The muses of an Old Dreamer.......

At 68, I sometimes feel like an old boat sitting in dry dock. The paint's chipped in a few places, the rudder creaks a bit, and the engine coughs before it starts- an times where one thinks when will this end and the charts of life suggest that by now I should have dropped anchor, content with gardening, bridge, or whatever harmless pursuits people adopt when they're told to "take it easy." But I can still feel the tide pulling at me. There's a whisper that says, "Not yet, old boy-there's still wind in those sails.

"So, I'm giving myself a thorough refit. The hull (that's me) needs patching up here and there-doctor's orders, a bit more stretching, a bit less pudding. The rigging (that's the attitude) is being tested for strength. And as for navigation, well, I've decided to plot a course around the world. Not a metaphor, mind you-an actual voyage.

There's something delightful about ignoring the polite expectations of others. Society, in its tidy way, hands out timetables: study, work, retire, fade gracefully. But what if one misses the connection? What if at this station in life, you still feel like jumping the fence and catching a different train entirely?

The truth is, many of us-those who have spent decades building, managing, supervising-arrive at the so-called "end of work" only to discover an untapped reservoir of curiosity and daring. Perhaps that's what this journey represents for me: a refusal to settle. A salute to every well-worn hull that still dreams of open water. SOD convention, I say. Let the younger ones worry about what's sensible. I'll be trimming the sails.

So to those standing on the edge of retirement, staring at the horizon and wondering, "Is this it?" - I say, nonsense. We're not done yet. Not by a long shot.

Forget the endless reels of twenty-somethings hopping from Bali to Barcelona, all smiles and drone footage. Let them have their moment. We had (and still have) ours - only ours involves real charts, real weather, and a lifetime's worth of stories that don't need filters or hashtags.

This message is for the Old Seadogs, the stubborn explorers, the closet philosophers who still believe the map doesn't end where the pension form begins. We've earned the right to be a bit grumpy, a bit outspoken, and utterly unapologetic about wanting more from the world.

So let's connect - not to reminisce or moan, but to plan, to dream, to raise a mug (or glass) to the idea that life after work is not the epilogue. It's the next chapter. The seas are still wide, the wind's still steady, and we've still got a few fine voyages left in us.

Fair winds, fellow travellers. Sod convention - let's set sail.

So what are you planning?

As for ageing, look up books on, for example, masters bicycle racing. If you get stuck into it in your 60s you can be fitter than most people half or two thirds your age, but it does take hard work. On the other hand, if you're in you're only as fit as the average 60+ person then I'd be scared to go offshore. We seem to be seeing an epidemic of rescues and a disproportionate amount of them seem, from what I can see, to be of people who are ageing but not physically fit enough to be out there.

At the risk of going down my own very deep rabbit hole - don't be a Seadog. There is an absolute old fool who has a Youtube channel by that name that shows that an idiot can circumnavigate. He almost ended up on the coral near Fraser in a well forecast blow and sailed tens of thousands of miles without learning how to trim a headsail or main - hopefully he resists the call now he has finished and stays at home. I am not sure why the sirens seem to call out to over 60 singlehanders there but they are piling up quicker than a pod of pilot whales around Fraser.

Go offshore for sure, but get fit and strong, and open your mind to learning from anyone else out there. Otherwise the government will start keeping closer tabs on us if old blokes keep on getting into trouble and piling up on the hard.

I just finished reading Harry Heckel's book and he seriously was a liability when he got older (over 85 or so). He couldn't maintain his boat properly and had old sails that blew out, he had no way of repairing them, and he got so infirm that the ship that saved him with food had to lower crew to get the food package on his deck. All the time his family are saying to the Coastguard - "Where is my dad - you gotta look for him" and they did, so he was costing everyone else, except him, lots of money and hassle. Anyone going offshore should be fit and experienced enough to not cause anyone else to look for you unless conditions are truly frightful and all ages and competence would need assistance.

I like people getting out sailing, but like those who anchor for years in Airlie and cause issues when their boats pile up during well forecast blows, I don't think that all sailors reflect well on the majority, and we should try to always leave a clean wake. Don't be one who causes issues for others.