Not many international classes allow people at that age to still compete at world standard. Which brings us back to the competition. It's not just the way an Etchells works that attracts the hot-shots. They want to sail against one another and here's where they find each other. But there's also a place for mere mortals.
Every race is a whole series of races.
When you're all on the same handicap every place is a place that matters. When we beat Bok Choy, it matters. I've known some of the joys and pains of the all that. With time, the joys seem less important. I am, of course, happily biased.