Sailing fitness

Originally posted by elzorillo Mon/Wed/Fri ...I'm in the boxing gym 1.5hours. Still at 55y & 3wks I train with the younger guys but have seen a deteriation in strength in the last couple of years and no sparing for a good few years due to reactions deteriorating. To be blunt.. I dont think it's that imperative to be fit for sailing unless you're hitting the water a lot. I've been beaten (still am) many times by blokes who get out of breath pulling their centerboard up. Main benefit of the above is being the exact same weight/build I was 30 years ago but i would say the benefit to sailing is marginal.

I bought a Solo to keep fit ... now I keep fit to sail my Solo

Had my first real swim for a couple of years last sunday, after a mare of a gust in a gybe, then capsize, then freak out because the sheets were wrapped round my legs, then a turtle with mast stuck in the mud, then eventual release, splash back, boat starts blowing down wind on its side, so a sprint swim to get to it. The moral of the tale, if you aint fit, you aint going to cope with sh*t like that, lucky for me No 3 daughter bought some new scales for Christmas made me get on them, have been pounding the pavement every day since to lose 3 kilos of blubber which I am sure helped the sprint swim.

Spot on there Tink.

Each to his own, and although I preach the 'nothing tastes like skinny feels' to the girls, I've always been of the belief that upping the exercise is easier than reducing the calory intake, and it works for me.