Will I get to go sailing more?

[Jerry Hammernik]

As of midnight I'm retired. 31+ years in the fire service. Hasn't really sunk in yet. Probably take a few weeks for that. But for those of you who have retired already, will I really get to sail a lot more? Or do things keep happening to mess it up?

I realize that I'm the one who decides what I do each day, I'm just wondering how it worked out for others.

This board is an everyday stop for me. I hope you all realize what an important part of my life you all are. It still amazes me that we can have friends we've never met.

Happy New Year!

[tartansailor]

And best wishes on your retirement.
Sailing more? Forget it. The honey-dos' will take on a new meaning, but fair winds anyway.
Dick

[Neil Gordon]

Jerry,

Sailing's your job now. Treat it as such. Make it your routine. Set goals.

Get up in the morning and check the weather. Add to the endless list of things to clean, things to take apart, things to put together, things to maintain, things to upgrade, places you're going that you haven't been yet. Focus on building new skills and maintaining old ones. Help people learn what you already know.

Hey, leave some time for the Cape Dory message board, okay?

Happy New Year, Jerry!

[Bill Michne]

I didn't think I would be bored, but I never imagined I would be so busy. Frankly, I don't know how I got it all done while I was working. Then my wife retired, and it got even worse. But we're loving every minute. The trick is to decide what you want to do, then make it a priority. Otherwise, you get spread too thin. Sailing? I've done more in the last year than in the last 20! It's a priority. Gotta go...we're racing today here in sunny warm Oriental, NC.

Enjoy every minute of your retirement!

[Dick Barthel]

Jerry,

I'm thinking of retiring to more sailing in two more years. Please keep us posted on your adventures and let us know whether you were able to make sailing a priority. Good luck and fair winds.

Dick

[Clay Stalker]

Hi Jerry:

I retired from the fire service also in 1998 with the plan to do more sailing. Yes, if you want, you will definately do more sailing, I certainly have. But one thing I noticed was that many of my friends were still working, so they were only out on weekends. Also, as my wife doesn't like to sail, I found myself out alone a lot, not really a bad thing. But I do miss her when I'm away, so I don't go as often as I could. I ended up taking a part-time job to stay involved but still able to take off for a week or two whenever I want to cruise. I also spend more time just puttering around the boat, something I really enjoy even if I don't go anywhere. If you are fortunate enough to have a spouse that loves sailing, take off and go cruising! And congratulations on your retirement!

Clay Stalker

[Mike Raehl]

Jerry,
No pun intended...

I have retirement on the horizon beginning March 1st and have been thinking / wondering the same things as you. My wife enjoys time at the dock, but a few hours on the Big Lake in perfect conditions is enough for her.

Where are you on Lake Michigan? Perhaps we can form a mutual support group with the sole purpose of actually sailing more often in 2006 than in 2005.

I propose a first meeting at Strictly Sail, Chicago in February.

[Cathy Monaghan]

Hi Jerry,

Congratulations!

It's great being retired. You can do what you want, when you want, the only real limitation being how much is in your pocketbook.

Before retirement, Bruce and I couldn't take more than 2 weeks at a time for vacation which meant we couldn't sail farther than that 2 weeks would allow. Since retirement in 2004 we've put well over 4000 sea miles under our belts. This year I have another 6-week cruise planned -- something we couldn't do just a few short years ago.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll find both fun and productive ways to spend your newfound time.

Fair winds,
Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[Warren Kaplan]

I'm not retired yet but I hope I'm gettin' close...being past 60 years old. I have thought about it long and hard though. I think the key to a successful retirement ( finances and health not considered for the moment) is to have a reason to get up every morning. A purpose, if you will. For some its a second career, either full or very part time. They still think of it as retirement. For others its something else.

I see no reason why sailing, and all that goes with it cannot be that reason for getting up every morning. Or at least a good part of it. Actual sailing, researching and planning cruises, working on the boat, visiting boat shows and all. I know when my times comes I intend to do an awful lot of sailing and quite of bit of boat work to fill my days. It certainly won't be the only thing I do as I have a great many other interests that will keep me busy as long as the money and my health hold out.

I also think that the quick road to a terrible retirement is for a person to retire to the "proverbial rocking chair on the front porch." Those that choose that path usually don't live very long.

[Scott F]

say they are so busy in retirement that they barely have time to get all their stuff done each day. On the other hand I know people in retirement who become fairly sedentary and slow down. I'd like to be the the busy guy having a great time in retirement and not having enough time in a day to do all the stuff I want

My retirement horizon is about 8 to 10 years away so I'm already trying to finanacially plan for it.

Good luck with your retirement!

[Oswego John]

Hi Jerry,

Congratulations on your retirement. It's another milestone in your life. A fresh chapter in your life story is about to begin.

I smiled as I read the previous posts of this thread. They are so true, soooo true.

I'm also retired, as you have probably guessed. I was also in fire service. The difference being that I was a volunteer fireman, joined when I was 22 years of age. There is a term for us old geezers, we are Exempts.

Retired life will be what you make of it. Sad to say, I have some friends who, when they retired became couch potatoes and watch TV all day. Their idea of exercise is to see if the mailman came yet.

A while back, I used to sign off my posts with "If I rest, I rust." I try to lead a full life, always have something to keep me busy. I keep a lot of irons in the fire. If you want to sail a lot, sail a lot. Don't let others complicate your life.

Retirement doesn't automatically designate a person to the rocking chair. If there is something that you always wanted to do but just couldn't follow your dream before, now is the time to go for it.

Many years before I retired, I made a vow which I followed through on. The first business day after I retired, I donated every business suit I owned, dress shirts and ties and dress shoes to The Salvation Army. I retained one blazer and slacks for weddings, etc.
If it's a formal affair, I wear a bolo tie. If they expect more of me, I figure that I don't belong there and don't go. But that's me. When I broke, I broke clean, no strings attached. The only vest that I wear now says Carhart on it.

So Jerry, I wish you a healthy, interesting, enjoyable, retired future.

All the best,
O J
PS: The only initials I have after my name now are JR.

[Lee Kaufman]

Any time folks ask me about retirement I tell them _ _ "I've worked and I have been retired and retirement beats working anyday."

Welcome aboard and fair winds.

[Carter Brey]

On Saturday morning, on Columbus Avenue at 67th Street where I was about to buy myself a coffee at Starbucks, I happened to run into one of my favorite human beings, and my role model for aging gracefully. His name is Kirk Browning, and he has been the director since its inception of the Live From Lincoln Center televsion series.

Kirk is 85 years old. His first experience with television direction was in 1948, at the Democratic National Convention-- the one at which Truman was nominated, and the first to be televised. He's been at it ever since.

This man has juice. It's true that he was lucky at the genetic lottery, with penetrating brown eyes, a full head of white hair and a flair for elegant clothes. After my wife met him at a party, she confided to me with a disarming smile that she found him extremely attractive. How complex the competition gets, I thought to myself; the octogenarians are at the gates, and after a lifetime of sieges, they are the ones who know that having the right key is better than thumping their chests and rattling the bars.

But the key is that he remains dynamic and fully engaged with something he loves. It challenges him and he must remain fully engaged to stay good at it. The reward for excellence is an intense personal satisfaction and an eagerness for the next horizon.

Sounds a lot like sailing! Meet you at the downwind leg.

Carter

[Ed Haley]

Congratulations, Jerry!

Beam reaches all the way now. The nice thing about retirement is that you can plan your short cruises by the weather instead of the calendar or clock. Everyday's a Saturday and there's no more Monday mornings. Marinas are less crowded while others are supporting Social Security. And there's no need to keep to a schedule so you can wait out rainy days.

I used to bike and ski during the off-sailing seasons but can no longer participate in these any more. Sailing activities and planning now take a greater part if not all of my recreational activities. And now that my wife is retired as well, we'll be able to almost live on the boat during the summer traveling around from port to port.

All in all, sailing is best enjoyed during those retirement years. Have fun and maybe one day we'll cross tack one another

[Dick Barthel]

Carter's reply reminded me that I wanted to bring up Don Launer whose Lazy Jack 32 is featured in the most recent Good Old Boat issue. He turns 80 this spring and apparently he has no thoughts of slowing down, sailing primarily solo in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. Like Carter’s Mr. Browning, Launer has always been engaged to include building his Lazy Jack 32 from a bare hull. He’s a contributing editor for GOB and wrote an article “Drifting into Old Age” that appeared in May 2003.

He inspires me to think that I might still enjoy another 20 years of sailing. There is only one minor problem. There is a picture of Don out on his bowsprit tying down a sail and he looks in better shape at 80 than I do now!

Dick