthy, keep going. My dad was working 8 hours a day on his sailboat (I'm talking glassing, engine repairs) into his 80s. Just start and keep moving.
MathematicianSlow648@reddit
It was a long time ago. Got married at 21 after telling my girlfriend of my dream of sailing to the tropics. At 23 we bought a 19' gaff cutter with no engine and sit-up headroom. Looked up how to sail at the library and sailed it around the harbour a few times and then made the big crossing of the Gulf of Georgia to the Gulf Islands between mainland Canada and Vancouver Island 20+ miles. Sold that boat in the summer of 69 and commissioned a bare hull, deck and cabin of a 32' Ketch that could cross oceans and was big enough to live on. We had it sailing by 73. By 81 had her and us ready to go offshore and left for a 3 yr adventure to the South Pacific and back. Liked it so much we did it again in 81! After that we buckled down on saving for retirement which happened at 65. My only recommendations are do it when you are young and keep it simple.
r_adi@reddit
Started at 33. Its been amazing, know a few folks who staryed in their 50s
H_Ventures@reddit
I took my first sailing class at 30!
Independent_Light904@reddit
I started during the pandemic at 42 - it was something I'd always wanted to do, but had never pulled the trigger, and all of a sudden had time! I'd been around boats my whole life but never sailed, so just dove into a small keelboat and have been learning since.
I'm still not great, but enjoying it and if things ever get outside my comfort zone the go-to is just drop the sails and start the motor. Sacrelidge to 'real sailors' but I'm not planning on a vendee globe or anything, just getting out on the water with my family so it works for us.
p3dr3ig@reddit
I'm 70, started last year and about to do the RYA Day Skipper course in the Canaries next week.
mbvntgpstrs@reddit
i'm 40, went on my first cruise in 2020, went to sailing school for a couple of weeks every year, did my first transatlantic passage and raced on a classic 70ft schooner in 2024. Will probably buy my own boat in 2025
coraljane@reddit
Started sailing in my late 40s. It’s a very adaptable sport. I both race and live aboard.
Ginger_Libra@reddit
Jason and Nikki Wynn didn’t start until their late 20s/early 30s.
They went to Blue Water Sailing School in the Caribbean and have hired people when they needed it.
jsheil1@reddit
I got my little Hobie Bravo when I was 48. I had always wanted to learn to sail.
FarAwaySailor@reddit
I started when I was 22. Crossed the Atlantic & Pacific the first time when I was 29/30
Beautiful-Luck-2019@reddit
I started in my late 20s in San Diego when the sysop of an online bulletin board that I frequented asked if anyone wanted to join him on his boat for a sail. I showed up along with one other guy and spent the day sailing with him and his wife. We became good friends for several years and sailed together often. We even went out to watch part of the America’s cup the first year it was in San Diego.
shitinhumanform@reddit
I started at 40
RecalcitrantReditor@reddit
I started in my early 40s with zero experience. My wife and I started by taking ASA classes from a local business. We then started chartering in the BVIs and bought a small (30-ish foot) boat and got involved with a local cruising club. We progressed into club racing on a friends boat, joining our local yacht club, and eventually doing coastal races of a few hundred miles on our own boat. Those races typically resulted in my doing the few hundred miles return trip after the race single-handed. I've also done a few offshore races as crew to Bermuda. Did you have any specific questions?
d13robot@reddit
Started late 30s just take a class and go from there
ryantheamazingest@reddit
I’m not exactly old (22) but I started last year after I restored a Sunfish from the 90’s and read a book on sailing. It’s been fun doing some trial and error as I’ve learned!
x_driven_x@reddit
I was 40 when I first started, and have now done a couple bareboat charters / shorter passages. Would love to do some really long haul passages but haven’t had the opportunity yet. I skipper day sails often throughout the season.
millijuna@reddit
I did a bit of dinghy sailing as a kid, but didn't start sailing keelboats until I bought into mine in my 30s.
genericdude999@reddit
Every sport I've ever done, especially skiing, is dominated by people whose parents had enough money to get them started at age 5. Then proper coaching and equipment right from the start, plus travel expenses to races/matches/tournaments out of town so they can get used to high level competition at an early age.
I've done several different sports non-stop going back to 1992 all recreationally mostly, with a few competitions now and then. I started sailing a few years before Social Security age for when my current sports are too rigorous to continue. Doing fine but don't expect to see me in Le Grande Internationale Regatta blah blah
Express_Mail2294@reddit
I’m 50 and I’m only just learning to sail. I’m taking it slowly and carefully, I don’t have any plans for solo sailing or transatlantic crossings yet but I’m enjoying every aspect so far.
sailingerie@reddit
Bought my sailboat age 49 and am loving sailing... sailed a bit as a teenager on my gparents friends sailboat and have dreamed about my own ever since...we spend a lot of time on mooring bouys at an island in Lake Erie with only 8 full time residents...we watch bald eagles, blue herons and peregrine falcons and relax!
GeoffSobering@reddit
I started sailing in my 20's, iceboating around 40, bought my Laser at 42, started landsailing in my early 50's, and won the blokart landsailer NAs in my 60's.
It's never too late!
whyrumalwaysgone@reddit
I worked for a guy who started sailing at 84. He had sold his business, bought a boat, and hired myself and one crew to sail with him down the Bahamas. Never too late, just need a little help when you get older.
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Bloody hell! So cool to read life is not over till death aha
glasshouse5128@reddit
Had my first lessons at 46, just 5 months ago. Now we have a Siren and are slowly getting comfortable on it, though it's a long, impatient wait through winter. I'll admit the lessons (2 days in class and on water on a 12 foot Zest tacking and gybing in a small area) were exhausting and really hard on my legs, but I learned a ton.
MisterMasterCylinder@reddit
I started in my late 30s, and my parents decided to join in and learn in their 60s as well. You might have to accept that you'll never be a world-class professional sailor, but just getting out in the wind and waves is pretty accessible as long as you're still even semi-reasonably fit.
Ghostsohg0@reddit
I started sailing at 47, to keep up with my kid who started racing an Opti. I have fun crewing for races and doing terribly in the club ILCA series. I charter boats sometimes and know what I am doing. I don’t know if sailing will every be reflexive for me the way it is for my kid, and I will never really be accepted as one of the “real” sailors like my son, but I am decent crew and I have a good time. The sailing community is great. I recommend learning single handed- with a sunfish or laser.
New_World_Native@reddit
I'm 53 and started learning last year, while day sailing on a friend's boat. I'm excited to finally take an adult sailing course at my local yacht club this summer.
FrogFlavor@reddit
My dad started at 60 yo and now does more races in a season than anyone else in his club
2airishuman@reddit
I started in my early 50s but had prior experience in small motorboats, and prior navigation and weather skills from aviation.
I never took a class and hadn't crewed on other people's boats before I bought my first sailboat. I don't find sailing difficult.
brufleth@reddit
There's at least one guy in the class I'm in now (coastal navigation) who is retired and I think he said only started sailing recently.
KK7ORD@reddit
I stepped on my first sailboat last year, at 36 🤷
PossiblyBefuddled@reddit
I took my first sailing class (in a Sabot!) in my late 30s. After renting occasionally, my husband and I bought our first boat 10 years later, and after another 10 years we started racing. Now we're retired and race almost weekly, we've done longer trips and several bareboat charters.
We race against a couple of skippers who are in their 80s, so sailing is a sport/lifestyle/addiction that you can stick with for a long time. But I know what you mean about the people who grew up sailing. If reincarnation is a thing, I want to come back as a sailor in a junior program.
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Love your story! Thank you :) Makes me want to do that too !
SuperBrett9@reddit
My guess is those who started as a kid are more vocal about when they started than someone who started later.
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Probably true^^
Fast_Personality6371@reddit
I started last spring at 54. Never too late!!
mynameis____@reddit
I bought a boat in my late 30s; self taught singlehanded sailor on a 27’ sloop. I did sail a little as a youngster but no formal training then or more recently - other than some USCG trainings.
uninsane@reddit
Yup. Like 43
Same_Raise6473@reddit
Started at 46 but still working toward long haul solos but folks have been helpful, supportive, and patient.
It’s been more my experience that the sailors I’ve met are happy to talk and teach. My hunch is that it has a lot to do with how the novice approaches it and attitude
jet_heller@reddit
Sailing is kind of like owning a Corvette. Often you do it when you can finally afford it.
gg562ggud485@reddit
When your wife finally agrees.
Francis-BLT@reddit
Or get divorced 😏
hellowiththepudding@reddit
I was in my 20s, had never been on a sailboat before and went out with a buddy and his father on their boat. Boat one two weeks later.
You can absolutely learn later in life. It's an expensive hobby, so not unusual for adult starts!
zebostoneleigh@reddit
Absolutely, yes. I’ve been sailing NH recently with tons of people who started in their 50s and 60s… and we were doing long ocean crossings.
DevolveOD@reddit
Turned 60 this year, last year bought a dinghy, figuring it out, expressed my joy, was given a 23 ft Erikson. Going for my asa101 in may.
XtianS@reddit
I am not sure how to old you are referring, but I recently did ASA certs and almost all of the people in those classes were well over 40.
hippieinthehills@reddit
I started in my mid 50s. Now contemplating buying a blue-water-capable boat to live on, first to do some coastal cruising, then maybe up the coast of Canada, over to Greenland, Iceland, and on to Europe.
the-official-review@reddit
Yeah, tons of people do. Don’t be intimidated and just get out there and do your thing
akga75@reddit
I was 47. Been sailing for 4 years. Moved to the coast for more opportunities to sail. I’m on boat number 2 and loving it. I put it off for way too long. I wish I had started earlier.
KStieers@reddit
Started at 38, I have crew that stared in their 50s.
Best time to start was decades ago, second best time to start is now.
Soudain_Josh@reddit
I started learning in my early 40s and I don't even have a sailboat yet at 44. I may not be 50 until I actually have a boat. I was actually slightly younger than the other students in the classes - a lot of people seem to have the means to do this in their 40s and 50s.
Cdn59@reddit
Started sailing late 50s, bought a smaller boat at 60. Some coastal family charters now, majority is large lake sailing, most often solo.
SimilarStrain@reddit
Started in my mid 30s.
VaguelyInteresting10@reddit
I started last year when I was 46.
EddieVedderIsMyDad@reddit
I’ve been cruising internationally for years at this point and the majority of cruisers I meet, at least Americans, didn’t start sailing until well into adulthood. In fact, the majority of them didn’t start sailing until they were deciding to go cruising. With the influence of blogs and now vlogs a lot of people get the bug before they’ve ever set foot on a sailboat.
digimer@reddit
I bought my first boat well into my 40s.
portisleft@reddit
Most YouTube sailors started lateish, btw, ironically the bigger the channel, the 'newber' they were when they started, it seems. Myself, I started in my late 20s, but had been windsurfing and kiting since 8/9.
backbonus@reddit
Over 60 here. Bought my first sailboat last March. Learning as I go every day. My plan is fresh water, inland lake; Great Lakes, Coastal sailing then the Caribbean. YOLO. Oh, YODO, too.
bplipschitz@reddit
I started in.my 40s, about 20 years ago. It's still great fun.
vaneynde@reddit
Started taking lessons and joining a sailing club in my late 40s. Bought a boat in my early 50s. Doing a month long trip this summer (god willing)
Didsomatic@reddit
Late 30’s. 4 years later I sail with my family on a small daysailer, race on a laser, and crew for PHRF races in the summer. Love it.
blueberrybannock@reddit
I’m 26 and just got my first sailboat last year. 25’ trailer sailer, but yes now my kids are going to learn as toddlers.
coaldigger1969@reddit
Pmthoma86@reddit
Late 30s here. No long hauls but comfortable on short jaunts in the ocean. Nobody’s throwing shade at me so far!
Fingers_of_fury@reddit
I’ve met so many couples who started sailing in their 50s/60s and are now sailing around the world. You don’t need decades of experience. You can learn a whole lot in a short amount of time if you really go at it.
Valuable-Ad3975@reddit
We bought our first boat when in our late 50’s, our investor questioned our hesitation then asked me if I was waiting till I retired, I said maybe to which he responded “How do you know you’ll still have your health” a week later we were the proud owners of our first sailboat. Since then we traded in our 30 footer for a 40 footer and can’t be happier. When I can no longer can do the maintenance we’ll look at our options.
Sfangel32@reddit
I’m 38 and I just learned to sail 2 years ago. So not like extremely late in life but later than normal. Thank god for US Patriot Sailing.
SeaAndSkyForever@reddit
Started at 36
Correct_Emu7015@reddit
First boat: power, age 35 At 50 we bought a sailboat and started learning to sail
thiefspy@reddit
I started this past summer at 48.
Juniper_Teacup90@reddit
Started just before my 29th birthday, completed both dinghy and keelboat lessons through my club then began crewing for inshore races. In just over a year I went from someone with absolutely no experience to helping with offshore deliveries and completing my first Sydney to Hobart race.
I wouldn’t say I was confident enough to sail solo on my own boat offshore at that point but I probably would have if I continued sailing (Got injured after the S2H race so I’ve been stuck on shore for the last 4 years).
fergehtabodit@reddit
The first time I stepped on a sailboat in Chicago I was 39. 4 years later got involved in racing. Met people, ended up doing deliveries in the ocean and have racked up over 25,000 miles in the Atlantic and Caribbean. I have 18 races to Mackinac and 2 Newport - Bermuda races. But yeah, most of the folks I sail with started much younger.
lost_symbiosis@reddit
Started a couple years ago at 41. Only solo trip is in a 16’ at a local lake.
SaucyWiggles@reddit
I'm 32 and started last year and am spending tons of my free time on sailing, more classes, prepping for bluewater races, etc. I love it the way I love walking or biking, it's just a new way to move through the world.
Where I grew up in Texas we (maybe obviously) didn't have sailing so I'm also going through some imposter syndrome feelings as I'm totally surrounded in New England who have been sailing since they were 5.
Gaddpeis@reddit
37
gomets1969@reddit
Wife and I started sailing at 50. We're 55 now, have owned our own boat going on four years, and have taken several long trips with just the two of us. I'm assuming that meets the "later in life" criteria? 😁
Own-Development2299@reddit (OP)
Definitely ! Aha so inspiring to read :D
canuckleballer@reddit
I was 26, now I've been sailing for 13 years and feel like I've been doing it forever. I think it something you can pick up pretty quickly and if you spend a season or two as a crew on a race boat, you'll learn even faster. I also had a good old sailor sail with me my first few seasons and learned a lot from him (lol some good habits and some bad).
Rene__JK@reddit
i started sailing when i was 49-50 , we took off for 6 years (europe , south america, carib etc) when i was 52 . i dont know if that was "later in life" ?
i think i would physically struggle 10-15 years from now , but thats why god invented electric winches
7marlil@reddit
Started in my thirties, can't imagine my life without it now
SailorChic76@reddit
Grew up around powerboats, but didn't go out on my first sail until I was 34 when I randomly decided to give a two class package a try. Instantly fell in love with sailing, and immersed myself in all things sailing for a couple of years. Didn't just do the fun stuff...spent lots of time reading, going to conferences/classes/live aboard trips, and putting in hours on the grimy maintenance/repair tasks at the boatyard. I've skippered my own boat for over 10 years, bareboat chartered in some fantastic places around the world, and although I usually sail with at least one other person, I've done a few single-handed delivery trips (8+ hours). Totally doable to pick up the necessary skills later in life.
l1reynolds@reddit
My wife and I started sailing in our early 30s, and we bought our first boat (1978 CS 27) a few years later. After about 5 years with that boat, we moved to a 1980 C&C 40. Most of our sailing is done together, but we've done a 3 day passage on a friend's boat, have chartered in Croatia for a week, and have done lots of other sailing. Courses are a great way to learn, and racing is a great way to get experience.
get_MEAN_yall@reddit
I started when I was 26. Does that count as later in life?
Don't do long haul trips purely for financial reasons. I have to work full time. But there are plenty of people who learn quickly enough to start full time cruising during their first or second season.