Sailor, 85, crosses ocean on raft

The guy's nearly twice my age and 10 times the wiser!
Fun story. Not something I'd attempt at 85.... or at 45... how about not on a raft period!

Comforting to know we're worth more dead than we are alive, huh?!!?

All things considered, the guy's 85 years old, and still crossing things off his bucket list. Hats off to him!

Hats off.
It reminds me of Berrimilla but it is in fact a way better story.

GREAT !!...that he did it....

...and that he found some friends willing to go along for the adventure

Rafting the Mississippi

Here is another story of a few young guys rafting 1700 miles down the Mississippi river. Good on them...an adventure

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-building/raft-down-mississippi-6243-15.html#post474664

When I delivered a boat from Michigan to FL via the rivers we met up with some guys doing the same thing. I would have traded places with then in a minute if I could have.

Sailor, 85, crosses ocean on raft

Kudos!!! To that 85 yr old and his companions for crossing the ocean on a raft! That’s insane!! I love people that will take calculated risks – and succeed!

Mid to latter 1960’s, in my mid teens, with 13’3” Boston Whaler and 40 HP Johnson (full surround SS railings and framed dodger canvas enclosure on it) I told my dad that he should set it up for refuel ship-points across the Atlantic and I’d single handedly take my Whaler with 42 gallons fuel aboard (7, 6 gallon tanks) non-stop (except for occasional hour or two sleep) all the way across the ocean in midsummer. I KNEW that Whalers were really becoming just the thing in the 60’s and figured from filming the crossing and keeping daily log that we (dad and I) might make a fortune as well as become spokes persons/advertisements for the Boston Whaler Company! I’d already spent lots of time off shore LI, NY in the Atlantic and had taken my Whaler all over New England inland and off shore waters, even from NY to Maine’s Penobscot bay. I knew it could be done IF refueling-depots were set up correctly. I calced that with a usable 38 (or a little more) gallons and at cruise speed of about 25 knts (top speed was about 34 knts) that the Whaler’s range would be right at 760 n-miles (giving a 10% margin of error) and the crossing (under good weather conditions) would only take 6 to 7 days. It all seemed quite doable, especially in my bold, strapping mid teens! I’d even figured for food and fluid provisions, Loran, Ship to Shore etc... already had a good compass attached to the steering box. But, to my dismay, and no matter how hard I prodded, conservative pops would hear nothing of it... so... that was one adventure-dream I missed out on in my young years. But – maybe dad was correct, at least I’m still here to recall the dream. Actually, I think it was mom who took pops aside and put the kibosh on the whole thing; a somewhat danger filled, but for a teenager – much fun – adventure! You know how moms are! LOL!

After hearing about the 85 yr old crossing... let’s see now... what daring waterborne adventure could I dream up (in my bold, strapping soon to begin 60’s) that would be a kick to accomplish? Hummm – gotta dwell on that one for a while! – W.

Again, Kudos!!! To that 85 yr old and his companions for crossing the ocean on a raft!

Phil Weld, defied the caution of age

Ocean racing is a sport "where the accretion of wisdom can offset diminishing physical power". So says Phil Weld, a 65-year-old grandfather who shattered every previous record with his victory in the 1980 Observer Singlehanded Trans-Atlantic Race, crossing in under 18 days. The victory may have surprised the French, who had earlier predicted that "the caution of age" would be no match for the prowess of the young French competitors. British yachtsmen, however, who had competed against his Trumpeter and Gulf Streamer in several Round Britain races and in the Crystal Trophy races, knew better than to underestimate him.

For this, his third attempt at the OSTAR, Weld had Dick Newick design him the trimaran Moxie. In design, construction and in every piece of equipment Moxie was built to win. Phil Weld knew what it took to race across the Atlantic - the boat and the man were made for each other.

Grandfathers are normally past the age for thrills and spills out in the ocean, but not Phil Weld: he spent five days underneath his inverted Gulf Streamer off Bermuda before being rescued. He called his next yacht, appropriately, Rogue Wave.

...an introduction to the story book here
http://www.newfilmco.com/acbook.htm

http://melrosemirror.media.mit.edu/servlet/pluto?state=30303470616765303037576562506167653030326964303033353731