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There's always the option of taking the sea route between two places. People have taken advantage of the seas for as long a time as civilizations have existed. '''Boat hitching''' is propably more like working on the boat and paying for your fare that way.It is difficult to get onto harbour facilities. It is great when you know someone on the terrain.Ships and boats don't steam off every minute like cars. So be prepared and know what liner you want to get on.One could also write to shipping companies.
Be helpful and interested in their trade. Even if assured that once you do not have any experience in sailing, hit the marinas everything will be honest with the fact and state that you are eager to learnpretty obvious. Show respect towards their skills, their You will meet other boat hitchhikers and the seas and the elements of naturethey will share their information with you. Learn aboput sailingBasically you'll be putting up notices offering your help, pacing the racesdocks approaching people cleaning their yachts, trying to make contact with sailors in the seasons and major routesbar etc. For example, the [[Azores|Azores islands]] off Portugal can be a good place Try to talk to get on as many people as possible. After a boat while everyone will know you and will give you hints as most boats stop there on the to or back from Caribbeanwhich boat is looking for someone.
There are lots of good captains out there, with good intentions. But there are lots of different "classes" of captains out there, lots of different boats for different purposes. So how do you find the good captains out from the hasty, less benign ones? Well, start by analyzing how well they care for their crew. Or their boat. How prudent they are about security. What kind of personal imbalance they might be experiencing based on their insistence on getting certain types of crew (like young, good-looking females).
== Hitching a Barge ==Some inland routes are navigable. Big rivers, canals... Barges and private boat cruise them. Barges are very long and flat boats that can carry thousands of tons of goods, slowly along the river. If you're not in a hurry they are easy to hitch. Barges won't stop if you wave at them from the bank. The best place to get to them is a "lock", where they have to stop to be adjusted to the level of the river-canal. But they usually have a restricted access. Apparently they do not operate at night (10pm-6am). If you go to the main gate, there should be a button to call the operator (only one person is usually operating). From my experience in [[Germany]], they are very hitch-hiker friendly. If you explain to them what you're up to over the intercom, they let you in or even ask the boats for you over the radio. Traffic is low but the boat drivers are usually open to travellers. And during the time needed for the ''lock'' to operate, it is easy to talk to them from the bank. The cruising speed of a riverboat is circa 13 km/h. But counting the time spend in the locks, it can go down to 6 km/h. But as they stop only at night, it is still faster than walking. Plus, given the size of the vehicle, it is very comfortable. And depending on what river you're cruising, it can also be very beautiful. == Hitching Yachts == Apart from making your way round the '''Caribbean''' or '''Polynesia''' by offering a hand onboard yachts which seems to be common and easy, the most common route is the '''Atlantic crossing''' from Europe to the Americas (mostly to the Caribbean or Brazil). =Prerequisites=Prerequisites==
*'''Experience''': Experience in sailing is not necessary -although a huge plus in getting a quicker lift-, but participating in duties and life on board of course is obligatory!
*'''Tolerance to seasickness''': Most people get motionsick on a boat, but often the body gets used to it after a couple of hours or days. A few find out they can't just take it and must break off their trip. It's important that you find out how you deal with seasickness (and eventually find your own tricks to cope with it), and let the captain know it. On Catamarans you will likely experience less symtoms of seasickness than on monohull sailing boats. There are drugs to cure some symptoms. Better pack some in advance especially in case you're planning a longer cruise and you don't yet know your reaction to exposure. Seasickness is no fun at all and can actually be dangerous for yourself and annoying for the rest of the crew, since you wont be able to fulfill any tasks below deck.*'''Some money''': These days most many yachts will ask you to chip in for your food. Most Many boats ask either 10 or €15 on food per day. The Atlantic crossing takes between 15 to 25days, depending on boat and winds, so you'll need around 150 to €300 for the crossing alone -count on at least a week in the marina till you find your lift, too. It is possible to get an entirely free lift food included, mostly on bigger yachts where you'l ll be needed to scrub the deck and polish the silver railing. During the ARC regatta you can even expect boats ask as much as €50 per day since inscription fees are pretty high.*'''Things you'll needSome stuff''': Head torche. Waterproofs and good shoes are recommended although they are very expensive and if you don’t have them you can wait -the boat you get might provide them and only if not you'll have to acquire them. The Canary Islands are cheaper when compared with mainland Europe and in Gibraltar for example apparantly there are sailor’s “jumble sales” so you might pay less.*Don'''Getting started''': Be assured that once you hit the marinas everything will be pretty obvious. You will meet other boat hitchhikers and they will share their information with you. Basically t forget your passport or ID, even when you'll re just travelling within Europe! The skipper must be putting up notices offering your help, pacing the docks approaching people cleaning their yachts, trying able to make contact with sailors in the bar etc. Try to talk to as many people as possible. After a while everyone will know you and will give you hints as to which boat is looking provide identification documents for someoneall crew members.
*'''Language''': Obviously all foreign languages can help, but for the Atlantic crossing speaking at least some French can make a huge difference, since over 60 % of sailors on this route are French-speakers
=Atlantic Crossing==East-West from Europe===
'''When to go''': Boats go with the trade winds that start to move from East to West across the Atlantic in autumn. So the season is from ''September to January-February''. Top season is October, November. In the end of November each year there is a regatta called ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) leaving from [[Las Palmas]]. There will be more boats than at any other time in the marinas and it can be considered safer than leaving with a boat that is going unassisted. There will be more competition on finding a lift though, too.
'''Departure points''':
*'''[[France]]''': South: Antibes North: [[Brest (France)|Brest]]*Southern '''[[Spain''']]: If you are English speaking: obviously [[Gibraltar]]/[[La Línea]] ("Alcaidesa Marina"), [[Malaga]].*[[Portugal]]: [[Lisbon]]: Marina de [[Cascais]], Marina Parque das Nações, Doca de Alcântara; Algarve: Marina de [[Lagos (Portugal)|Lagos]]
*[[Canary Islands]]: The biggest marina is on Gran Canaria, in [[Las Palmas]].
*[[Morocco]] to the Canary Islands: [[Essaouira]],[[Agadir]].
*'''[[Senegal''']]: [[Dakar]] and [[Casamance]] (see "Africa to America" further down).
===East-West from Africa===
==Pacific Crossing==
The Pacific being about 6 times larger than the Atlantic. Most boats leave America and go through the south Pacific Islands towards '''Australia''' or '''New Zealand'''. This is because of the trafe winds. '''East to West''' Boats normally leave from central America, this mostly '''Panama'''. '''West to East''' There are two different options from where boats start in the beginning of the year till mid of June. '''Option 1''' Going through the south Pacific starting from '''New Zealand'''. The route is called theroaring forties. Most boats avoid going there as the weather conditions are very rough. Also without sailing experience or just a crossing little it is very unlikely that someone is never done without a stop over willing to take you on at least one of the Polynesian Islandsboard. The most likely end-point for most is '''Option 2''' Starting in '''Japan''' boats will go towards '''Alaska''', '''AustraliaCanada''' or the Westcoast of the '''New ZealandUS'''. There are only 10 to 20 boats doing this route each year and most will start between the beginning of June and mid of June as it is not that incredible cold and the taifun season normally has not started yet.Most boats leave from Hokkaido, Kushiro but as there is no marina they will most likely be in Hakkodate before.'''Also make sure you got your B1 or B2 Visa for the US before departure as the Visa Waiver Program does not apply for private vessels and you would illegaly enter the US just holding your visa waiver.'''
== Weblinks with information ==
* [http://www.cruiserfloatplan.co.za Cruiser Logcom Floatplan]is a free to join sailing community, has some great information for when and where to find a yacht and an interactive member map. * [http://www.cruisercruiserlog.co.zacom/forums/crewfinder.asp Cruiser Log], has some very useful info], [http://www.cruiser.co.za/crewfinder1.asp some specific for hitchhikers], including a rough guide of movements of cruising yachts* [http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Hitchhiking_boats 2012 Detailed Account of hitching Yachts and cargo freighters on Wikivoyage]
* [http://www.7knots.com 7knots] has a practical way of finding boats
* [http://www.boatingoz.com.au/default.asp?Page=17927&MenuID=Classifieds%2F13099%2F0%2CCrew%5F%2D%5Funpaid%2F13104%2F0 Boating OZ], mostly in Australia, some Pacific
* [http://www.aferry.co.uk/ aferry] click on the map to see lots of ferry connections from all over [[Europe]]
* [http://gijsbos.com/boat-hitchhiking-a-dummies-guide Boat hitchhiking, a dummies guide]
== Blogs and stories ==
* [http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2011/03/hich-hiking-across-the-atlantic/ A skippers' point of view on people looking for a boat]
* [http://www.greatbigscaryworld.com/howtohitchhikeaboat/ Short blog post called 'How to Hitchhike a Boat']
* [http://www.canada.com/Hitchhiking+across+Atlantic/7523190/story.html 2012 Documentary called 'Hitchhiking across the Atlantic'], 2012* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u74Q-DOpX84 Le temps de prendre le temps], hitchhiker Kiko's documentary about hitchhiking across the Atlantic (french and portuguese). * [http://theoceanpreneur.com/hitch-sailing/atlantic-ocean-crossing-find-crew-spot-sailing-boat/ Top Tips on Hitchhiking the Atlantic] (based on 4x sailing across)* [http://hitchhikershandbook.com/2014/11/18/boat-hitchhiking-across-the-atlantic/ Boat hitchhiking – 10 tips on hitchhiking across the Atlantic from Europe to the Americas'] by Gringo Ben in 2014.* [http://www.gelderlander.nl/voorpagina/nijmegen/daglog/5433553/Logboek-Liftend-over-de-wilde-baren.ece Hitching a boat - Weekly Blog (2010, in Dutch)]. A Weblog from two Dutch students hitchhiking across the world by ship.* [https://warmroads.de/en/hitchhiking-sailing-boats/ Hitchhiking sailing boats], May 2015* [http://www.voilesetvoiliers.com/grande-croisiere/une-bateau-stoppeuse-sur-l-atlantique-1-mes-dix-conseils-acidules-avant-de-partir/ 10 tips for boat hitchhiking across the Atlantic] (french)* [http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2011/03/hitch-hiking-across-the-atlantic/ Catching a Ride Across the Atlantic] (2011). Excellent overview. How to Improve Your Chances of Being One of the Chosen Few.* see [[User:Paxus|Paxus]] his [[hitchhiking a sailboat|experiences]] hitching [[Hitchhiking a sailboat|Sailboats]] in 1989/90.* [http://www.oceanpreneur.co Ocean Adventure Travel Blog] Has hitch-Sailing stories and 'How To's.' A blog from a seasoned sailboat hitchhiker.
== Videos ==
* [https://youtu.be/VgG-OvFW_2M Atlantic Boathitchhikers in Las Palmas]
* [https://www.youtube.com/oceanpreneur Youtube Channel on Boat Hitchhiking, Sailing & Sustainability]
* [http://www.7knots.com 7Knots]
* [http://www.floatplan.com Floatplan]
* [http://www.desperatesailors.com Desperate Sailors (free crew, boat, services and event finder)]
* [http://www.worldcruising.com World Cruising Club]
* http://www.windowsoncyprus.com/crew_list.htm
* http://www.sailingalternatives.org/crew.htm
* http://www.crewfile.com
* http://www.dockwalk.com
* http://www.partnersandcrews.com
* http://www.findacrew.net
* http://www.crewskeers.com
*[https://www.oceannnomads.co Ocean Nomads] Ocean Explorers & Impact Community
== Books ==
* [http://www.oceannomad.co/book Ocean Nomad] ''The Complete Atlantic Sailing Crew Guide - How to Catch a Ride & Make a Difference for a Healthier Ocean'' by Suzanne van der Veeken (2017)
= Hitching a ferry =
'''Hitchhiking a ferry''' is easy. Simply ask drivers or truck drivers if you can board the ferry in their truck, they usually only have to pay for the vehicle. See also [[:Category:Ferries]] for different routes that involve ferries.
It's advised to find out in advance if they charge per vehicle (good) or for each passenger as well (bad).
[[Category:Transportation]]