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John Lee Cotton: 91 years old and 75 years at sea
March 26, 2026 · 9 min · 532 views
John Lee Cotton smiles aboard his sailboat at sea.
What this video covers
John Lee Cotton, 91 years old with 75 years of sailing experience, describes a lifetime on the water that began when his mother bought him a Yachting World Cadet kit to build as a boy in England.0:52 He progressed through a Firefly and eventually to an Albin Marine Ballad 30, which he has sailed solo for decades and considers ideal for older single-handed sailors because of its strength and solidity.0:21 He has sailed Scandinavian waters extensively and spent multiple seasons sailing the entire east coast of Australia out of Sydney, typically from October through December.2:38 Safety modifications to the Ballad are a recurring theme: he sails with jackstays and a connected lifejacket at all times, and uses PredictWind, Windy, and the London Meteorological Institute to assess conditions before departing.3:37 His self-imposed fitness benchmark is the ability to hoist the mainsail by hand — if he can no longer do that, he reasons, he is not strong enough to handle the boat properly.4:51 He blogs his passages on WordPress to keep family and distant readers informed, treating the blog's continuity as an informal safety signal.7:01 He names the Helgeland coast as a favorite cruising ground for its sheltered inner leads, consistent wind, and relaxed pace.8:59
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