This statement is right on! I am 47 years old. My dad bought a 16 in '81 and we learned together. He quit sailing and I moved on to bigger and faster boats. I am an extreme sport junkie. I still race BMX and DH. I do bicycle trials and dirt jumping. Age isn't an issue, its exposure! The adrenaline crowd today has no idea how fast and on the edge cat sailing can be because there is no exposure. Its not cost or time, to them its just not cool enough. I am around some of the most extreme folks you could ever meet and they think sailing is for old rich guys. If I had only lake sailed I think I would have no interest but I learned on the ocean, where the danger element is real. Thats what keeps me sailing!