# Just Do It--You're Not Getting Any Younger



## svHyLyte (Nov 13, 2008)

The title, above, says it all. This video (clipped from Sail-World) is worth watching:


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

I like how Drake did that video. Everyone has the same advice.


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## Markwesti (Jan 1, 2013)

Inspiring , thanks .


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

I have taken short cruises all of my life, hampered by jobs, mortgages, bills, children, etc. When I finally took off and cruised for eight months a few years ago, I realized I should have started doing it when I was a lot younger.

If I had to do it over again, I would save like hell from the time I was 18, and go when I was 20 or 21, in whatever boat I could get for myself.

Plenty of time to come back, and start the grind later. My next cruise isn't scheduled for when I want to go, it's scheduled for when I can afford it, about six years from now. 

I think the Pardey's summed it up perfectly. "Go small, go simple, go now."


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

I don't know. I was ..uhh.._ less wise_ when I was 20. I tended to go out in all sorts of rough weather and do other sorts of risky behaviors. Perhaps its just as well that I didn't go too far.

At 48 I am still physically able to do pretty much anything, thankfully, and in 7 more years Uncle Sam owes me a pension that will should hopefully make the dream a reality, with little or no need to work.


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## svHyLyte (Nov 13, 2008)

Sal Paradise said:


> I don't know. I was ..uhh.._ less wise_ when I was 20. I tended to go out in all sorts of rough weather and do other sorts of risky behaviors. Perhaps its just as well that I didn't go too far.
> 
> At 48 I am still physically able to do pretty much anything, thankfully, and in 7 more years Uncle Sam owes me a pension that will should hopefully make the dream a reality, with little or no need to work.


A good friend of mine used to say the same thing. He reached his 50's relatively well preserved with lots of plans. Five days before his retirement, he suffered a massive stroke. He lived, like a vegetable, for another two weeks or so. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed. A year off likely won't kill you at 48. Seven years might.


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

I went cruising for 7 years when I was in my 40s. Sold my house to finance it. 

Best thing I ever did.

Now I am retired and out cruising again. I am not sure I would have had the bottle to go at age 60 without the experience I gained in my 40s.


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## Torch (Dec 9, 2013)

You guys are really 'speaking to me'.

I'm 49 years old and expect to be layed off in the next few months. I am going to use my severance to buy a boat. I have kids and family here locally so won't be leaving on a long voyage but do plan to spend a few months in the Caribbean. 

After about a year I plan on getting another job and while I'm working outfit my boat for a longer voyage so that when the kids are grown and I retire in a few years I can go on some long distance cruises.


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

svHyLyte said:


> A good friend of mine used to say the same thing. He reached his 50's relatively well preserved with lots of plans. Five days before his retirement, he suffered a massive stroke. He lived, like a vegetable, for another two weeks or so. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed. A year off likely won't kill you at 48. Seven years might.


That does suck about your friend. Sorry to hear that. You are preaching to the choir, but then again we all have to do what we have to do, especially if taking care of a family. I could never get back in the system at my current level if I left for a year.

I might live on a boat for a month or two at a time. My dream would be a beach house in the carrib, Florida or maybe Grenada with a sailboat out front. Sail a few weeks at a time, then relax at home. Maybe get a few motorcycles. That's more my speed than 100% on the boat.


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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

Of course if everyone 'followed their dream' who would pick up the garbage?


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

svHyLyte said:


> A good friend of mine used to say the same thing. He reached his 50's relatively well preserved with lots of plans. Five days before his retirement, he suffered a massive stroke. He lived, like a vegetable, for another two weeks or so. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed. A year off likely won't kill you at 48. Seven years might.


There is only a slight chance of being killed by the sea. There is a one hundred percent chance of dying of old age, or disease. Why be more scared of the sea, than of life?


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## youmeandthed (Jan 19, 2012)

I saw this post and it intruigued me. First off, go when you feel like going. If you aren't ready, then wait. And when you do go my recomendation is to go slow, take your time and enjoy the journey. You will most likely only be in an area of the world once, so milk it for all it's worth. 

Our experiece was; we had little money, bought a boat and just took it sailing (3 weeks in the yard). We had very little experience and we just took it one day at a time. When I hear of people spending years at the marina it makes me feel better about our boat having things done to it now, after two years of cruising, while we work back home; instead of working on the boat for 3 years and then cruising. But that is what is best for us.

When it comes to age, I laugh, we left in our mid twenties after squeezing dimes out of pennies back home and having a tough time with jobs ( recent graduates in a bad economy). We had done very well for ourselves considering the circumstances. When we left, people said we were young and weren't supposed to get good careers, so we rented our place out and went sailing. We were then 10 years younger than the "young" crowd out cruising. And everyone treated each other with mutual respect, something missing back home. When we finally went back home, we were treated as if we were even younger than before. It is a strange feeling when you are nearing on thirty, you have a home, degrees, amazing and difficult life experiences under your belt and society treats you like you are just out of highschool. Maybe wat I am saying is age doesn't account for **** these days.

I digress, I would recomend for those thinking of cruising to go when you feel ready. If you pack up everything and leave today you will probably be fine, and if you wait a few years you may or may not be better off. The hardest part is finding the right balance for you and who you are.


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## Yofy (Aug 15, 2007)

Its easy to say go when your young and it does work for those who are lucky enough to live in a economy that allows them to find work and to save. In our case we spent 10 years looking for work and trying to scrape together the funds just to buy our first boat. It took us another 7 years to raise the funds to go cruising. We were 40 by that time.

I envy those who could do it in their twenties but we never gave up the dream.
Robyn


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

Youth is so wasted on the young.


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## Unkle Toad (May 11, 2013)

my plan keeps on changing but I have the boat. and now I'm looking closer at the finances. if I can come up with a plan that will realistically get me a little better income while traveling I will spend a couple years around the Puget sound gunk holing and expanding (knowledge, buisness contacts, skills) if in the next few months I can not come up with a plan then Im going to head out somewhat sooner and see how it goes. Heck I live in the Puget Sound.. maybe Ill just cruise here full time for the next 20 years and manage to see 15% of the Sound.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

I've owned a lot of boats during my 73 years on this planet. Most were power boats, some measuring up to 75 feet, but the best adventure was aboard my 33 Morgan Out Island when I took it down to Marathon Florida from the upper reaches of Chesapeake Bay. The trip, at age 72 was exciting, but the absolute best part about the trip was all the wonderful people I met along the way. Cruisers are ALL wonderful people, and my fondest wish is to meet them all again in 2015, when I fully intend to make that trip again. My wife says if I do she will divorce me, and if that's the case so be it. I've been married to this woman for 51 years at this point, so I don't think she'll actually carry through with the threat, but if she does, there are a lot of nice ladies that I've met over these many years that would love to enjoy the adventurous live aboard with me. 

Gary


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## gbgreen59 (Aug 20, 2013)

Travel, I hope your spouse isn't reading this forum. If she is, I think after 51 years you two are probably "happy to be stuck with" each other.


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

Lot's of time. The best is that once you've tried elderly you'll never go back.Priorities change along the way so none of this will matter.


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

Capt Len said:


> Lot's of time. The best is that once you've tried elderly you'll never go back.Priorities change along the way so none of this will matter.


I keep telling myself that (and told myself that when I came back from my last cruised). In six more years, I'll be financially ready to never work again (will only have one kid left in college and that's close enough to done) and I already have the boat. My wife and I will both be 62 then, so our plan is to keep running and working out to be really young 62ers.


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## deltaten (Oct 10, 2012)

My plan was to head S. this coming Fall. Now, I believe that I might need another year to prep. No worries, as I have my clock set to "Island Time" 

Combine this thread with the 'old boat' thread/s, $500/annum cruising thread and a few other similar posts and that's me!  

The first casualty of battle is the plan. So don't fixate on a plan. Just do it.....once prepared for most contingencies


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## mrhoneydew (May 1, 2008)

travlineasy said:


> I've owned a lot of boats during my 73 years on this planet. Most were power boats, some measuring up to 75 feet, but the best adventure was aboard my 33 Morgan Out Island when I took it down to Marathon Florida from the upper reaches of Chesapeake Bay. The trip, at age 72 was exciting, but the absolute best part about the trip was all the wonderful people I met along the way. Cruisers are ALL wonderful people, and my fondest wish is to meet them all again in 2015, when I fully intend to make that trip again. My wife says if I do she will divorce me, and if that's the case so be it. I've been married to this woman for 51 years at this point, so I don't think she'll actually carry through with the threat, but if she does, there are a lot of nice ladies that I've met over these many years that would love to enjoy the adventurous live aboard with me.
> 
> Gary


THAT is awesome, Gary. A dream is a dream. GREAT ATTITUDE!


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## mrhoneydew (May 1, 2008)

At 41 I just bought my first boat last September, a '69 Columbia 28, and had intended to just bounce around Puget Sound and up the Inside Passage with it. For about 8 years or so I have had the bug to "go blue" and around the world but I had thought it should be on a different boat... I would like wheel steering, maybe a 34 footer, etc., but by the end of December I started thinking I may as well just go with what I've got. It needs quite a bit of work and I will be assessing what is necessary versus just something I want (is sonar really mandatory?). The goal is to be ready and to have the boat ready so I can throw off the docklines by Sept 10th... one year to the day from when I bought it. As for the funding issue, I will have some in the bank, but really I just figure it out anyway as it is. Seattle is getting to be a ridiculous place for regular people to afford to live. I have lots of skills and I am resourceful, so I figure I can be semi-broke in far more exotic locations where there are beautiful women in bikinis and I can live in shorts and flip-flops.  I plan to head for Mexico and eventually make my way through the Canal and to the USVI.


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## Kyhillbilly (Jun 14, 2011)

Really like this thread and gotta say I am envious of the ones that are living my dream. Actually I am happy for anybody that gets to live out their dreams whatever they be. Living in Kentucky I have no idea how I got the sailing fever but man do I have it! Unfortunately for me I have already become a slave to society. Big house, big family and big bills. I am laying the tracks for a future in sailing though and hopefully in about 10 years I will be sailing the east coast and the Bahamas with the rest of you lucky SOB. Part time at least.


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## drsutton (Aug 6, 2013)

The title of this thread reveals a long-standing myth that age alone should be the determining factor and whether to sail or not. A more accurate title might have been "Are you healthy enough to sail"?


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

We're all trying to do the same thing, just coming up with different ideas on how to make it happen.


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