Age you started sailing

the age you started sailing


  • Total voters
    46

jay_lord_hawk

New Member
I've been wondering for a while now about the ages people started to sail. Most people I know started sailing around 7-8 years old but I also now a few that just got started around 50 years. I started 7 months ago at age 13, how about you?
 
jay_lord_hawk said:
I've been wondering for a while now about the ages people started to sail.

I was 50 when I started, but it's making me younger. I'm 49 now.

Merrily
 
My parents always say they are getting younger, but my dad and I are working on getting my mom into a boat! We will get in one... one of these days!:)
 
I agree. I am getting younger, too. I started sailing just before my 41st birthday. My folks got me swimming when I was 5 years old, and I have always had a passion for being in or near the water, so sailing was a logical next step. If only my partner (I'd say spouse, but that's not legal in Texas now....grrrrr/lol. I wonder how many divorced folks vote in favor of "sanctity of marriage" initiatives?) were a swimmer and into the water as much as me, we'd be racing together each with our own boats. But being "single" and without children definitely made getting into sailing easier on my teacher's salary.

The results of the poll are interesting, notably the large gap between those who started young and those who did so when they hit their 40's. Without really reliable data, it's hard to draw a firm conclusion, but it seems to me that time and money are probably the biggest factors in determining when a person starts sailing. When kids start, they have all the time in the world plus their parents money to fund the sailing. For the over 40 folks like me, it's probably that we either have more time or make more time and have the money to start-up the hobby. It's the 20something and 30somethings who are less present in this poll who are probably not yet able to or in the habit of making time for new hobbies (young families, etc.) and have less disposable income (new careers and again new families, etc) to burn on a new hobby.
 
jay_lord_hawk said:
My parents always say they are getting younger, but my dad and I are working on getting my mom into a boat! We will get in one... one of these days!:)

I'd just as soon be in the water as on it, so no tilting boat bothers me! I apologize to those that I've crewed for.

Merrily
 
Your right Odin... I saw an interview on T2P.tv of Gary Jobson. He mentioned that gap that exist between the age of 20 to 40 and how it effects the business side of sailing. People who learn early in life will continue until they finish college, get a job, get married and have kids. Not even thinking about sailing. That's exactly what I did until my son turned 8 this summer. Then it hit me, I need to teach him how to sail NOW. So, I picked a 16' dinghy and I am in the process of learning to sail again. Not exactly like ridding a bike (the racing part of it anyways).

DaveK
 
DaveK said:
That's exactly what I did until my son turned 8 this summer. Then it hit me, I need to teach him how to sail NOW. So, I picked a 16' dinghy and I am in the process of learning to sail again. Not exactly like ridding a bike (the racing part of it anyways).

DaveK

This Echoes my experience exactly.
 
i started going sailing with my dad when i was about 6 months old, on his little cabin cruiser but i actually learned to sail @ a sailing school when i was 6
 
Hi All,
I started sailing at a young age, 10 or 12 I think. I crewed for my Dad while racing Penguins and did that for four or five years. I sailed a Sunfish and Force 5 recreationaly while on vacations and such during the summer time.
For poll purposes and a 30 or so year hiatus from sailing. I started sailing and racing the Laser a little over two years ago at the age of 44. Getting younger everytime out on the boat.
Regards,
Fishingmickey
150087/181157
 
I have pictures of me as crew (ballast) at the tender age of 4 months. The pictures are on my dads klepper sailboat, a 15 foot rubber thing with wood lee-boards.We had a house on lake Ontario, with a beach and a long-sloping backyard to slide the boat down.

We later (when I was 10 or so) bought a styrofoam Sea-Snark. Loads of fun--sets up in 30 seconds.Went up to Lake Winnipegs Grand Beach to sail her.

When I was about 16 we really got into it and bought a 24 foot Paceship with 7 sails (storm jib-working jib, 3 different size gennys, main and spin.)
We had a berth at Northern Harbor Marina ( about a 150 mile trip from our then-home of Winnipeg, Manitoba).

Since we sold that boat back in, oh....around 1985, I have had hardly any sailing, what with career and all.

I am fully commited to get into Laser racing and can hardly wait to learn it, and start racing...... WATCH OUT MASTER CLASS!!!!! Fortunately I can sail all year round here in Miami, so maybe my learning curve will step up a little faster!!
 
I've been on sail boats since I was 6 months, it would have been sooner but I have a december birthday, my sister started at 2 weeks old. I started sailing dinghys when I was 9.
 
goofing around in lake boats in New York when young.

Got into it and racing right around 13/14.

wish I had started younger and done the Opti programs.
 

Back
Top