In 1995 My 70 year old parents went on a week-long sailing trip with 2 other 70 year old couples, (one of them had won 1st place in a desert contest at a Catalina rendezvous at Catalina Island ( the winning desert was a cake that resembled a litter box...use your imagination!!) They had a ball!! Within 5 years my folks bought their own 27 Catalina, joined a yacht club, convinced my husband, my brother and me to go to sailing school and that began our love affair with sailing. We sailed the 27 as a family for a quite a few years, joined the yacht club ourselves and enjoyed the sailing scene. Over the next few years it became increasingly frustrating deciding which family was on the calendar for which week, maintenance was always delicate between us and it became something we either got out of or completely immersed ourselves........so we decided we really wanted to take it more seriously and in 2006 we purchased our own 1988 Catalina and the rest is history.
We crew on a 39 Santana in races most of the year in Dana Point, have done the Newport to Ensenada on a 37 Jeanneau with 2 other couples all 50+ and entered the first Border Run race from Newport to San Diego with our 30 Catalina and took first place. We consider ourselves still green and my only regret is that we did not fall in love with sailing much earlier......only because I would love to imagine another 50 years of sailing and learning. Without a doubt, sailing is the most satisfying, humbling, challenging sport and way of life we could ever imagine and we are forever grateful.
My father passed away a year ago and we feel him with us each time we learn something new. He was normally a very impatient man and yet, when sailing, time slowed way down and he was amazing when he had to talk me through a turn when I missed the slip and we were headed right for the cement wall... Due to his odd patience in those situations I learned to trust myself and my instincts which turned my fear and apprehension into feelings of accomplishment and challenge.
We are now 60 (JUST!!!) and 62 and every conversation about where we might live in the future begins with a discussion on which harbors are within a reasonable distance. There is no going back for us and we are just fine with that.