Just had a friend have to give up windsurfing at 81 years old ..
due a stroke ,his last sail was about 4 month ago ,and still managed a hour of light wind sailing ,
he mainly stuck to a big board and no cam 6.5 - 7.0...at the end there the skin on his hands ,was to thin to down haul and always ending up bleeding ..I gave him a down haul winch ,which he thought was the best thing since sliced bread .he use to make his own sails way back ,and drove and sailed right around Australia and has stories of broken gear getting wash up on shore everyday at Gero ,before gear was strong .before carbon .And drank out of sheep troughs
his right arm is not working that good ,but he reckons hell be back sailing in a couple of years ..so he's not selling any gear .
How long do you reckon you'll be sailing till ...or do you know of any legends ..
I reckon I'll sail till I died .
or die sailing ..

He's now on walfrine ..I think that's how ya spell it ,he calls it rat sack ...it thins the blood ,that's how ratsack kills rats . He reckons .

I'll never get old..........
and
Never stop sailn.........

Just ain't gunna happen!!!!

70 would be good if the super allows regular gear up dates and the ozone isn't knackered

I suppose ones needs to be sensible about everything. If you are in 60 years of age or over, your physical strength will not be as resilient as you were at 30. So cut your coat according to your cloth, I reckon. However, I believe that if you kept at your regular physical exercise regime, your muscle strength may diminish much slower than if you sit on your ass all day !

Some people die soon after retirement because for them, life stops at retirement.

A chap I know of sails in his early 70. He still goes out on days when around 4.0 sq M is the norm. Other younger folks chose to stay out. But he is being sensible. He only stays for 1 to 1.5 hours per session.

I forgot to say ,he never retired still works as a gardener and swims everyday .
until now ...but still keeps very active .i think that's the secret .

So I hit 70 last year, have been going to a seniors exercise group, for over 5 years, which has helped keep me moving, but this year I noticed a drop off in strength, so I'm now going to the gym as well. Injury recovery is the other worry, so I find myself being a tad more cautious, I want to be sailing, not nursing some injury.
But so far this year I've sailed over 2,000km, hit 37knots and got a PB alpha of 26.4kts. So I'm still a very active windsurfer. I hope to still be sailing in 10 years time, if I can still remember where all my gear is!

Decrepit you're a legend. I am 62 and only started 7 years ago, so I have a lot of motivation to keep going and so far I have improved every year . If I look at the over 60s category in gpstc there are a lot of really good sailors. I think once you retire you can go windsurfing full time ! The answer is to keep going until you can, and just doing what you like will make you healthier and live longer.
I reckon another 18 trips to George lake is about all I can take, by that time Jamie will hate me.

Well said Mr sloshin, sitting down waiting to die is for really old people, like 100 and over.

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powersloshin said...
Decrepit you're a legend. I am 62 and only started 7 years ago, so I have a lot of motivation to keep going and so far I have improved every year . If I look at the over 60s category in gpstc there are a lot of really good sailors. I think once you retire you can go windsurfing full time ! The answer is to keep going until you can, and just doing what you like will make you healthier and live longer.
I reckon another 18 trips to George lake is about all I can take, by that time Jamie will hate me.

yes another 18 better than chef meals coming. Your welcome anytime George its a big lake lots of room.
Decrepit your a legend I've just turned 55 and feel like I'm struggling now.

To quote a famous musician (cant remember who) Rust never sleeps!!!!
Ive sailed with Decrep and Giorgio and I will honestly be super happy if I can keep going at their age (no offence boys).
Used to be a bloke that sailed Lake Dangerous called Otto. He was 92 when he stopped windsurfing, just too frail with osteoporosis.
He lived on the other side of the city, his wife would help him get his wettie on, he would drive all the way across the harbour and city, rig up and go sailing.

Then drive all the way home, he wouldn't let anyone help him. Absolute legend!!!!

I'm in my late 40s so another 20yrs I'll be happy and then set new goal if I'm not broken

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decrepit said..
So I hit 70 last year, have been going to a seniors exercise group, for over 5 years, which has helped keep me moving, but this year I noticed a drop off in strength, so I'm now going to the gym as well. Injury recovery is the other worry, so I find myself being a tad more cautious, I want to be sailing, not nursing some injury.
But so far this year I've sailed over 2,000km, hit 37knots and got a PB alpha of 26.4kts. So I'm still a very active windsurfer. I hope to still be sailing in 10 years time, if I can still remember where all my gear is!

Keep up the good work decrepit.keep up the protein .
my friend took precaution s after a while eg...Helmet ,impact vest ,boots ,cloves .he looked a little like Robo cop .but he was always there sailing
more than some of the other younger guys ,no excuses ...he just sailed .and always said how good it was ,even if bad .His favourite saying was
beats working .

Amazing story ka43 ....92 you say ...

We all make choices

At 66 I'm still in the waves for windsurfing, it's too convenient for me with one of the best places to windsurf in the waves, on the west coast of the U.S., being just 10 minutes away. My quiver of sails, 3.5 to 5.7, boards, 80, 87, and 96 Lts.
I better not quit anytime soon, I just bought a new wave board, so I'm obviously banking on continuing for quite awhile longer. I've always felt that if I quit, I will start to age very fast, I've seen it happen with some of my friends who quit quite awhile ago.
I don't go for big air like I used to, my body couldn't handle a bad flat landing from way high up, like Harry Callahan used to say "a man's got to know his limitations".

Couple old farts, Bill Ab... and Tom Ha.., sailed short boards and medium winds (up to 28 mph gusts), up to age 86, then stopped.
One guy sailed Larkspur Ca. until 85, using a 120 liter board and sails up to 6 meters.
I"m 67, still ride my 84 and 86 FSW boards if the winds hit 22 in the gusts, still jump as high as anyone, but slowing down lots in the past 5 years.
Can't quite hold the slalom sails and slalom kit like the kids in 16-22 mph winds, so I go freeride sails to get a meter smaller, speeds very similar.
Wave boards are my savior when the winds get above 28 mph, or wave sites of course.

I took up this great sport at 53 and now at 63 I can't see myself giving up any time soon. As a recent retiree I have heaps of time on the water but due to finances I have started part time work to enable me to upgrade gear and possibly fund my 4th trip to Maui next year. I became interested in this sport standing on the shore of Lake Tinaroo watching Herby and his good wife Lynn flying and gybing all over the lake. I would recommend this sport to anyone.

Now well into the 70s. Board volume up a bit and softening the free ride - slalom mix. At least a little. Not pushing things as much. Modern gear gets me on the water more. Enjoying all round performance as much as outright speed which used to be my thing. Sure some loss of strength. Compensate with what passes for technique. After years of WS there is also a natural change in my attitude, to what is a nice day on the water. Agree with others than injury prevention is higher on the list now. But always should have been, especially when working for a living!

As I long as I have walking legs and functional hands I'll be windsurfing, it's been part of me since I'm 11 and I can't imagine life without it.

BTW, inspirational video R1DER, perfectly suited for the topic!
b^^d

how about starting age - swear the kid on the water yesterday was just out of diapers
when we go into diapers at old age , can we still windsurf ??
or just it just make it all the easier ??

Great topic Tardy,

I'm 39 years old now and learned how to windsurf when I was 27 years old. Hope I can windsurf for many more years. I beleive the human body takes the brunt of it when we learn the sport, then it's less wear and tear after we conquer the skills.

I have a friend who is 74 years old, and he is still going strong on the water. It is great to see this.

45. just broke my knee with a long recovery time ahead and the thought of putting my foot in a windsurf strap is giving me cold shivers. So might be sticking to surfing. But as with injuries you forget with time, confidence returns and suddenly you find yourself at Gnaraloo on a windy day. So may have stopped windsurfing at 45 but that's just currently.

56 and it's only been since I broke my ankle and had to become sedentary as it heals that I've actually felt old .. Bring on the windsurfing! If this ankle is up to it I want to be still be sailing like Bruce and Tibor in my mid 70's..

Only 59 myself. My own thoughts on the matter is that as long as you can keep fit you can keep sailing. I have a regular fitness, strength regime. I am stronger now than I ever was. 3 hours on the water isn't unheard of. Having good sailing buddies helps as well. Beers and BBQ afterwards keeps you young! Wonder if I could patent that?

Well I feel like a spring chicken compared to most people here - 55 and I have no intention of giving up anytime - fitness allowing of course!
I starting with this great sport when I was 15 so it is safe to say that windsurfing has been a major part of my life. I just love it and can't really imagine life without it.

The older I get the smarter I have to be about keeping fit. One of the main things I am learning about is to give my body plenty time to recover - either from a windsurfing session or from aerobic or gym work. I just can't do flat out training continually anymore - so it is a longer process to get fit enough. Fortunately I'm pretty fit at the moment thanks to a good winter program and a trim & terrific wife & kids.

I get inspired by fellow sailors like decrepit and Tibor still ripping it up on the water - I want to be like them when I am their age! I also get plenty of energy from my sailing mates whether that is at my local club, on the race scene or through the fantastic GPSTC. It is nice to try beat some of the young whippersnappers! I also like to challenge myself, whether that is sailing better, faster, or with different gear combinations.

My Dad was still windsurfing in his 80's, but sadly he passed away last year. It was a sombre day when we had to sort out his house and get rid of his old windsurfing gear.

Starting to think about the next challenge - foiling.....!

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ka43 said..
To quote a famous musician (cant remember who)

Neil Young of course!

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nbr said..
>>>>>> I became interested in this sport standing on the shore of Lake Tinaroo watching Herby and his good wife Lynn flying and gybing all over the lake. >>>>

Lynn gybing was a joy to behold, so fluid, so effortless.
And Herby's still sailing into his 80s

Hopefully I have a lot more years left yet and sail as long as I possibly can, 63 years young at present and living my newly retired lifestyle of a windsurfer who loves his sport.

I admire those who I sail with who are a tad older and still going great in the sport as well as in life in general. Tibor from Terrigal is still a good example and a great sailor.

Had a sail recently with a semi-retired doctor mate who is about 70 and we both agreed that it was a relaxing, cruisy session that we both enjoyed. Made us feel great to be active and to be sill able to sail.

This is what the sport does for you, it takes your mind of the stress of everyday life and lets you think of nothing except what is happening in that moment, in other words just being mindful.

I take a lot less chances nowadays than I did just a few years ago and wear an impact vest and helmet when it looks strong out there. You don't heal as fast as you used to. Body is going well except for a bit of arthritis in a few spots (knee, big toe & thumb). Cut right back on wave sailing and now pretty much just do Slalom GPS sailing. Wave sailing was great fun but also had greater risks of injury.

Keep fit by sailing as often as I can as well as doing a bit of Yoga and not often enough, plus some Meditation when/if possible. Also walking the dog everyday is enjoyable and relaxing.

If I can still be sailing well in another 10-15 years I will be a happy chappy.

The day I stop sailing will however be a sad day. May then have to make a comeback to Catamarans.

I am just a wipper snapper at 47. Hopefully go for a few years yet. I remember a bloke in melbourne in 1989who looked pretty old and shuffled around on the beach but came alive on his board and sailed no worries. If he is still going he would be 100 plus now, i hope its possible. I wish my dad had a hobby, he had a lot more zing before he retired. I hope we can all keep going forever.

Had my first windsurf at 23 in the greek Is, and I want to see if I can achieve 50 years in the sport, so hopefully I get to 73 and still windsurfing, am 56 now. 17 more years.