How young are You?

CaptJake · May 20, 2012

Well, Finding41....................................
I'm 42 and the Admiral is 34. We have a 20, an 11, and a 9 between us (who have all taken to sailing over boating) and we have come to this conclusion; with these "sailing" vessels being such a new fangled invention(could be some of the reason all the powerboaters seem to wanna stare at us), and not really being in the forefront of tradition and history..............might take a couple more thousand years or so for "sailing" to catch on. It seems to me that if "sailing" had the eons of history, volume of prestige, and downright pure enjoyment factor that roaring around on a glorified garbage tug seems to have................
Never mind......................we're ahead of the curve.
I've pondered on this very subject myself....................maybe somebody smarter than me can give us a clue.

John · May 21, 2012

Except for the super rich, having a sailboat does take a lot of time, I suspect more than a power boat. I first got a sailboat when I turned 60. The main reason I didn't get one before was simply other commitments in life. Maybe that's a factor for many other families?

rgranger · May 21, 2012

I'm 47... but I've been sailing since I was 10. I also have four kids ranging from 20 to 12. They all love the sailboat as well....

gpdno · May 21, 2012

My wife and I are both 43. We have two kids, a 7-yr-old son and a 5-yr-old daughter. We are the youngest members of our sailing squadron. Most of the others are 60+ with grown children and grandchildren. We have been pushing to increase or club membership but there just don't seem to be many folks are age with sailboats. I due have a few friends with power/fishing boats but no one our age with a sailboat.

jdhohmann · May 21, 2012

We too are some of the younger crowds at our YAcht club, my wife being a young 34 and I being a very young 41. We have two kids, Emily at 3 and Sam at 9 months. Unfortunatley our boat has not had a whole lot of use for sailing with such a young family. it is very busy for Mommy down in the galley trying to entertain the kids. Aby ides on exciting things to do to have kids WANT to come aboard!!!!!!

hewebb · May 21, 2012

Will be 71 in August, Admiral just turned 67. We try to sail about two or three times a week.

joes new addiction · May 21, 2012

I'm 54, 2nd year sailing.
I too have noticed in the sailing club I've joined, that there are a few younger than me, a vast majority are creeping close or into retirement.
Maybe that cuz we're all on 'bigger boats/ (you know not Sunfish type)?
Funny I noticed the same when I was a member of a Harley club and now that I've got a BMW GS, and in a BMW bike club, most guys/gals are over 40.
Where are the youngsters?
joe

Bad Obsession · May 21, 2012

I am 34 and my wife is 31. We are the youngest in most places that I have been. We cruise the Chesapeake Bay area.

I haven't met anyone younger than me. My closest sailing friend turns 40 this year.

We need more younger people in this sport.

FourPoints · May 21, 2012

I just turned 30 a few weeks ago, this is my 4th season with the boat. I want to, but have not joined any clubs because unless they are comprised entirely of power boats, they all want between $5k and $15k to join the club (one club wants $20k if you join before the age of 33, and something like $40k after that.

I am just not willing to spend that much hard earned money to join a yacht club at this stage.

chp · May 21, 2012

I'm 51, wife 47. Do not belong to the local club due to the expense. At $2000 per year and $150 per month food and bar, I would rather spend the money on the boat. With jobs and the economy I can understand why there are not too many young people with sail boats. Lets face it thier not cheap to buy or own. I don't even know how a young couple manages to pay a mortgage, bills and raise kids. A small used power boat can be had pretty cheap, stored at home and a lot less work. Yes the gas is expensive, but how often would they get out.

Don12364 · May 21, 2012

Mostly they are not mature enough to appreciate sailing until they get to 45+.

Up to then it is all crash & burn stinkboats etc.

This 'll get 'em going.

DougM · May 21, 2012

A couple of reasons come to mind:
Sailing really is not inexpensive and is more time intensive than other activities. It is also more difficult to master than simply putting the downpayment on a go fast powerboat,launching it, starting it it up and blasting away from the launch site with no prior experience. We live in an era of a need for instant gratification.

We belonged as a family to a sailing club on an inland lake when our sons were growing up. It was very much family oriented and had a great sailing program for the youngsters as well as an adult learn to sail program. Still, over the years, despite a very reasonable membership cost, we watched membership decline. We attributed that to the vast number of alternative activities available coupled with the meteoric increase in the cost of competitive one design boats.

I remember buying my first used boat including sails and a trailer for less than $2000 and a used Butterfly for the kids for $500. My second boat (same class) was probably around $3500. Now they are about $12000. My first new sail was $250. The second new sail $500. (I just had a sacrificial covering on my present jib replaced and that cost $500!)

Here is another issue; where families used to grow up and live in the same locality for generations, we have now become much more mobile. Transfers and career changes have become commonplace. One of my sailing sons for example moved from a great sailing venue to New Mexico...not much water there, no time for a boat, too far away from the family boat.

Gary_H · May 21, 2012

I'm 59 and have been sailing (this time) for about 5 years. My brother and I sailed for a time when in our twenties, but got sidetracked by scuba diving which is best done from powerboats.
Not a member of any clubs but most of the other sailors I know are in their late thirties or forties.

RECESS · May 21, 2012

I am 46 and my wife is 38. I have been sailing since I was 15. My wife and I have been sailing together for 17 years. It is not something I think about very often. I enjoy to be around people that share our passion. I find the most knowledgeable sailors are the ones who do a whole lot of listening and not a lot of trying to show how much they know. I enjoy learning from people regardless of how long they have been sailing.

Bad Obsession · May 21, 2012

Mature enough to enjoy sailing !?!?!?! Really????

I have been sailing since I was 8. I have had my own boats since 12. I started with dinghies, but I also did a lot of crew work on racing sailboats.

One thing that I have learned that a lot of younger sailors tend to be in the racing crowd. There aren't as many younger cruisers.

I would disagree with the mature part. Some of it is priories, some of it is money, and some of it is schedules.

Sail123 · May 21, 2012

55. Feel 85 unless I get wind of sailing in my minds eye, then I feel 25 again, the age I first sailed. Slip a 32 foot ketch on a electric water dock for $1500 a year and the yacht club is a whopping $35 dollars a year. The big perk for the yacht club is two barbecue grills that you can use in or out of the club. Never used em. Lol

mark_swart · May 21, 2012

I'm 39 and have had my own keelboats since 2000. Although it CAN be expensive, it doesn't HAVE to be. I've seen kids in their 20s waste FAR more money on other stuff that they probably thought would be cheaper.
Agree that the instant gratification temperment is probably a lot of it, as well as in sailing, there is actually a learning curve. The end result of that learning curve (if there is such a thing) is a wonderful experience on the water, but I can see how it might be more intimidating than just getting in and firing up the engine. I've taken several friends out over the years who say "wow, this is a lot of work!" and just don't get the coolness of how it works once you turn the engine off.
My powerboating friends and non sailing friends are generally pretty surprised when they find out just how little I paid for some of my boats. Or how much I pay for fuel each year!
I sail with an informal club (just activities on the water, no facilities). Our membership is free but I have been in two other clubs that have fees of only $25-35 a year! So, a sailing club in and of itself doesn't have to be expensive either.
It would be nice to get more young people involved. There are plenty of usable bargain boats out there for a few grand (check out craigslist or ebay if you don't believe me).

Bad Obsession · May 21, 2012

I actually have connected a bunch of sailors in the Middle Potomac River area with a yahoo group. This is FREE! No membership dues! If anyone has issues they can post them on the page and others get back to them. If someone needs to go up the mast they post it and a lot of times the other guys respond to help them.

Sailing is a wonderful community.

gpdno · May 21, 2012

jdhohmann said:
We too are some of the younger crowds at our YAcht club, my wife being a young 34 and I being a very young 41. We have two kids, Emily at 3 and Sam at 9 months. Unfortunatley our boat has not had a whole lot of use for sailing with such a young family. it is very busy for Mommy down in the galley trying to entertain the kids. Aby ides on exciting things to do to have kids WANT to come aboard!!!!!!

My kids like to sail. I tended to keep sailing short, few hours at a time. Lots if books and games to keep them happy. Both kids love looking for dolphins and turtles. My seven yr old son likes taking the helm and does a good job of keeping on course either when sailing or motoring in the ICW. My five yr old daughter loves cranking the winch so we tack a lot to keep her happy

How young are You?

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