"Bryan" wrote:

Honestly guys, I gotta laugh at some of this advice. Many claim you can't
handle larger yachts without huge crew, exotic gear, and mega wallets. How
many folks here have lived on, sailed, docked, bought, or maintained 50
footers, 60 footers, or 70 footers? Look at the 60's racing non-stop around
the world by little girls.

Two people isn't a huge crew. Going non-stop on a state of the art
racing boat is a vastly different type of sailing from going in and
out of a strange marina or anchorage every night with a second hand
heavier boat. And Ellen McD. deserves not to be called a little girl.
How condescending.

We have a boat which is called a 44, but really measures 50 feet.
We've lived on and docked and maintained this boat. It is really a
bit big for us to handle - can be done alone, but very difficult,
especially the docking part and especially with wind and/or current..

I don't think you need exotic gear and a mega wallet but IMO 50 feet
is the maximum that an older couple can handle themselves without
help, not to mention that the whole thing becomes way more expensive.


grandma Rosalie

Madame, I am 30 and my usual crew is younger. I do not consider myself
"older". I think 50 ft is aproaching the top limit. (I sail a CR38).
Of course, I do not think people buy 60 foot boats with the intent of
"downgrading" when they get "older". But at any rate. (I hope I do
not sound offended. I've read your postings with great respect.)

I do not think you have to consider what boat is too big for a crew of
two to handle. I think any "crew of two" should be able to at least
hobble somewhere single-handed. Things do not happen in isolation: if
something happens which disables one of your crew, chances are it also
may have disabled some part of your boat. Chances are the winds are
stiff and the seas are high. Chances are sea spray may have disabled
those push-button winches (did we replace those cables before we left
dock last time or did some head issue take precedence?)

Racing is another story altogether. I (used to) go four-wheel-driving
in remote places. A lot of 4wd people like to point at the stuff
racing cars, winners of derbys etc, put on their cars. I learned then:
racing equipment is designed to last as long as the race, and no
longer. Racers cannot afford the extra weight associated with
heavily-built, long-lasting equipment. When racing, your objective is
not to get from point A to point B. (Many cruisers have done so, after
all.) Your objective is to get ther first. What happens afterwards
does not matter. When cruising on the other hand, it is not sufficient
to get to poitn B. You plan to then be on your way to point C, point
D, etc. (How many racers live on their boats?)

(I do not mean to distract from the racers. I just hope to show that
the objectives are differnet, the equipment are more different. (note
here that another objective of racing is to make money, if only enough
to fund your next race. Cruisers do not expect to make money on their
cruisng.) And Ms. Ellen McD. has won very much respect from me, fwiw.)

But to my original point: when all is well and all your crew is at
100%, then we all may be able to handle a 60-footer with a crew of two.
But most crusing folks I've talked to, from 30 to I-don't-dare-guess,
have a story of an illness: Crew 1 had a bad shoulder; Crew 2 was
feverish. Crew 1 got seasick; crew 2(autopilot/vane) gave up; I've
myself been both feverish and seasick.

M. Bryan, I would be very interested to know of your acquaintances who
live aboard, and cruise, aboard a 50, 60, or 70 footer. I hope to be
able to do so; I hope to learn something from them.

Always learning.

-Y

The OP was Bryan, and I thought it was his first name and I assumed he
was a male person because most of the people here are. He was the one
who said

I gotta laugh at some of this advice. Many claim you can't
handle larger yachts without huge crew, exotic gear, and mega wallets. How
many folks here have lived on, sailed, docked, bought, or maintained 50
footers, 60 footers, or 70 footers? Look at the 60's racing non-stop around
the world by little girls.

I was disputing that.

So I'm confused as to whether you are disagreeing with me or with
Bryan? It sounds like you agree with me. You aren't an older couple,
but you seem to agree with me that racing is not the same as cruising
and that 50 ft is approaching the top limit.

"mickey" wrote:

Madame, I am 30 and my usual crew is younger. I do not consider myself
"older". I think 50 ft is aproaching the top limit. (I sail a CR38).
Of course, I do not think people buy 60 foot boats with the intent of
"downgrading" when they get "older". But at any rate. (I hope I do
not sound offended. I've read your postings with great respect.)

I do not think you have to consider what boat is too big for a crew of
two to handle. I think any "crew of two" should be able to at least
hobble somewhere single-handed. Things do not happen in isolation: if
something happens which disables one of your crew, chances are it also
may have disabled some part of your boat. Chances are the winds are
stiff and the seas are high. Chances are sea spray may have disabled
those push-button winches (did we replace those cables before we left
dock last time or did some head issue take precedence?)

Racing is another story altogether. I (used to) go four-wheel-driving
in remote places. A lot of 4wd people like to point at the stuff
racing cars, winners of derbys etc, put on their cars. I learned then:
racing equipment is designed to last as long as the race, and no
longer. Racers cannot afford the extra weight associated with
heavily-built, long-lasting equipment. When racing, your objective is
not to get from point A to point B. (Many cruisers have done so, after
all.) Your objective is to get ther first. What happens afterwards
does not matter. When cruising on the other hand, it is not sufficient
to get to poitn B. You plan to then be on your way to point C, point
D, etc. (How many racers live on their boats?)

(I do not mean to distract from the racers. I just hope to show that
the objectives are differnet, the equipment are more different. (note
here that another objective of racing is to make money, if only enough
to fund your next race. Cruisers do not expect to make money on their
cruisng.) And Ms. Ellen McD. has won very much respect from me, fwiw.)

But to my original point: when all is well and all your crew is at
100%, then we all may be able to handle a 60-footer with a crew of two.
But most crusing folks I've talked to, from 30 to I-don't-dare-guess,
have a story of an illness: Crew 1 had a bad shoulder; Crew 2 was
feverish. Crew 1 got seasick; crew 2(autopilot/vane) gave up; I've
myself been both feverish and seasick.

M. Bryan, I would be very interested to know of your acquaintances who
live aboard, and cruise, aboard a 50, 60, or 70 footer. I hope to be
able to do so; I hope to learn something from them.

Always learning.

-Y

grandma Rosalie

I don't think you need exotic gear and a mega wallet but IMO 50 feet
is the maximum that an older couple can handle themselves without
help, not to mention that the whole thing becomes way more expensive

I tend to agree. My wife and I are presently living and cruising on a
50 footer. I wouldn't want to handle or maintain a boat much larger,
and frankly don't see any need to, unless you have professional crew to
house or a large family.

Most of the information on this thread is interesting.
I do not mean to insult anyone but age has nothing to do with your
capabilities to handle a large size boat. I would suggest that it should
read "depending on your skill and physical condition". I have seen seventy
years of age and older couples handling, in calm and heavy weather, large
boat better than 30 years old couples.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I don't think you need exotic gear and a mega wallet but IMO 50 feet
is the maximum that an older couple can handle themselves without
help, not to mention that the whole thing becomes way more expensive

I tend to agree. My wife and I are presently living and cruising on a
50 footer. I wouldn't want to handle or maintain a boat much larger,
and frankly don't see any need to, unless you have professional crew to
house or a large family.

"Denis Marier" wrote:

Most of the information on this thread is interesting.
I do not mean to insult anyone but age has nothing to do with your
capabilities to handle a large size boat. I would suggest that it should
read "depending on your skill and physical condition". I have seen seventy
years of age and older couples handling, in calm and heavy weather, large
boat better than 30 years old couples.

I agree, and I also do not think that power assisted gear is necessary
at least for a 50 foot boat. We don't have a power windlass, and we
don't have any power winches either. If I was going to single-hand,
I'd probably want a power winch to sail her, but probably I would get
a smaller boat instead.

wrote in message
roups.com...
I don't think you need exotic gear and a mega wallet but IMO 50 feet
is the maximum that an older couple can handle themselves without
help, not to mention that the whole thing becomes way more expensive

I tend to agree. My wife and I are presently living and cruising on a
50 footer. I wouldn't want to handle or maintain a boat much larger,
and frankly don't see any need to, unless you have professional crew to
house or a large family.



grandma Rosalie