An Ageless Sailor – One grandmother’s adventures on the high seas

How would you define the best moment in your life? That one moment that encompasses all your strength, all your character, all your resolve and captures it for all eternity? Elaine Young, a 62 year old grandmother, mother, student, friend and working woman has had her fair share of fantastic memories, she says, “At my age there has to be more than one!” Marriage to the love of her life and the birth of her three children non-withstanding Elaine explains that the best day of her life would have to be the day she purchased a 38ft yacht.

True to her last name, Elaine is young at heart and her body language and demeanour reflect the same. Whether it was her sparkling, crinkly laughter-filled eyes or the way her whole body leaned in to tell you what she had to say, she gave every word her approval so that everything she said was honest and heart-felt. Her coffee cup, the table, the chair and the cafe all merged into one big movie set, larger than life and exploding with energy.

Recounting her life and her ambitions, she seemed content and at ease, as if nothing was outside her reach or too hard an idea to conceive. Elaine met her husband at the young age of 14. There was an instant connection and the two got married when she was just 18.

Originally from Melbourne, Elaine moved to the Gold Coast for a change of lifestyle with the support of her three children after the death of her husband when she was 41. She befriended a colleague who lived on a house boat finding the concept of living on water exciting and interesting. Little did she know that 18 months later she would be the proud owner of a 38 ft yacht.

Initially having her heart set on just a cruiser boat, Elaine decided to go all the way and get the full sailing experience. With a little help from friends she started learning how to sail, still uncertain about her prowess on the high seas yet seeing it as a life-changing experience.

One sunny Gold Coast morning, a dear friend and sailing instructor informed her that he needed her to be part of a crew on one his ships in the Solomon Islands. Still unsure whether she was ready for such a challenge, Elaine was on the next plane to the archipelago in the South-Western Pacific Ocean.

Part of a five-member crew, and the only woman and grandmother on board, they sailed for one month, trading fish for fruit and vegetables from the villagers surrounding the coast. Returning back to the Gold Coast via the Louisiade Archipelago in the coral seas, Elaine says that it was by far one of the best experiences of her life. Being surrounded by such untouched natural beauty and living a simple life put her soul at peace.

She returned a sailor whose fascination for the high seas never died and neither did her penchant for pushing herself that extra mile when faced with trepidation.

It has been 20 years since Elaine moved to the Gold Coast and still her journey of self discovery and self-invention has not waned. At age 62 she is raring to go and is now enrolled in a Sociology and Business communication Bachelor’s degree through an Open University programme. She has even gone so far as to take up a course in creative writing and just about anything else that challenges her and makes her smile. In addition to being a student she also works part-time as an admissions clerk at Movie World, a popular Gold Coast theme park.

A firm believer in Neuro-Linguistic programming (NLP), Elaine believes that “We create everything we think and say” and everything we wish for, we create which is why we have to be very careful about what we want. She started to delve inwards and explore her spirituality after the death of her husband, and found a fountain of strength and resolve that she had yet to tap into.

Her plans for the future include getting her Bachelor’s degree in 3 years and working as an independent consultant once she has officially retired. As for sailing again, while Elaine no longer owns her yacht, she says that she is still learning to sail and has a long way to go before she can credit herself with being a sailor. Thanks to close friends she still has the opportunity and incentive to go sailing.

Trading her coffee for good old lager, Elaine can also be found at the Griffith uni bar when she is not at class or at work. She and college peer cum friend Amanda, who is pursuing a nursing degree seem perfectly at home as uni students and are embracing college life and everything it has to offer with arms wide open.

The horizon is the limit for this young 62-year-old, with no regrets and only possibility ahead of her. She certainly taught me a thing or two about the true spirit of living. And irrespective of whether our paths cross again or not, I can only wish that someday I will also be 62 going on 16.