Learning to Sail at 65+ – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Short answer: quite a lot.
When I decided to learn to sail properly at 65+, I had visions of graceful manoeuvres, quiet rivers, and the occasional gentle breeze.
Reality has been… different.
There have been:
Moments where I confidently steered in entirely the wrong direction
Times when “duck!” was shouted slightly too late
Situations where I pulled the correct rope… at completely the wrong time
And then there’s terminology.
Port. Starboard. Sheets. Halyards.
At one point I was convinced everyone was just making words up to confuse me.
But here’s the thing…
Despite all of this, it’s brilliant.
Every session gets a little easier. Every mistake teaches something useful. And every now and then, everything comes together and the boat just… works.
When I first stepped into a dinghy on the River Thames, I assumed sailing was mostly about pulling ropes and hoping for the best.
It turns out there’s a bit more to it than that.
Here are five things I wish someone had told me before I started:
1. Sitting in the wrong place matters… a lot
Balance is everything. Sit too far back and the boat drags. Too far forward and you bury the bow. Too far to one side and you’re swimming.
2. Stop staring at the sail
I spent far too long admiring the sail instead of looking where I was going. The river, other boats, and the bank are far more important.
3. Small movements beat big ones
New sailors (me included) tend to oversteer. Gentle corrections work far better than dramatic swings.
4. Wind awareness is everything
If you don’t know where the wind is coming from, you’re not sailing—you’re drifting with intent.
5. It’s supposed to feel awkward at first
Everyone looks slightly incompetent at the beginning. The trick is to keep going.
I’m still learning all of this… just slightly less badly than before.
After weeks of planning, packing (and repacking), checking lists, losing lists, and wondering if I really needed that many cables… we have finally arrived in Marina, Croatia.
And what a place to arrive.
First Impressions
Warm air. Blue skies. Palm trees. Already, this feels very different from launching a dinghy on the slightly brown (but much-loved) River Thames.
We’re based near Trogir, a stunning little town that looks like it’s been lifted straight out of a history book and gently placed into the Adriatic. Narrow streets, ancient stone buildings, and boats everywhere.
And not just any boats… Proper yachts. The kind where everything is shiny, neatly coiled, and far more complicated than anything I’ve been pretending to sail up to now.
The Reality Check
Of course, arriving is one thing. Actually sailing for a week as “Competent Crew”… that’s something else entirely.
Some early observations:
There are more ropes (sorry… lines) than I remember.
Everything is bigger.
Everything is more expensive.
And everything matters just a little bit more when you’re not five metres from the bank.
Rosamund is already spotting photographic opportunities every few seconds, which is promising. I, on the other hand, am wondering how long it will take before I call port “left” in front of everyone.
The Mission Begins
Tomorrow we meet the crew, the instructor, and—most importantly—the boat.
Somewhere out there is a 47-foot yacht waiting patiently… Probably unaware of what’s about to happen.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
First attempt at stepping aboard gracefully
Forgetting how to tie a bowline
Dropping something important into the sea
Calling the boom “that big swinging thing”
But that’s all part of the adventure—and exactly why we’re here.
Less than 100 Days to Go – SailGP heads back to Portsmouth!
“100 Days to Go – Will I Be Ready for SailGP in Portsmouth?”
There are moments in sailing when everything feels just a little bit… faster.
This is one of them.
In 100 days, the high-speed, heart-in-mouth spectacle that is SailGP returns to Portsmouth for Season 6 — and if you’ve never seen these boats fly, you’re in for something rather special.
🚀 Not Your Average Sunday Sail
Now, I sail on the Thames.
We worry about:
Wind (or lack of it… usually lack of it)
Current (always in the wrong direction)
And whether we’ll finish before the next race starts
SailGP teams?
They worry about:
Hitting 100 km/h
Keeping control while flying above the water
And not capsizing on live international television
Slight difference.
⛵ The Boats That Fly
These aren’t your typical sailing boats. The F50 catamarans lift clean out of the water on hydrofoils — more aircraft than boat.
Watching them is like seeing:
A Formula 1 car
On water
With no brakes
And the occasional splashy reminder that physics is still in charge
Why Portsmouth Matters
There’s something quite fitting about SailGP returning to Portsmouth:
Historic naval city
Packed spectator views
And (hopefully) just enough wind to keep things interesting
For those of us learning to sail “the traditional way,” it’s a reminder of just how far the sport has evolved.
🤔 Will It Help My Sailing?
That’s the real question.
Will watching the world’s best sailors:
Improve my tacking?
Stop me from finishing last?
Help me understand wind shifts better?
Probably not.
But it will remind me why I started: 👉 The thrill 👉 The challenge 👉 And the occasional moment when everything just works
I have been to Croatia before in the summer. I remember getting on the plane in England in the cool rain and then arriving in the heat of Croatia. Perhaps not this time.
How Do I Feel?
Excited ✔
Slightly nervous ✔
Wondering what I’ve forgotten ✔
What Comes Next
New skills
New experiences
New mistakes
A few days in Croatia before our trip on the yacht, and then three days of exploring after the trip. before we return on Monday night.
Final Thought
This isn’t just about sailing.
It’s about: Trying something new Stepping outside our comfort zones Enjoying the journey and knowing I'm taking thousands of photographs and hours of video, hopefully all backed up.
In a space smaller than my kitchen. Now I have done this lots of times before. We have taken holidays on the canal, we have cruised up and down the Canal du Midi, but we have never done this at sea with swell.
Sleeping (or attempting to)
Sleeping on a yacht involves:
Small bunks
Odd angles
No guarantee of silence
And possibly: Falling out if the boat moves suddenly
I suspect: Earplugs may become my best friend
Toilets (The bit everyone worries about)
Ah yes… the marine toilet.
From what I understand:
It involves pumping
There are rules
Breaking those rules is… memorable
I have been warned:
“Nothing goes down there unless it’s passed through your body first”
This feels like important advice.
Cooking (at an angle)
Cooking onboard means:
Things slide
Liquids move
Balance is everything
So meals may range from: “Surprisingly good”
to “Why is this on the floor?”
Space (or lack of it)
There isn’t much.
Everything has:
A place
A very small place
And if you leave something out: It will be in everyone’s way
