Friends, Have returned to windsurfing in WA in the past 4 months, really enjoying it. Wondered how many other 60 year old plus guys and ladies were out on the water and what their experience has been returning to the sport?

Have found ts critical to have adequate flotation when you start back up in the sport, then avoiding falling off and too much up hauling allows you to put a couple of hours on the water. First few attempts were exhausting and frustrating on a smaller board which I really shouldn't have bought but I was overconfident (95 litres). Shifted to an old 153 litre which was much better. I weigh 87 kg. Now down to a 135 litre with a 44 cm fin but will hang onto the 153. The 95 is hanging in the carport and figure I might give it a burst in strong winds in a season or two.

Waterstarting and fine balance seems to come back better on each venture out. After a couple of hours I've learnt to pack up and eat and just watch others or I start making mistakes, like putting holes in the board. Have also learnt how to patch those up.

Even after only two hours my arms and legs know they have had a workout and muscles are stiff for a couple of days, swimming helps that.

Next trick will be to buy a lighter carbon mast and boom and modern sails, I figure cutting down weight of the rig should extend sailing time and make it generally easier?

Be great to hear of others experiences and any tips for senior sailors!

Cheers Kevin

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KevinSaltyDog said..

Be great to hear of others experiences and any tips for senior sailors!

Hi Kevin.

The best tip I could give "senior sailors", as well as all sailors, is to perform some form of weightlifting (aka resistance training).

Keep it simple - deadlift, bench & squat with low reps, maximum weights (after you've been building up for a while).

On the eastern seaboard (I live in Sydney), wind is unreliable and infrequent, so the weight training helps balance this out.

Also, I have it on good authority that resistance training becomes more important the older you get as the ageing process "wastes muscle" and this type of training aids in the minimisation of muscle loss.

Cheers

Good on you Kevin. I'm 57 and took the sport up for the first time 5 years ago. Just love having that passion in my life and I feel as though I am fitter now than when I was in my 20's. ( probably because I was always hung over in my 20s) I found finding others about the same ability as me and sailing with them helped a lot in the beginning. Always having some step that you need to try to master helps keep the mind inspired and the enthusiasm going. I bought full carbon gear and severne s-1 sails to give me the lightest rig possible. It makes a huge difference when water starting. Hope to sail for many years as I'm sure it helps keep you younger, healthier and stronger. I don't do weight training, get to bored but I usually sail 2-3 times a week, except during the autumn doldrums. Forcing myself to sail in non planing winds to help improve my skills is also helping. Amazed by the number of my friends who think they are too old for it. Relatives also told me to give it away each time I injure myself. They are convinced it's my age that brings on the injuries,. The thing is guys 20 years younger are getting the same injuries as it is a full- on sport. If you spend 200 hrs a year in 18 to 35 knt winds and injure yourself 3 times in 5 years, that's not too bad rate. As you probably guessed these comments annoy me. Got any good come backs?

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albers said..

KevinSaltyDog said..

Be great to hear of others experiences and any tips for senior sailors!

Hi Kevin.

The best tip I could give "senior sailors", as well as all sailors, is to perform some form of weightlifting (aka resistance training).

Keep it simple - deadlift, bench & squat with low reps, maximum weights (after you've been building up for a while).

On the eastern seaboard (I live in Sydney), wind is unreliable and infrequent, so the weight training helps balance this out.

Also, I have it on good authority that resistance training becomes more important the older you get as the ageing process "wastes muscle" and this type of training aids in the minimisation of muscle loss.

Cheers

Thanks , Makes a lot of sense, still have my weight gear hadn't thought of that but will dust them off them off again, cheers Kevin

Hi Kevin and welcome back to a good sport - for any age.
I am 63 and get withdrawal symptoms if I don't get in the water regularly.
To get sail fit, I find the best way is to sail on a regular basis, but a bit hard when wind doesn't respond.
I have been sailing for about 20 yrs and a dingy/cat sailor for a long time prior to that. I also do as much manual work as I can ie. gardening, mowing, house stuff, walking, kayaking, etc etc. It all adds up. As I am retired, the temptation to do little is pretty high, so you need good willpower as well!!

I sail a JP Xcite 110L and an Exocet Warp Slalom 90L. Also have recently started in the GPS speed challenge, up to 29 kts and trying to get to the 30 mark.
Good luck with your return and keep at it - Cheers!!!

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baywavebill said..

Good on you Kevin. I'm 57 and took the sport up for the first time 5 years ago. Just love having that passion in my life and I feel as though I am fitter now than when I was in my 20's. ( probably because I was always hung over in my 20s) I found finding others about the same ability as me and sailing with them helped a lot in the beginning. Always having some step that you need to try to master helps keep the mind inspired and the enthusiasm going. I bought full carbon gear and severne s-1 sails to give me the lightest rig possible. It makes a huge difference when water starting. Hope to sail for many years as I'm sure it helps keep you younger, healthier and stronger. I don't do weight training, get to bored but I usually sail 2-3 times a week, except during the autumn doldrums. Forcing myself to sail in non planing winds to help improve my skills is also helping. Amazed by the number of my friends who think they are too old for it. Relatives also told me to give it away each time I injure myself. They are convinced it's my age that brings on the injuries,. The thing is guys 20 years younger are getting the same injuries as it is a full- on sport. If you spend 200 hrs a year in 18 to 35 knt winds and injure yourself 3 times in 5 years, that's not too bad rate. As you probably guessed these comments annoy me. Got any good come backs?

Carbon gear is next on the list for me I reckon. Comebacks,? I just ask people what they are doing that keeps them looking as fit and ugly as me! Ha Ha, To be honest most of my friends and work mates are supportive and very positive, doing something exciting and adrenaline rushing I reckon is vital at our age and most blokes, especially, recognise this. Most Women, including my very patient wife, in my experience, seem to wonder why we do it, but accept it as we are happier and fitter for it.

Cheers Kevin

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gregwed said..

Hi Kevin and welcome back to a good sport - for any age.
I am 63 and get withdrawal symptoms if I don't get in the water regularly.
To get sail fit, I find the best way is to sail on a regular basis, but a bit hard when wind doesn't respond.
I have been sailing for about 20 yrs and a dingy/cat sailor for a long time prior to that. I also do as much manual work as I can ie. gardening, mowing, house stuff, walking, kayaking, etc etc. It all adds up. As I am retired, the temptation to do little is pretty high, so you need good willpower as well!!

I sail a JP Xcite 110L and an Exocet Warp Slalom 90L. Also have recently started in the GPS speed challenge, up to 29 kts and trying to get to the 30 mark.
Good luck with your return and keep at it - Cheers!!!

Thanks mate !

Stretches after ( + probably before sailing) + get out as regularly as you can even in lighter winds just to keep sailing fit.I'm not over 60's but with a dodgy neck these help me..

"Decrepit" is exceptional, but he is 70 or thereabouts, and this is what he is doing:

gpsteamchallenge.com.au/sailor/view/8

Note: the 328 km (as re all the distances) was in a single day!

Windsurfing is one of the few sports you can keep doing at a high level in your 60's.

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[b]Windxtasy said...[/

Windsurfing is one of the few spots you can keep doing at a high level in your 60's.

Hope so, 50 is closing in fast for me. I agree that weights help. Also running keeps you agile and your legs strong. Just x training (variety of different exercise) in general keeps you injury free and strong inside and outside.

Only a youngster at 57. I hope to keep going for many years yet. I don't find the riding stressful on the body, but I do have a regular weight and aerobic routine. I think if you want to do something that is physical, you have to get fit first. My problem is that the wind doesn't co-operate as often as what I would like. The east coast of Tassie has wind but it can be very gusty.
My wife seems to be very supportive, and I do mean very. Whenever I suggest going for a ride she just about shoves me out the door! Mentions something about time for herself but I haven't worked out what that means yet. Must be a female thing. Funny that for something she always wants me to do she never wants to talk about it, just wanders off when I try to tell her about how to gybe properly. I figure this must be a female thing as well.
I reckon I've just about got her sussed out now.

Space Iceman. She likes some time to herself.

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Windxtasy said..

"Decrepit" is exceptional, but he is 70 or thereabouts, and this is what he is doing:

>>>>>>>>>
Windsurfing is one of the few spots you can keep doing at a high level in your 60's.

Why thanks Anita! not 70 yet, but it's coming up fast. And there's people around older than me still enjoying there windsurfing.
The GPS team challenge is what's motivating me to push the limits, I'd probably still be getting out if I wasn't a part of it, much less often and not sailing as hard. And I think it's the same for a lot of others.

Kevin, the move to more modern gear is a good idea, when rigged and tuned properly modern gear takes a lot of the effort out of windsurfing, it's so much more user friendly these days.

About 30 years ago some people questioned why I still surfed, saying it's a young person's sport. I just laughed at them, I'd met Snowy McAlister in his late 60s still getting tubed at North Narrabeen on his 13' hollow wooden ski. And Ma and Pa Kettle on the sunshine coast both surfing about the same age. These were the people who inspired me to keep at it regardless of what anybody else thought or said.

And windsurfing is easier than surfing, don't need as good timing or reflexes, I can still do moves on my wave gear, that I haven't been able to do on my surfboard for 10 years or so.

My wife didn't learn to windsurf until she was 50, she's a bit closer to 70 than me and still enjoying it. So yep, as long as you can hang on to a boom, keep windsurfing! I'm sure it helps keep you young.

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Iceman said..

Funny that for something she always wants me to do she never wants to talk about it, just wanders off when I try to tell her about how to gybe properly. I figure this must be a female thing as well.

Nope. My husband doesn't want to hear about windsurfing either. I think he feels that if he ignores me I might stop (windsurfing).

Decrepit, apologies if I've prematurely aged you! I remember you saying you wanted to get to 70 knots before you reached 70 years and I thought it must be coming up soon.

Kazza, not 50 yet? You're just a spring chicken!

Thanks everyone, inspiration, good ideas and tips

C u out there,

Cheers Kevin

Though only really young at 45, I have found that since taking up SUP (which I only do in the waves) it has really improved my strength and balance. When we get these big periods of no wind out on the SUP and when it is windy ready to take on the windsurfing again. The sports are very complimentary to each other and I have finally found another sport that I like besides windsurfing.

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Windxtasy said..

>>>>>>
Decrepit, apologies if I've prematurely aged you! I remember you saying you wanted to get to 70 knots before you reached 70 years and I thought it must be coming up soon.

>>>>

No worries Anita, when I first said that I had 3 years to achieve it, I managed it last year with 2 years to spare, so from these hints you can see it is indeed coming up fast.

Kevin, welcome to the addiction! There's a number of 70+ sailors that are regulars on the Swan River. So you're just a spring chicken

You're on the right track, the lighter rig will make things easier. Newer freeride sails have fantastic wind range and are very easy to use. You will find that the downhaul tension required is very different from older style sails.

The crew down at Peli Point are very friendly so don't hesitate to say g'day or ask for tips. All the WA shops provide great advice too.

See you on the water.

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paddymac said..

Kevin, welcome to the addiction! There's a number of 70+ sailors that are regulars on the Swan River. So you're just a spring chicken

You're on the right track, the lighter rig will make things easier. Newer freeride sails have fantastic wind range and are very easy to use. You will find that the downhaul tension required is very different from older style sails.

The crew down at Peli Point are very friendly so don't hesitate to say g'day or ask for tips. All the WA shops provide great advice too.

See you on the water.

Thanks Man!

Here's a good example.
Windsurfed from aged 50 until he was 80 and then took up kitesurfing.
Died on the water kiting aged 88.

http://www.mostlyformen.com/kitesurfing-legend-has-died/

Be sure to buy matching sails and mast and go for sails that handle well rather than the power type sails.

Going on 70. Agree with others that resistance training or complementary physical activity is one of the keys as is flexibility. Also lighter equipment which for me means smaller volume boards that are easier to use on and off the water. Still use cam sails as these do more work for me on the water. Am a lot more particular as to equipment and wetsuit selection (take that issue out of the equation). Set realistic windspeed limits especially if super gusty. Low wind is as hard work as higher winds although in different ways. Find the happy medium where the wind works for you.

"When I'm sixty four"

Hit that about 2 weeks ago, still in the waves exclusively. The only thing I don't do anymore is jump as high, and go for rotations while up there, a pretty easy thing to cut back on. That was just cake decoration anyway, such as it was , but the cake, and the icing, still exists!

As we get on towards 70 it's probably inevitable that we'll be seeking out flatter water and softer riding boards. ( I've got a Bombora under the veranda I occasionally think of dusting off). And weed fins. You know, the unexpected catapault when you hit the odd piece of kelp or MH370. That shakes you up. Maybe we should err on the side of weedies when the youngsters are still taking a chance with pointers.

I'm 60 but have been sailing since 1984, many of the crew I sail with are mid to late 60s and a one is consistently quicker than most of the younger sailers. I guess the old adage "use it or lose it" is so true, however I couldn't imagine life away from sailboarding. Hmmm although with the current lack of wind I am experiencing withdrawals.

I'm only 50 and starting to feel to old to do what I want to . Have to take it easy and can't sail for long . Also need a nanna nap after a sup in the morning . Don't know how I'll be in ten years

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Iceman said..

Only a youngster at 57. I hope to keep going for many years yet. I don't find the riding stressful on the body, but I do have a regular weight and aerobic routine. I think if you want to do something that is physical, you have to get fit first. My problem is that the wind doesn't co-operate as often as what I would like. The east coast of Tassie has wind but it can be very gusty.
My wife seems to be very supportive, and I do mean very. Whenever I suggest going for a ride she just about shoves me out the door! Mentions something about time for herself but I haven't worked out what that means yet. Must be a female thing. Funny that for something she always wants me to do she never wants to talk about it, just wanders off when I try to tell her about how to gybe properly. I figure this must be a female thing as well.
I reckon I've just about got her sussed out now.

If only I had a male version of her! Still my bloke does listen ( or I think he does..) when I rave over a session.We have a local who'll be 80 soon and still sails in 25kts.

Plenty of 60+ y.o sailors at Kyeemagh.
I think the trick is to sail as often as possible the older you get.
The long autumn/winter break needs to be managed carefully with trip to Maui .

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siny said..

I'm only 50 and starting to feel to old to do what I want to . Have to take it easy and can't sail for long . Also need a nanna nap after a sup in the morning . Don't know how I'll be in ten years

Not saying it'll work for you, but I was feeling like that last year, not much energy, needing plenty of nanna naps, head full of cotton wool, etc.

Saw the ABC doco about the 5 - 2 diet, since being on that my energy levels have jumped, and I feel much brighter.
I needed 200kms last year and could only manage 150 no matter how hard I tried, but this year I did 328km without too much trouble. That would have been impossible last year.

I'm not having any trouble sticking to the diet, but I'm going to have to start checking my weight, if it gets too low, I'll probably go to 8 - 2.
Might have to start doing weights as well.

Weights would be that shandy us NSW blokes were told to give you at LG in Feb right Mike???

Hi good to see - my 10c worth... I am 55, I weigh 107kg and just started in November 2013 - its not a come back but a start from scratch - I tried when I was 30 in the 80's but too hard ended up wake boarding and slalom water skiing on one ski, instead. Can still wake board but skiing is out. I did a bit of kit boarding 6 years ago and had a foo par.... ended up golfing with my youngest son who was fanatical about golf for five years.

I had been watching the guys at Wellington Point in Queensland and decided that I want some of that and bought a Mistral Pacifico sup sail board with a 4.5m old school sail in November - a few months in and can do ok beach starts ok, hang on in good wind ok, harness in low wind haven't tried in higher wind yet, can gybe and tack in lighter winds yet to see how I go in higher winds, waterstarts still elude me, I can get the pacifico planing (cheating I think 200l).

I think windsurfing is the hardest sport on the planet to learn, it is such a long gradual learning curve. I certainly look forward to getting on my new Fanatic Shark 165l and blasting away, if I can ride it at all let alone beach starts, harness, gybe and tacking etc lol. Tomorrow I am going to have a go if the wind gets up enough with a neil pride 7.5m sail.

I certainly hope to be riding/sailing when I am sixty plus - I take my hat off to all you boys and girls who are smashing it out on the water let alone those of you over sixty.

Hope to see you on the water some day

Cheers
Morgan

Congrats on getting back to the sport and a tip to make it easier is to rig the sail properly because i can see your sail in pic aint right.go online to sail makers tips to rig it right make the sail feel lighter and handle better..