On becoming a Geezer Sailor

[Dick Kobayashi]

ok, ok, I will not complain about becoming a geezer sailor, because the alternative is not nice. But,,,I am interested in adjustments/modification that folks have made to accommodate slower reaction times, aching joints, and loss of sea legs (not to mention land legs). As one of my friends said : I am old but I'm slow!

I have a 25D - not that big a boat so the forces are not too big. Forget suggestions about ST winches - just too expensive. I am interested in small but effective improvements (cheap too). Am I looking for a magic bullet? Yes. I am.

I have avoided lazy jacks because I have fully battened main sail that I can gain control over with one well placed tie.

I am interested in experiences with single line reefing. Is it really helpful. My Main halyard is already led back to the cockpit.

And, of course, any other recommendations/comments.

[kerrydeare]

... I am interested in adjustments/modification that folks have made to accommodate slower reaction times, aching joints, and loss of sea legs ...

A lot depends on your variety of sailing, but if you manage steering (autopilots) and anchoring (too complicated to simplify but worth a look see) you should be fine. You didn't mention line handling at the dock or mooring, or the dinghy, but these areas can always be improved.

If single-line reefing and lazy jacks are the answers to a sailor's prayer, folks would spend less time in church.

[tjr818]

Single line reefing, lead all lines back to cockpit, TidesMarine Sailtrack, roller reefing, and a cooler in the cockpit to save trips up and down the companionway. I have heard that there are longer winch handles available to give you more leverage, cranking in that 130 genny was the final straw for us.
There are Old Geezers and Bold Geezers, but there are no Old Bold Geezers , to borrow a line from flying days.

[John Stone]

I agree there are no magic bullets. Maybe one can address whatever it is specifically that has become too difficult to do and thus takes the joy out of sailing.

As I have gotten older I find that sailing less often makes the sailing more difficult because I forget to do the simple things that makes something less difficult to do. In other words, the more I sail the easier it is--from rigging the boat to leaving and entering the slip; from raising and lowering sails to launching/recovering the dinghy, from tacking and gybing to navigating.

[Steve Laume]

I'm not sure what kind of sailing you are hoping to do and that would make a big difference. If you are planing that transatlantic trip then your ship might have already sailed.

As I recall, you have a summer home right near your boat, you lucky devil. I am assuming you are most interested in day sailing and coming home to a good meal, hot shower and a comfortable bed. If that is the case then why not get a couple of other old geezers or some enthusiastic kids to come along and help to manage the boat? One of the most active boats in my marina is sailed by four, really old guys. They get out a lot and seem to have fun.

My son came down to spend a week with me in Bermuda this summer and he was converted into a human windlass when we had to re-anchor a whole bunch while watching the races. I would have had a hard time and he took it in stride. Maybe you are not lucky enough to have family to go with you as I seldom do. There must still be a bunch of young people hanging around Matty in the summertime who would love a chance to sail on a big boat. I am not sure there is much you can do to the boat to help with some of the issues of aging but you might have a much better time with some enthusiastic crew. What a great opportunity to pass along some of what you have learned and meet some nice folks in the process, Steve.

[John Stone]

Those are great ideas Steve.

[Neil Gordon]

If you (we) are just getting older and slower, than just take things more slowly. Take your time, give yourself more sea room, heave to more often while doing other things, reef early and often.

[Oswego John]

I used something that usually worked for me when single handling my Ty. But it also worked as well with a crew on an 85' schooner when approaching a dock under power, preparing to tie up.

Secure a short line about mid ship of your craft. Have fenders out. Sidle up to the dock as close as possible. Tie a loop on the dock end of the line to loop over a dock cleat. At this point, there may be several feet between the rub rail and the dock.

Then shift to forward -OR- to reverse. As the hull travels in either direction, it is drawn closer to the dock. There is no heavy tugging, especially in an adverse wind direction. No Swedish steam required. Let the engine do the grunt work.

Of course, someone on the dock to help out makes things a lot easier. lol

Think Spring,
OJ

[Steve Laume]

I was the mate aboard a 60' motor yacht, right after high school. My most important job was lassoing pilings for the spring line. I got really good at it and I made the captain look good as we saddled into the docks. This was well before bow thrusters. If I were ever to miss, we were out of control. I rarely missed, and the captain looked great, Steve.

[Joe Myerson]

A couple of tips, already made by others:

Heaving-to: Right after I got my 25D, I started practicing heaving-to. In the beginning, I had a few amusing incidents when I didn't allow enough sea room or when I forgot to make sure I was on a starboard tack, but all went relatively well. This maneuver gives you a chance to reef, go below to grab lunch or just take a short break if things are getting too strenuous.

Midship docking: Last year I bit the bullet and purchased two midship cleats to mount on my genoa tracks. I went with the cleats from Garhauer, because they're considerably cheaper than those made by Schaefer, although the Schaefer models don't have a knob on the top. This addition has made it much easier for me to approach a dock while single handing. I didn't use them very much last season, because I keep my boat on a mooring and don't come up to a dock very often, but when I did, it made me feel like a pro. Additionally, the midship cleat helps when securing fenders or when setting up springlines.

Longer winch handles (more leverage), two-speed winches or self-tailing winches would all help, but I haven't made those improvements yet.

A younger crew would help the most, but I spend most of my time on the water alone ... and generally love doing so.

Best to all those aging sailors out there ... fair winds!

--Joe

[Warren Kaplan]

When I had my CD27 and my balance was getting long in the tooth, I brought as much as I could back to the cockpit. I had the main halyard, and a 2 Line reef all back to the cockpit. The furling lines for the roller furling genny went to the cockpit. I had lazy jacks also. An ST winch for main halyard on the coach roof by the cockpit helped immensely to hoist and dowse the mainsail since I solo sailed 99% of the time.

The only time I had to leave the SAFETY of the cockpit (with my aging balance problems) was to pick up my mooring, which I only did using engine power with the sails already down.

[Oswego John]

Hi Warren,

It is great to hear from you and other members from the early years of the CDSOA. Yeah, I guess that I qualify to be called a geezer. I sail very little these days but I satisfy my sailing appetite with my daily visits to this forum.

It's not a bad thing to be a geezer. It has rewards that go with that title. For instance, I have a parking space reserved for me at the local WalMart that is marked out with blue paint. lol

There are many great memories logged in from the past years of sailing.

Think springtime,
O J

[Andy Denmark]

I'll cast another vote for geezerhood by posting. Lot's of old friends here.

[Neil Gordon]

Yeah, I guess that I qualify to be called a geezer. I sail very little these days but I satisfy my sailing appetite with my daily visits to this forum.

For those who are new here, you should know that OJ has been geezing pretty much longer than any of us! (Just saying.)

[moctrams]

A geezer is a descriptive word in the UK which is used to define a mans characteristics. A geezer will be found usually out side a pub with a pint in his hand on match day. They commonly like football, scrapping, beer, tea, tits, and Barry white. Geezers often acknowledge other geezers by a greeting each other by saying geezer followed by a nod and a thumbs up.